"At such an important time..."I'm sorry" 35-year-old ML challenge, 巨 ace disappointed 4 years ago
"At such an important time..."I'm sorry" 35-year-old ML challenge, 巨 ace disappointed 4 years ago
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Tomoyuki Sugano (35), the right-hander of the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese professional baseball league, will challenge for the U.S. Major League next season.
The U.S. "ESPN" said on the 5th (Korea Standard Time) that Sugano, one of the most successful pitchers in Japanese professional baseball, is scheduled to enter the Major League as an international FA this winter. Four years ago, he knocked on the Major League door with the posting system after the 2020 season, but it remained in Japan after much consideration.
At that time, the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays made offers, but Sugano chose to stay in Japan due to COVID-19 issues. Sugano, who played four more years for Yomiuri by signing a contract with the highest annual salary of 800 million yen in Japanese professional baseball history, is late at 35 years old but will try again as an FA instead of posting.
Sugano, who had a disappointing performance for three years from 2021 to 2023, found his form when he was good again this year. In 24 games, he pitched 156 ⅔ innings, recording 15 wins and 3 losses with a 1.67 strikeout and 111 winning percentage of 833 percent. He led Yomiuri to win the league by reviving the Central League's most wins and winning percentage, second place in ERA, fifth place in innings, and 10th place in strikeouts.
ESPN reported Sugano's bid for the Major League. According to Japanese media including Sports Hochi, Sugano told reporters after the Yomiuri Giants finished their training session at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday, "I conveyed my intention to play overseas. Of course, it is good to play for Yomiuri, but I had never been able to go to the Major League after the 2020 season in my mind." He expressed his commitment to achieve his major league dream, which he failed to achieve four years ago.
Sugano, however, was cautious that his future suddenly attracted attention ahead of the postseason. "I'm sorry that the news came out at such an important time. Please don't ask me about this matter after today. I will try to talk about it with my own mouth again after the season ends. All I think about at the moment is that my team is the best. I will make sure to win the Climax Series."
"Sugano contributed greatly to the team's victory this year. We will have discussions after the end of the season, but we want to respect Sugano," said Yoshimura Sadaaki, head of the Yomiuri Giants' programming division. "I hope he does his best until the end. If not for me, I want to support him as a baseball player. I want to tell him to win the Japan Series and do well," Yomiuri said.
Sugano, who joined the Yomiuri Giants as the No. 1 draft pick in 2012, has played in only one team since his debut in 2013. His overall performance in the 12 seasons was 136 wins and 74 losses with an earned run average of 2.43 strikeouts and 1,855 in 276 games (1857 innings). He showed consistency through nine double-digit winnings seasons, and made a strong impact by winning the Sawamura Award for two consecutive years from 2017 to 2018. Sugano, who threw fastballs up to 155 kilometers per hour during his heyday, is a pitcher who boasts various breaking balls such as sliders, curves, and folk balls and control of his ball. He has 22 shutout wins and 42 complete throws, making him a good stamina.
"Sugano had a 1.67 ERA in 24 games this season, which was a revival of the season. The average speed of four-seam fastballs is 92 miles (148.1 kilometers), and he can throw two-seam fastballs, sliders, cutters, splitters and curves. All six pitches are plus pitches," ESPN said. "He made up for his poor pitching capabilities with command and pitching capabilities. During 156 ⅔ innings this season, he gave up just 16 walks and six homers, which is about half the league's total, and struck out 111. 스포츠토토
Starting pitchers who will appear in the Major League FA market this winter include Corbin Burns (Baltimore Orioles) and Blake Snell (San Francisco Giants), Max Fried (Atlanta Braves), Jack Flaherty (LA Dodgers), Yusei Kikuchi (Houston Astros), Luis Severino (New York Mets), Nick Pivetta (Boston Red Sox), and Nathan Ivoldi (Texas Rangers). With Japan's 23-year-old monster Roki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines) also likely to challenge for the Major League this winter, attention is focusing on how Sugano, a 35-year-old veteran, will be evaluated.