<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-tomoyuki-sugano-playoff-belief-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Tomoyuki Sugano believes Orioles can still make MLB playoffs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tomoyuki-Sugano.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Tomoyuki Sugano believes Orioles can still make MLB playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-10T18:59:42-07:00">July 10th, 6:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-10T18:59:42-07:00">July 10th, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite a disastrous start to the 2025 season, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano isn’t ready to give up on October baseball — and his belief may say more about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-manager-tony-mansolino-quote-after-mets-sweep">Baltimore’s recent surge than the standings do</a>. As the Orioles pitching staff steadies and the team’s bats heat up, Sugano’s confidence is helping lead the clubhouse through a crucial stretch.</p><p>By late May, Baltimore’s season appeared all but lost. The Orioles’ playoff chances had plummeted as the team fell to 21-36, sitting 15 games below .500. Key starters like Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery) and Tyler Wells (UCL injury) were already sidelined, while offensive catalysts Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg also missed time. Trade speculation surrounding the 35-year-old Japanese pitcher intensified, and some analysts had already written the club off entirely.</p><p>As of Thursday, the Orioles sit at 42-50, 11.5 games back in the AL East but trending upward with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. While still last in the division, they’re closing the gap thanks to a 24-16 stretch over their last 40 games. Only four teams — the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers, have posted a better record than the O’s over the last 40 games, with Baltimore going 24-16 over that stretch.</p><p>That recent success is part of why Sugano’s voice carries so much weight. The 35-year-old Japanese right-hander, in his first MLB season after a decorated career in NPB, has been a reliable piece of the rotation. Sugano owns a 7-5 record with a 4.44 ERA and 59 strikeouts, providing steady innings for a staff that’s battled injuries and inconsistency. While trade rumors continue to swirl, Sugano remains locked in on helping this group compete down the stretch — not planning an exit.</p><p>In a quote shared by Jacob Meyer of The Baltimore Sun on X (formerly Twitter), Sugano expressed his <a href="https://x.com/jcalvinmeyer/status/1943464667000582445">unwavering belief</a> in the team.</p><p>“In the past month or so, we’ve been playing really well. I still believe strongly that this team has a shot.”</p><p>That conviction matters. With years of postseason experience overseas and a quiet leadership style, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-baltimore-inks-npb-star-13-million-contract">Sugano</a> has emerged as both an anchor on the mound and a steadying presence in the dugout. His faith in this team reflects more than optimism — it reflects the reality of the Orioles’ revival.</p><p>To reach the postseason, the Orioles will need to keep building on their recent momentum — and perhaps get even hotter down the stretch. The return of key arms, improved lineup production, and a favorable schedule ahead all work in their favor. The Orioles playoff chances are far from dead — and Sugano’s belief might just be the spark that helps turn the momentum into a legitimate run.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Tomoyuki Sugano believes Orioles can still make MLB playoffs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-orioles-fans-tomoyuki-suganos-admission-1st-mlb-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tomoyuki-Sugano-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-06T00:44:36-07:00">April 6th, 12:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-06T00:44:36-07:00">April 6th, 12:44am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/orioles-news-orioles-trade-for-cubs-pitcher-acquired-cody-bellinger-deal">earn his first Major League win on Saturday</a> — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/orioles-news-tomoyuki-sugano-championship-message">he made a statement that’ll fire up the entire Orioles fanbase</a>. After holding the Kansas City Royals to just one run over 5 1/3 innings, the 35-year-old rookie <a href="https://x.com/jcalvinmeyer/status/1908661133193761089" rel="noopener">had this to say</a> via interpreter Yuto Sakurai:</p><p>“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.” via  Chandler Rome on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Sugano, a two-time Sawamura Award winner in Japan (essentially their version of the Cy Young), looked like the decorated veteran he is after a shaky debut. Gone were the hand cramps and nerves <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/tomoyuki-sugano-gets-first-career-win-with-orioles" rel="noopener">that plagued his first outing</a>. On Saturday, it was all poise and precision.</p><p>He allowed just five hits, one walk, and struck out four as the Orioles snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-1 win at Kauffman Stadium. Even more impressive was Sugano’s pitch mix — six different offerings, from sweepers to splitters, cutters to curveballs — keeping the Royals off balance all afternoon.