Sugano much better in second start, bats come to life in Orioles’ 8-1 win over Royals (updated)
KANSAS CITY – Tomoyuki Sugano has made two starts in the majors and pitched with the roof closed in Toronto and with a game-time temperature of 47 degrees at windy Kauffman Stadium. His exposure to intense heat and humidity is coming in the summer months. He’s going through a cooling down period before he ramps up.
Sugano didn’t experience any cramping in his hands today and he wasn’t soaked in sweat. He made the Royals uncomfortable through the fifth inning before a long break altered the course of his outing. A slight detour rather than a derailment.
Bryan Baker entered with one out in the sixth and coaxed a double play, and two other relievers handled the rest in an 8-1 victory over the Royals before an announced crowd of 14,383.
The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the sixth and scored four times for a 6-0 lead. They improved to 4-5 and can win the series Sunday afternoon before flying to Arizona.
The big inning included a bases-loaded, two-run single for Jackson Holliday against left-hander Sam Long. Heston Kjerstad went left-on-left earlier with an RBI single after Long replaced starter Michael Wacha.
The shutout bid for Sugano ended with Bobby Witt Jr.’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth on a hanging curveball. A single, strikeout and hit batter followed and Sugano was done at 89 pitches. He allowed one run and five hits, walked one and struck out four.
“I just thought he looked way more comfortable,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “I thought he was probably a little nervous that first start. Just really good command like he had in spring training of all of his pitches. Really good split. Fastball command was there. All pitches. Being able to throw anything in any count and keep guys off balance. I thought he was absolutely outstanding today.
“He looked relaxed, I thought he competed extremely well. You get that first start out of the way, and today I thought it was more like himself.”
A first major league win with the Orioles is celebrated with the cart treatment. Beer, condiments and anything else that can be dumped on a player’s head as he’s wheeled into the shower.
“He was really pumped up when we were in the handshake line coming through the clubhouse,” Hyde said, “and they’re all excited for him.”
Sugano won 136 games in Japan, but the Orioles weren’t showing any restraint today. He’s getting acclimated to life in the United States and this is a part of it. This is how they roll in their baseball world.
“Typically in Japan, the beer shower only happens when you win the championship,” he said, smiling, via interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “I was really happy to get that treatment. It made me feel like I want to succeed even more.
“Obviously, I’m not here to win one game in the major leagues. I’m here to win day to day and, ultimately, get the championship. But, yeah, after all that, I was still happy.”
