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The story
Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (36) started on the road against the Braves on August 28 (August 29 JST), but was pulled after 4.2 innings having allowed 10 hits, 2 walks/hit-by-pitches, 4 strikeouts, and 6 runs, missing out on his 13th win of the season. It marks the third straight start in which he’s been knocked out early.
On 5channel, opinions were split: some praised his 12 wins piled up in the first half, while others pointed out that his quality-start rate lags behind teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga and that he hasn’t even reached the innings threshold to qualify for the ERA title, arguing “you can’t judge him on wins alone.” The debate spiraled into a broader argument over stats like ERA and home-run rate.
Tomoyuki Sugano pulled mid-5th after 6 runs allowed — hit for 10 by Braves lineup, knocked out early for third straight start
◇NL: Rockies at Braves (August 28, 2026, Atlanta)
Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (36) started on four days’ rest against the host Braves on the 28th (29th JST). He was pulled after 4.0 innings, having allowed 10 hits, 2 walks/hit-by-pitches, 4 strikeouts, and 6 runs, and missed out on his 13th win of the season.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
He's holding his own
But let's be real, an old guy like him just doesn't have the stamina to stay sharp all season
That's still 12-7 for the season
Last year he went something like 10-10
Back-to-back double-digit win seasons — he's clearly holding his own
The majors' real test starts now, so the low grade is fair
6 runs through 5 is a passing grade against that lineup
He actually wears his pants hiked up higher than Yoshida Masataka
If he can win 12 games with the Rockies, give the man a Cy Young
Go grab Senga instead — he's from Gamagori, isn't he? (same hometown turf as the Dragons)
Okamoto had 3 RBIs and a homer today though
Are you people even Japanese fans?
Win totals don't carry that much weight anymore
I still think he can hack it, but the league's read on him seems to be right as well
Yamamoto Yoshinobu has a 1.95 ERA in August, 1-2 over 5 starts
Skubal's posted a quality start in all 6 outings since the trade — also 1-2, and even today he allowed zero runs and still didn't get the win
The Dodgers' lineup is too weak to win games, and the bullpen's too shaky to hold onto wins
Man, the other Japanese pitchers aren't doing great either — Senga, Matsui, Kikuchi, Sasaki, none of them have really proven themselves, and now even Yamamoto can't buy a win
Plenty of games where the hitters — Ohtani, Murakami, Okamoto, Yoshida — end up being the goats too
Anyone hoping to jump to MLB after this is gonna get lowballed
Matsui's actually been really solid this season, especially in the second half
Wins and ERA just became the textbook example of stats that can't predict the future
Getting burned by the exact same thing every single time — pathetic
Always think, man, you don't have to smugly act like you called it
One look at those numbers and it's obvious how meaningless win totals really are
Forget after-the-fact stats like ERA or WAR, innings and wins are everything
Sugano hasn't even reached the innings threshold to qualify though
Sugano 7/24
Yamamoto 19/24
Imanaga 11/26
Lol, he's even below Imanaga this season
For reference, Imanaga's only got 8 wins
Yamamoto's just an absolute monster
Wins — 9th, 12
Losses — 22nd, 8 (ranked highest to lowest)
ERA — n/a, 5.23
Strikeouts — 71st, 75
Opponent BA — n/a, .284
QS — 32nd, 7
Is that good or bad?
Yeah, win totals really are garbage lol
Wish the media would finally switch over to QS already
Batting average and win totals are the negative legacy of Japanese baseball
Background and Points of Debate
Tomoyuki Sugano is in his second MLB season with the Rockies, and after piling up 12 wins in the first half, he’d earned a reputation for “holding his own” in the majors. But looking at the stats raised in the thread, his quality-start rate sits at just 7/24 — near the bottom of the team — and he hasn’t even reached the innings threshold to qualify for the ERA title, drawing repeated unfavorable comparisons to teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto (19/24) and Shota Imanaga (11/26, 8 wins). What defined this thread was the split between a traditional view that weighs win-loss record heavily and a more analytics-driven view that prioritizes substance like ERA and quality starts — with some arguing “wins are just an after-the-fact result” and others countering “12 wins is impressive even without qualifying for the ERA title.” Notably, on that same August 28 game day, Yamamoto also pitched well but went 1-2 due to a lack of run support, making the “gap between win totals and actual performance” surrounding Japanese starters a widely discussed topic that day.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[MLB] Rockies’ Tomoyuki Sugano pulled mid-5th after 6 runs allowed — hit for 10 by Braves lineup, knocked out early for third straight start.”
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