</p><h2><b>Orioles defeat the Royals on Saturday, end losing skid </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tomoyuki-Sugano.jpg"><figcaption>William Purnell-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“He was really attacking the strike zone,” said catcher Gary Sánchez, who drove in two early runs. “All the pitches worked the way they were supposed to today.”</p><p>The biggest test came in the fifth. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Sugano buckled down and retired the next three batters. That momentum carried into a four-run sixth inning for Baltimore, giving Sugano all the run support he’d need.</p><p>The only blemish came when Bobby Witt Jr. took him deep in the sixth, but even that came after a long wait between innings in the frigid Kansas City weather.</p><p>Still, Sugano did his job — and he got the full treatment from the team afterward. The Orioles celebrated his milestone win with a beer shower, pushing Sugano through the clubhouse in a laundry cart.</p><p>“Typically in Japan, the beer shower only happens during the championship,” Sugano said. “So I was really happy to get that treatment. It made me feel like I want to succeed even more.”</p><p>Manager Brandon Hyde noted Sugano looked much more comfortable this time around. “Really good command like he had in Spring Training with all of his pitches,” Hyde said.</p><p>Baltimore’s bats backed him up big time. The Orioles’ 5-through-9 hitters combined for eight hits and all eight RBIs. Rookie Jackson Holliday went 3-for-4 with a two-run single, and Heston Kjerstad came up clutch against a lefty reliever, proving he deserves more at-bats.</p><p>With Colton Cowser sidelined, Kjerstad’s big knock could earn him more playing time — especially if he keeps delivering in high-leverage moments. The Orioles improved to 4-5, matching last season’s record through nine games — and we all know how that story ended. With Sugano looking like a stabilizing force in a rotation still missing key arms, Baltimore just might have found another piece of its winning formula.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/orioles-news-tomoyuki-sugano-championship-message');   ga('set', 'title', 'Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano’s ‘championship’ message will catch Yankees’ attention');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tomoyuki-Suganos-championship-message-will-catch-Yankees-attention.jpg"></figure><h1>Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano’s ‘championship’ message will catch Yankees’ attention</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-15T13:05:23-08:00">February 15th, 1:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-15T13:05:43-08:00">February 15th, 1:05pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Baltimore Orioles enter spring training with a starkly different aura surrounding them than the one that pervaded Sarasota, Florida in 2024. Last year, the theme was “reaching the next level.” Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/elly-de-la-cruz-reacts-named-mlb-the-show-25-cover-athlete">players like Gunnar Henderson</a> and Anthony Santander satisfied that criteria on an individual level, the O’s took a step back as a unit. This season, the team is being asked to prove that it is legitimate.</p><p>The men in the clubhouse do not believe there is a fraud alert sounding in Camden Yards, however. Despite losing ace Corbin Burnes and the slugging Santander in free agency, the Orioles believe in their foundation and trust the abundance of talent that still stacks the roster. One person in particular is feeling bullish on Baltimore’s 2025 prospects, and he <a href="https://x.com/afkostka/status/1890809522307936405" rel="noopener">just joined the team</a>.</p><p>“Let’s go win a championship.” Those are the first words Japanese right-handed starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano said to his new teammates, via his interpreter, after arriving at spring training on Saturday, per The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/orioles-news-baltimore-inks-npb-star-13-million-contract">notable offseason acquisition</a> is reiterating a point that still stands even after a disappointing fall and winter: Winning a World Series is an attainable goal.</p><h2><b>Can the Orioles’ new starter help them fully break through in 2025?</b></h2><p>The Orioles signed Sugano to a one-year, $13 million contract in December, in a move that was made far more crucial after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/diamondbacks-news-corbin-burnes-shocking-210-million-contract-arizona">Burnes joined the Arizona Diamondbacks</a> a couple weeks later. He accumulated a 136-74 record and 2.45 ERA in 12 seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants. The 35-year-old is a three-time Central League MVP, two-time Eiji Sawamura Award recipient (top pitcher) and a former pitching triple crown winner.</p><p>Sugano’s MLB transition could be a taxing one at first, but with his brilliant command, veteran savvy, and championship ambitions, he has the potential to become one of the most valuable free agency signings of the offseason. That is what the Orioles need from him as they prepare to battle the 2024 pennant-winning New York Yankees and refurbished Boston Red Sox.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
45	3.00	15	1.07	2

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
45	3.00	15	1.07	2

Tomoyuki Sugano

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Why Tomoyuki Sugano believes Orioles can still make MLB playoffs

Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win

Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano’s ‘championship’ message will catch Yankees’ attention

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