DENVER – Tomoyuki Sugano was adrift over his last two starts in pursuit of a major milestone.
Saturday, he turned the tide on a rough couple of starts – and a rough bout of pregame flu-like symptoms -- with a steady performance to earn his landmark 150th win in his combined campaigns with the Nippon Professional Baseball League and Major League Baseball, leading the Rockies to even the series with a 4-2 win over the D-backs to set up Sunday’s rubber match.
His teammates celebrated the milestone achievement with him in the clubhouse, honoring a man who has been a rock in the Rockies’ rotation.
“I honestly wasn't aware that my teammates knew about it,” Sugano said through interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “Obviously this is a special one for me, but I want to look forward to the 151st win.”
Sugano pitched through traffic in each of his five innings on the hill, leaving with two runs (both earned) on seven hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out one.
“There was some traffic,” manager Warren Schaeffer acknowledged. “Tomo gave us all he had today, battling a sickness before the game, didn't even know if he could go, but gave us five strong with the win. He gave everything he had today.”
Sugano downplayed his personal achievement and emphasized that he did not want to use his illness as an excuse.
“I'm not at my best per se, but once I'm determined, I want to make sure I go the distance,” Sugano said.
Sugano, 36, played 12 seasons for the Yomiuri Giants and a season in Baltimore before signing with the Rockies in February. The day before his 150th win, he spoke of his proudest experiences from his career in Japan.
“The No. 1 honorable thing I could say about [my career highlights] is playing for the Yomiuri Giants,” Sugano said. “I have a lot of history there, for 12 years, and the teammates and the coaching staff that I met throughout the process is probably my No. 1 thing.
“I didn't want to have any regrets looking back over my career,” Sugano said about his decision to come to Major League Baseball.
His veteran presence has helped a young core of pitchers find their footing with the Rockies, and they were eager to show their respect Saturday.
“Isn't that great?” Schaeffer said of the new bullet point in Sugano’s legacy. “We see it on a daily basis. He's such the ultimate professional, whether he’s pitching or not. You can just tell he's been doing it at a high level for a long time. We celebrated the 150th in there today, and we’re very happy for him. It's a great milestone, well deserved.”
Such is Sugano’s stature on a team with long-standing longevity leaders in the Rockies clubhouse like Antonio Senzatela – five years Sugano’s junior – who look to the “veteran” second-year player as a model.
“It was really big,” Senzatela said of Sugano’s 150th. “He's one of the best pitchers out there in Japan, and he's performing really well here in Coors. He's a nice human being, a nice person. I love him, and I’m so happy for him.”
The Rockies opened both the first and second innings with three straight hits, taking a two-run advantage in the first frame, adding a run in the second, and never letting the lead lapse.
Arizona put a straight number on the scoreboard in the top of the second, executing a double steal that saw Lourdes Gurriel Jr. steal home with the D-backs first run, cutting Colorado’s lead in half. Their only other run came on back-to-back one-out doubles in Sugano’s final frame.
The Rockies added an insurance run in the eighth when Brandyn Garcia hit Mickey Moniak with the bases loaded.
Senzatela came on to close the ninth, securing his third save in as many opportunities. After spending the first nine years of his career as a starter, he is now 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA (four earned runs over 28 1/3 innings), eight walks, 25 strikeouts and a 0.81 WHIP in 13 appearances as a reliever this season.
“My first closing game was in New York, and being out there when the lights [were] getting crazy was like, wow!” Senzatela said of his newfound affection for his bullpen role. “This is new for me. I never expected that, but my heart rate is like [faster]. I like it.”
With Juan Mejia and Jaden Hill bridging the span between starter and closer, the Rockies’ bullpen combined for four scoreless innings, setting the stage to take a series from the D-backs in Sunday’s finale.