Tomoyuki Sugano was doing it again.
The Orioles’ sage rookie starter took the mound for his MLB debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 30 and lasted only four innings, exiting the game with hand cramps after allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks. When Yasuo Kubo, in a time zone 13 hours ahead, watched the game, he saw it right away and shot a text to the right-hander.
“Let’s remember what we did in the past to get you back on track,” he said in Japanese.
Kubo, 67, is the roving pitching coordinator for the Yomiuri Giants, the Nippon Professional Baseball team with whom Sugano spent 12 years putting together one of the most decorated careers in Japanese baseball history before signing with the Orioles last offseason.
When Kubo arrived on the Giants’ coaching staff in 2023, however, Sugano was starting to show signs of decline. His numbers had fallen from elite to merely very good and Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, Sugano’s uncle, brought Kubo in to help their No. 1 starter regain his form. It took some time, and an injury that summer delayed his progress, but by 2024, Sugano pitched like an ace again and went on to win his third career Most Valuable Player Award.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would be here,” Sugano said through Orioles team interpreter Yuto Sakurai.
So, when Sugano wasn’t standing upright enough on the mound during his start in Toronto, Kubo quickly picked up on it.
“The simple way to describe it is to get him back to where his arm angle was his previous years,” Kubo said in a video interview through a team interpreter. “His angle was a little bit lower compared to his good days. So, standing tall, getting himself taller in general, making sure that he gets on top of the ball when releasing the ball was the main factor that we actually worked on.”
Sugano got to work cleaning up his mechanics in the weeks that followed, focusing on pulling his front leg up higher in his windup and the way he shifted his weight from his back leg during his delivery. He sent video of his bullpen sessions to Kubo for a second look and the veteran pitching coach started to see Sugano’s trademark pinpoint command show itself again.
Three starts later, the 35-year-old put it all together against the Cleveland Guardians. He enjoyed the best start of his young MLB career Thursday night, allowing two runs over seven innings with no walks on just 87 pitches in the Orioles’ 6-2 win.
“What we saw in spring training, too, was a guy who has command of multiple pitches with a good split-finger,” manager Brandon Hyde said after the game. “Fastball’s got some life to it when it’s backed up behind the off-speed stuff. He’s got a feel for the cutter, the breaking ball, and he doesn’t walk people.”
The mechanical changes also resulted in longer extension in his delivery; Sugano averaged 6.1 feet over his first two starts but improved to 6.3 and maxed out at 6.7 on Thursday. A longer extension gives the hitter less time to see the ball and react to whatever pitch he’s throwing. Sugano consistently got the best extension with his splitter, generally his most effective pitch.
Baltimore’s starter reached out to Kubo throughout spring training as he made the adjustments he needed to transition from NPB’s style of pitching to that of MLB. But since the season started, it’s been Kubo who’s been following along and sending notes from his observations. They both find their relationship almost telepathic.
“He understands what I’m thinking, and we don’t really have to have a long conversation to understand each other,” Sugano said.
It’s only one strong start out of four appearances to begin the year, but Sugano showed that his repertoire could play in the majors once he harnessed his command. Kubo never worried about him finding his composure and getting his mechanics under control.
“The Tokyo Giants are — we have the most history within the NPB. It’s a very tough team to play for,” Kubo said. “The fans, the tradition, we’re born to win. So, with that kind of pressure on your back and everyone in the nation knowing that the previous manager was his uncle, that’s tough to perform as well and he was able to overcome all of that.”
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