Adley Rutschman and soft-shell crabs: Why Tomoyuki Sugano is excited for the Orioles

Tomoyuki Sugano waited years for the right opportunity to come to the United States to pitch for a major league team. He can wait a little longer for soft-shell crabs.

Sugano, who was in Baltimore to sign his $13 million deal with the Orioles on Monday, dined at The Charleston in Harbor East. While he thoroughly enjoyed the “incredible food,” there’s one item on the menu he’s still eager to try.

“He heard that the soft-shell crab there is incredible in the summer,” said agent Shawn Novak, translating for Sugano. “So he’s really looking forward to going back and chowing down on soft-shell crab.”

The season for soft-shell crabs begins in April, just in time for the return of baseball in Baltimore, Sugano’s home for the 2025 campaign. The Japanese right-hander has yet to visit Camden Yards, but he’s getting a taste of the neighborhood.

“He thought it was an incredible city,” said Novak, speaking for Sugano. “Loved the feel of it.”

Sugano “felt like he did all he could” in Nippon Professional Baseball, where the starter won three Most Valuable Player awards in 12 seasons. He racked up almost 1,900 innings with the Yomiuri Giants, registering a 2.45 ERA and more than 1,500 strikeouts. At 35, Sugano has always wanted a chance to pitch in the big leagues and to win a championship. The Orioles will give him that.

“It’s really just the great pitching staff, the pitching development, a great team, also that they’re contending for a World Series and having the opportunity to win a World Series immediately. Those were the biggest factors for him in choosing the Orioles,” said Sugano, through Novak.

Meeting with the Baltimore media for the first time on Thursday, Sugano also gave a shoutout to his new batterymate.

“He’s looking forward to working a lot with Adley Rutschman, a fantastic catcher,” said Novak, speaking for Sugano. “He’s really looking forward to communicating with him, working hard with him and having a lot of success.”

Rutschman was most likely a part of the Orioles’ comprehensive pitch to Sugano, who conversed with the team about “a variety of topics,” from testing new pitches to the difference in strike zones between NPB and MLB. The O’s, looking to add another veteran starter to the rotation, were sold on Sugano’s track record and outstanding command of the strike zone.

Other teams have tried to woo Sugano before. In December 2020, Yomiuri posted its ace for big league teams, but he went unsigned. That process, though, was “completely different.” Sugano noted the COVID-19 pandemic and the inclusion of a posting fee as factors in his decision to return to Japan on a four-year, $40 million deal the following January.

The Orioles, who haven’t signed a player out of Japan since left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada before the 2012 season, were not listed as one of the teams reportedly interested in Sugano at the time. But like Sugano, who transformed himself from a fireballer to a crafty veteran over the last four years, the O’s have changed a lot since then.

With Koby Perez at the helm, the Orioles have dramatically bolstered their international presence, a key item on general manager Mike Elias’ to-do list when he came from the Houston Astros organization in 2018. They’ve also focused on making Baltimore an attractive destination for pitchers.

“We have good pitching development, and we use the best technology and the best resources to keep our players healthy and make them better,” Elias said at the winter meetings. “I think it’s as good an organization as any to develop yourself but have a great chance to win, and also you’re in a big stage in the American League East and there’s something exciting about that. Something special about the American League East.”

Sugano said he’s excited to pitch in the competitive AL East. He’s used to big stages, too. In 2017, he took the hill at Dodger Stadium in the championship round of the World Baseball Classic. Facing a lineup of big league All-Stars, Sugano allowed just one unearned run and collected six strikeouts in six impressive innings. He called the experience “a dream come true.”

“That really solidified his feelings of wanting to pitch in the big leagues one day,” Novak said for Sugano.

Sugano’s velocity and strikeout rates have dipped since 2017, but his effectiveness hasn’t. He put up a 1.67 ERA in 156 2/3 innings for Yomiuri in 2024 despite striking out just 6.4 batters per nine innings.

“He’s obviously not a guy that throws 100 mph, but he’s very confident in his control, command, his pitch mix,” Novak said on behalf of Sugano. “That’s why he’s had a lot of success in Japan. He’s not really looking to change anything now. He wants to use his pitch selection, his pitch mix, his command to pitch in the States and see where it takes him from there.”

The Orioles, meanwhile, are excited to see where his six-pitch arsenal and appetite for winning take him.

“He’s coming to the States to win, to pitch, and that’s all he’s thinking about is baseball,” said Novak, translating for Sugano. “The Orioles are a great organization and [have] a chance to win the World Series, and that was his focus.”