27-05-2025
Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is living out his dream of playing in America
Tomoyuki Sugano has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Baltimore Orioles after playing professionally in Japan for more than a decade.
Sugano, a 35-year-old starting pitcher, has a 4-3 record with a 3.07 earned run average.
He came to Baltimore after playing 12 seasons in his home country of Japan. He's the third Japanese player to ever be on the O's roster.
WJZ's Dennis Valera spoke with Sugano, who said playing in America has been his dream.
Playing in the U.S.
Baseball has always been a big part of Sugano's life. His father, uncle, and grandfather all played baseball. So, it's always been his dream to play Major League Baseball in the U.S.
The dream didn't feel like a possibility, though, until he played in the World Baseball Classic in 2017.
Sugano, through his interpreter Yuto Sakurai, said this dream isn't only his. It's also his family's.
"They're as happy as I am happy to be here," Sugano said. "They think of it as my dream, which was kind of a shared dream with them. They're extremely happy with where I am right now."
Hitting his stride
Sugano's pitching has become a bright spot for the Orioles' season this year. He's currently sporting an earned run average of around three, heading into his start on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
ERA is the key pitching statistic used to evaluate a pitcher's performance. In the MLB, the average ERA is 4.5.
Sugano said he has a methodical approach for each game he plays.
"First and foremost, it's the physical part, making sure I'm prepared to go into the game," Sugano said. "The second part will be like the communications between the catchers -- making sure the game planning goes well."
Making it to the MLB
Before the Orioles, Sugano played 12 years in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yomiuri Giants.
He made a big name for himself while there. But even with his success there, Sugano said he didn't think he'd make the jump to the MLB.
"Personally, there was a time when I [was] sort of giving up, given up on my dreams to come over here," he said. "But, as long as you have that dream in your mind, I think anything is possible."
Now at 35, Sugano is getting accustomed to playing in a different league in a different country.
"I was just one of those guys who broke into the big leagues pretty late, but not everybody gets to experience something like that," Sugano said. "I don't feel like it's ever too late to come over here. [It's been] a different type of experience, but so far, it's been treating me well."
