Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) – Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano took the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road, but lasted just five innings while surrendering five runs to absorb his third loss of the season (3-3). The 36-year-old veteran, who entered the game one win away from 150 combined victories in Japan and the United States, will have to wait for his next start to chase the milestone.
Oddly, Sugano’s recent adaptation to the high altitude of Coors Field in Denver—where breaking balls tend to have less movement—proved a disadvantage on the road. In the first inning, with one out, he served up back-to-back solo home runs to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The sweeper and other breaking pitches showed too much movement, leading to command issues. “I fell behind too many batters. The ball was going where I intended, but there was a subtle shift—about the width of a ball. It took time to adjust,” Sugano said.
The second inning proved rougher still, as a fielding error by his teammates and another homer from Schwarber—his second of the game—brought in three more runs. Sugano struggled to find a rhythm and was constantly on the back foot. However, he settled down after the second, allowing no runs over the next three innings to keep the game within reach.
On the other side, Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, last season’s Cy Young Award runner-up, dominated Colorado’s lineup, leading his team to a shutout victory. “When things don’t go well, it always feels like a waste. But it’s just small adjustments—I think I can fix them,” Sugano added, keeping his focus forward despite the step backward on the verge of a historic milestone.
