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Right-handed ace Tomoyuki Sugano (37, Colorado Rockies), a former member of Japan's national team, has achieved double-digit wins for two consecutive years since his MLB debut. This is a valuable accomplishment made within the context of a team struggling at the bottom of the National League standings.
On the 25th (Korean time), Sugano started against the Milwaukee Brewers in an away game held at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, in the '2026 Major League Baseball (MLB)' season. He pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing 6 hits (including 2 home runs), recording 5 strikeouts and giving up 2 earned runs, leading his team to a 5-2 victory and securing his 10th win of the season (with 4 losses). Sugano threw a total of 93 pitches that day, with 55 strikes. With two earned runs allowed in this outing, Sugano's season ERA dropped slightly from 4.76 to 4.69.
In fact, Sugano's start on this day was somewhat shaky. Although the team's offense provided a two-run lead starting in the top of the first inning, Sugano immediately allowed a chase when he gave up a solo home run to leadoff batter Christian Yelich that cleared the right-field wall. However, his veteran composure shone through. After retiring the side in order in the second inning, he faced a crisis in the third with two outs and consecutive hits on base, but he got Willson Contreras to fly out to center field, escaping without allowing any runs.
Sugano cleanly retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the sixth, after one out, he gave up a solo home run to Bryce Turlington and then allowed consecutive hits, leading to a crisis with one out and runners on first and second bases before he left the mound. The relief pitchers who came in afterward managed to close out the game without allowing any runs, safely preserving Sugano's win condition.
With this achievement, Sugano becomes only the sixth Japanese pitcher in MLB history to record double-digit wins for two consecutive years since his debut. The five pitchers who previously achieved this feat are Hideo Nomo (Los Angeles Dodgers; team at the time of achievement), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Boston Red Sox), Yu Darvish (Texas Rangers), Masahiro Tanaka (New York Yankees), and Kenta Maeda (Los Angeles Dodgers). Now Sugano joins their ranks.
Especially given that this accomplishment was achieved under harsh conditions—playing for a team ranked last in its National League division and calling Coors Field, known as the "pitcher's graveyard," home—Sugano's back-to-back 10-win season carries even greater significance. With today's win, Colorado recorded 42 wins and 63 losses (a winning percentage of 0.400), but they remain in last place in the National League for winning percentage. Across all of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of the American League West Division (41 wins, 62 losses, winning percentage 0.398) have a slightly lower winning percentage than Colorado.
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*This content was translated by AI.
