Tomoyuki Sugano was ready for the next challenge.

At 35 years old, the Japanese right-hander had already conquered Nippon Professional Baseball. For over a decade, Sugano was one of the most prolific pitchers in the country. Leaning on a deep repertoire of breaking pitches he could bend with ease, he won three Central League Most Valuable Player Awards and recorded a 2.45 ERA across more than 1,800 innings.

It wasn’t enough. Sugano signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Orioles to test his talents against MLB competition. He chose Baltimore because its roster offered him what he saw as a great chance to make a run at the one thing that alluded him during his NPB career: a championship.

“It’s really the great pitching staff, the pitching development, a great team,” Sugano said in Japanese of why he signed with the Orioles, as translated by his agent Sean Novak in a video news conference Thursday. “Also, that they’re contending for a World Series and have an opportunity to win a World Series immediately. Those were the biggest factors for me in choosing the Orioles. I was there on Monday and thought it was an incredible city. I loved the feel of it.”

Sugano spent his entire 12-year NPB career with the Yomiuri Giants, one of the league’s most storied franchises. However, he was never able to help the Giants bring home a Japan Series title; Yomiuri lost the best-of-seven championship round three times during his tenure, including back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020.

He also pitched for Team Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic but fell short in the semifinals with a 2-1 loss to Team USA — a game in which he allowed just three hits in six scoreless frames. One of those hits came off the bat of former Orioles outfielder Adam Jones.

“He’s always wanted to play in the States, pitch in the States and having the opportunity to pitch in Dodger Stadium in the 2017 WBC against the American team was a dream come true, and it really solidified his feelings of wanting to pitch in the big leagues one day,” said Sugano, as relayed by Novak.

With the Orioles, Sugano hopes to end his personal title-winning drought by aiming even higher and chasing a World Series with an organization that’s just as championship-starved. To carry over his impressive results to the U.S., Sugano plans to lean into his identity as a crafty groundball pitcher whose pinpoint accuracy and deep arsenal of pitches make up for his lack of high velocity.

Though Sugano wasn’t fazed by the Orioles’ decision to move the left field wall at Camden Yards back in, he is open to making adjustments to his pitch selection and location to adjust to MLB competition. The Orioles made several suggestions as part of their pitch to him in free agency and it helped convince the veteran starter to sign with the small-market club.

“Talked a lot about his pitch selection, pitch mix, pitch values, how certain pitches may be more effective in certain parts of the zone against certain hitters when he comes to the States, testing out possibly different pitches when he comes to the States, how he can be more effective with the ones he has now,” Sugano said. “Just a variety of topics there, and also the difference in strike zone between MLB and NPB and how that may change and be more effective for him when he gets to the States.”

Sugano currently throws six pitches, including a fastball that averages 92 mph, according to NPB Pitch Profiler. He also mixes in a heavy dose of cutters, curveballs and splitters with the occasional sinker and curveball. While his strikeout numbers have never been particularly dominant, Sugano’s walk (0.9 per nine innings last season) and home run (0.3) rates offer optimism that his profile of inducing weak contact could carry over in Baltimore.

On the field won’t be the only place he’ll have to adjust. Sugano, set to be only the third Japanese player to ever play for the Orioles, won’t speak the same language as any of his teammates. Baltimore as a city only has 2.5% of its population identifying as Asian, according to U.S. census data, and even fewer than that are Japanese. He’ll be on a new team, in a new country, pursuing a new caliber of championship.

Sugano’s mind is on one thing.

“It’s not a difficult decision at all,” Sugano said through Novak. “He had a great career in Japan. He felt like he did all he could there. It’s always been a dream of his to come play in the States and in MLB and he’s very excited to take this path.”

Around the horn

Former Orioles left-hander and Baltimore-area native Bruce Zimmermann latched on with the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, signing a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Zimmermann graduated from Loyola Blakefield and attended Towson University before being acquired from the Atlanta Braves in 2018 in a trade involving Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day. He went 8-10 with a 5.57 ERA in 38 games (27 starts) for Baltimore.

Another former Orioles arm signed a minor league deal Tuesday in Nick Vespi, who reportedly inked a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Vespi, who was shuffled back and forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk for years, put up a 3.88 ERA in 45 games all in relief. He’ll get the chance to make an opening day roster as well.

Outfielder Cristian Pache, who the Orioles acquired in the Austin Hays trade with the Phillies ahead of the trade deadline last summer, also reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Pache appeared in just three games for the Orioles before they released him.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich.