Colorado Rockies sign Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to one-year, $5.1 million deal

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sugano-tomoyuki/UmyL9aVe/"]Sugano[/a], 36, made his MLB debut last season with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/baltimore-orioles/EcZwBi3N/"]Baltimore Orioles[/a] after coming over from Japan. He tossed a 4.64 earned run average in 30 starts, finishing the season with 106 strikeouts in 157.0 innings. [/p][p]He led the American League in home runs given up (33). Now, he'll be pitching in a ballpark that is notorious for home runs for 81 games out of the 2026 season.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colorado-rockies/naYhNOaA/"]Colorado[/a] finished dead last in all of baseball last season after posting a 43-119 record. [/p][embed guid="481b207b-66a4-4e86-a8f9-52f68758b62f" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2021273163040997394?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Prior to his time in the MLB, Sugano spent 12 wildly successful years playing professional ball in Japan - all with the Yomiuri Giants. He is an eight-time Nippon Baseball League All-Star, three-time Japan Central League MVP (2014, 2020, 2024), three-time Gold Glove winner (2016-2018), three-time Central League wins leader (2017, 2018, 2020), two-time  Eiji Sawamura Award winner (2017, 2018) for best starting pitcher, and won the Triple Crown in 2018. [/p][p]He left Japan with a stellar 136-74 record, 2.68 earned run average, and 1,585 strikeouts through 1857.0 innings, allowing 347 walks and 1,568 hits. [/p]