Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches against the United States during the first inning of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

Tomoyuki Sugano Sets High Bar Upon Meeting Orioles Teammates at Spring Training

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 11:38 AM ET

Tomoyuki Sugano made it very clear what his main goal is for the 2025 season when he met his new Baltimore Orioles teammates.

Sugano arrived at the Orioles' spring training camp Saturday morning, two months after signing with Baltimore. Per the Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka, the first words the Japanese pitcher said to the rest of the team – through an interpreter – were "Let's go win a world championship."

The 35-year-old right-hander is on a one-year deal with the Orioles, so he doesn't have a particularly long runway to win a World Series in Baltimore.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde on Tomoyuki Sugano: “He’s all about winning … he came over here to win”
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) February 15, 2025

Sugano is coming off 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, spending all of them with the Yomiuri Giants.

The Giants are the most accomplished team in NPB, leading the league with 22 Japan Series victories. Their last title came in 2012, though, and Sugano joined Yomiuri in 2013.

Sugano was a part of five Central League pennant-winning squads, but he never won a Japan Series.

Over the course of his career with the Giants, Sugano went 136-74 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.031 WHIP and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2024, he went 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.945 WHIP, claiming Central League MVP for the third time.

The Orioles brought Sugano in alongside MLB veteran Charlie Morton to round out a rotation that lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency. Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Tyler Wells are all also sidelined to open the year, so the trio of Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer needed reinforcements.

Baseball Prospectus' preseason PECOTA simulations give Baltimore a 7.2% chance of winning the World Series in 2025 – good for second-best odds in the American League and fifth-best odds across MLB. The Orioles haven't won a World Series in 42 years, however, so Sugano doesn't even have the benefit of joining a historic juggernaut this time around.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: