Giants manager Tatsunori Hara not panicking about team's poor performance in spring training
There are a few trains of thought about spring training. One of the most prevalent, is that it doesn't matter. Or to be more precise, the results don't matter. The win-loss records don't count for anything and are largely forgotten the second the first pitch ...
Will Yamaguchi's departure from Yomiuri Giants to MLB clear a path for Sugano?
The biggest question stemming from the Yomiuri Giants' decision to post pitcher Shun Yamaguchi to MLB is not how Yamaguchi might fare in the majors. It's when will Tomoyuki Sugano get there? After years ago solidifying their resistance to the posting system on the back of ...
BayStars' Jose Lopez delivers game-winning hit against rival Giants
Jose Lopez hit a tie-breaking, two-run double off his former team, lifting the second-place Yokohama BayStars to a 4-2 win over the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants on Friday night. Trailing by a run in the sixth, Neftali Soto doubled in Takehiro Ishikawa to tie it ...
Tigers rookie Koji Chikamoto hits for cycle in CL's rout of PL in All-Star Series finale
Hanshin Tigers rookie Koji Chikamoto became the second player to hit for the cycle in in the NPB All-Star Series, leading the Central League to an 11-3 win over the Pacific League in Saturday's series finale. Chikamoto, who became the first rookie to lead off ...
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano tosses six-hit shutout against Dragons
Tomoyuki Sugano threw a complete game shutout Tuesday as he steered the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants to a 6-0 win over the Chunichi Dragons. The performance was a welcome turnaround for the Giants ace, who lasted just one inning in a 5-1 loss to the ...
Giants bats support returning ace Tomoyuki Sugano in big win over Marines
Yomiuri Giants fans used their cheers to welcome ace pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano back to the diamond. The Giants players did it with their bats. Yoshiyuki Kamei, Akihiro Wakabayashi and Shinnosuke Abe all homered and Sugano made a winning return as the Kyojin beat the Chiba Lotte ...
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano opens Reiwa Era in NPB with complete-game victory over Dragons
Tomoyuki Sugano lost his bid for the first shutout of Japan's new imperial era but still managed to go the distance as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Chunichi Dragons 5-1 in the Central League on Wednesday afternoon. On the first day of action in Japan's ...
Reinvigorated Hawks ace Kodai Senga flying high
If things keep going the way they are, Kodai Senga will make opposing batters hope the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks become flexible enough to let him move to the major leagues. The 26-year-old Senga, who has consistently been rated highly by major league scouts and is ...
Giants hitters give ace Tomoyuki Sugano a big boost in series-opening win over Swallows
Tomoyuki Sugano said his pitching was just "so-so." The Tokyo Yakult Swallows and their red-hot lineup might beg to differ. The Yomiuri Giants ace held the Swallows in check for the better part of seven innings, his teammates reminded everyone they're pretty good at the plate, ...
Eagles' Takahiro Norimoto leads NPB group chasing Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano
Tomoyuki Sugano is the best pitcher in Japanese baseball. The Yomiuri Giants ace has won the past two Sawamura Awards, hasn't posted an ERA higher 2.14 (or an fielding independent pitching over 2.80) since 2015 and is 32-13 over the past two seasons. There's no real ...
Stars switching numbers, changing names becoming staple of NPB offseasons
Offseasons in NPB are about change, just not exactly the type that immediately springs to mind. Japanese baseball has seen some big-name players change teams this winter. Two-time reigning Central League MVP Yoshihiro Maru is suiting up for the Yomiuri Giants next season and All-Star ...
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano equals largest reported deal for Japanese player
Pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano signed a ¥650 million contract Monday, equaling Nippon Professional Baseball's highest reported deal for a Japanese player. The 29-year-old's one-year deal, worth approximately $5.7 million, matches the salary paid to reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2004 and 2005 after his return from the ...
