NEWSWORTHY
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 ...
Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano was named winner of the prestigious Eiji Sawamura Award on Monday for the second straight year. The 29-year-old is the first pitcher to win the award in consecutive seasons since former Giants ace and Hall of Fame inductee Masaki Saito ...
Giants' Tomoyuki Sugano receives CL pitching accolade for stellar September
Two days after throwing a no-hitter to clinch the Central League Climax Series' first stage, the Yomiuri Giants' Tomoyuki Sugano was named the league's pitcher of the month for September and October on Tuesday. Although he is a strong candidate to win his second straight ...
Giants riding wave of momentum into final stage showdown against Carp
Tomoyuki Sugano turned, slapped his glove and thrust both arms into air once the ball was safely secure in Daikan Yoh's glove in center field. He wore a broad smile as catcher Seiji Kobayashi enveloped him in a hug near the mound at Jingu ...
Tomoyuki Sugano-no: near-perfect game sends Giants to CL Climax Series final
If there was any lingering doubt about who Japan's best pitcher was, Tomoyuki Sugano put it to rest. Just like he did the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' season. Sugano sent the Yomiuri Giants to the next round of the postseason in style, twirling a no-hitter in the ...
Tomoyuki Sugano throws eighth shutout of season as Giants blank Carp
Tomoyuki Sugano became the first pitcher in 40 years to throw eight shutouts in a season as he and the Yomiuri Giants blanked the Hiroshima Carp 4-0 on Thursday. Sugano (15-8) struck out 11 and completed his four-hitter without issuing a walk. He pulled even ...
Hisayoshi Chono slugs sayonara homer to lift Giants past BayStars, into third place in CL standings
Before watching his two former NPB clubs take the field in a crucial late-season game, the retiring Shuichi Murata urged them to give everything they had during the contest. They must've gotten the message, because they gave him a good show. Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano and ...
Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano pitched his sixth shutout of the season as the third-place Yomiuri Giants beat the second-place Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5-0 in the Central League on Saturday. In front of 45,025 at Tokyo Dome, Giants ace Sugano (13-8) struck out nine of the 34 ...
