MILWAUKEE -- During 12 seasons in Japan, Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano’s pitching success brought him awards, championships and even a postseason no-hitter.
Everything except privacy.
“Every time I’d go out, I’d wear a hat, sunglasses and a facemask,” Sugano said through his interpreter, Yuto Sakurai.
Sugano appreciated the fandom, but two years in the Majors have allowed him to escape the attention of celebrity. He is still good enough to attract inquiring eyes -- of scouts from other teams with the Trade Deadline approaching on Aug. 3.
Sugano held the Brewers to two runs in 5 1/3 innings of the Rockies’ 5-2 victory at American Family Field on Friday afternoon.
It was the type of performance to make a team in need of a starter want him for the late-season run. Sugano is pitching under a one-year, $5.1 million contract -- certainly affordable for another club. If he stays, his steady work (10-4, 4.69 ERA) will continue to help a Rockies team looking to use the Deadline to increase its overall talent level.
On Friday, Sugano solidified what he demonstrated during his rookie season last year, when he went 10-10 with a 4.64 ERA with the Orioles. Leaning mainly on a diverse mix of fastball-type pitches -- splitter, sinker, cutter and four-seamer -- with occasional breaking balls, Sugano threw strikes on 55 of his 93 pitches.
Sugano allowed home runs -- Christian Yelich on the second pitch of the game and Brice Turang in the sixth inning -- to bring his season total to 20. The important thing is that all but three of the long balls have been solo shots. Otherwise, he yielded four singles, didn’t walk anyone until his final batter and finished with five strikeouts.