Sugano gives Rockies another reason to savor the moment

MILWAUKEE -- Rockies right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano’s Friday was like so many of his other starts this season -- a quietly effective 5 1/3 innings.

But when reliever Victor Vodnik replaced him and extricated the Rockies from a one-out, two-on jam in the sixth for one of the most important sequences in a 5-2 victory over the Brewers at American Family Field, Sugano showed uncharacteristic emotion -- as much as his quiet manner would allow.

Sugano didn’t wait until Vodnik reached the dugout to congratulate him.

“I’d never seen anybody come that far onto the field to say thank you or congratulate me on the outing,” Vodnik said.

By holding the Brewers to two runs and six hits while striking out five, Sugano earned his sixth consecutive win and became the first Rockies pitcher to reach 10 victories in a season since Germán Márquez won 12 in his 2021 All-Star season.

With the Trade Deadline approaching at 4 p.m. MT on Aug. 3, Friday's start might have been one of the last in black and purple for Sugano, who is pitching under a one-year, $5.1 million contract -- certainly affordable for a contending club.

Sugano won championships, earned multiple honors and even threw a postseason no-hitter while pitching 12 years in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants before joining MLB with the Orioles last season (10-10, 4.64 ERA in 30 starts). He has seen a level of success and celebrity greater than that of his teammates on a Rockies club dreaming of future success.

“We have an overall good staff on this team, so without them, it’s not achievable,” Sugano said through his interpreter, Yuto Sakurai.

A past of glory in Japan and a possible future of chasing a World Series after the Deadline weren’t on his mind against Milwaukee. This was all about sinking everything into winning a game, which is the same regardless of the continent or uniform.

“I know how tough it is for the relievers to go in that situation and get outs,” Sugano said. “So I just wanted to appreciate [Vodnik].”

Sugano was treasured throughout his career in Japan, sometimes to the point of discomfort. “Every time I’d go out, I’d wear a hat, sunglasses and a facemask,” he said earlier this season.

But with the Rockies, he’s appreciated for outings like Friday.

It started with Christian Yelich’s homer on Sugano’s second pitch of the game. The only other run came on Brice Turang’s homer in the sixth. Fifteen of the 20 homers he yielded this season have come with the bases empty.

“I always say this, but solos are OK to me, and the team scored for me early [two in the top of the first], so that was really good,” Sugano said.

He allowed just six hits, with the homers the lone ones to garner extra bases. Sugano struck out five, and his only walk came to his final batter. He threw strikes on 55 of his 93 pitches.

“Tomo has been great,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s a professional. He knows how to avoid big innings. He prepares.

“I feel like I say the same thing all the time, but you love when he takes the ball. He puts the ball where he wants to and gives us six innings on a consistent basis.”

Vodnik fired 1 2/3 clean innings, TJ Rumfield delivered a pinch-hit RBI double and a subsequent RBI single and Antonio Senzatela (another trade candidate) added a scoreless frame. Jordan Romano then shook off two singles to start the ninth and earn his eighth save. It marked his fourth save in seven games since he joined the Rockies. Those acts made sure that Sugano was rewarded with a W.

“He’s very humble, very respectful,” Vodnik said. “And I respect the heck out of him.”

With starting pitching always at a premium, the Rockies might not have much time before having to respect him from afar.