Tomoyuki Sugano throws first Climax Series no hitter in NPB history

Tomoyuki Sugano made history in Nippon Professional Baseball on Sunday, throwing the first no hitter in the history of the Climax Series.

The Climax Series, Nippon Professional Baseball’s playoff series prior to their championship game, had been around in its current form since 2007. The present format allows the second and third place teams in a division to meet in a playoff, before facing the division winner. The winner of that second playoff series then goes on to the NPB championship series.

In the history of the Climax Series, no one had thrown a no hitter. That was, until Tomoyuki Sugano sent the Yomiuri Giants on to the second round, firing a 4-0 no hitter over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, finishing off the two game sweep.

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It was a thoroughly dominant game for Sugano. he retired the first 20 batters he faced before issuing a walk to Tetsuto Yamada, bringing noted slugger Wladimir Balentin. However, Sugano struck Balentin out, and cruised the rest of the way to make history.

This is just another feather in the cap of one of the best pitchers in NPB today. Sugano posted a 14-8 record in 2018, along with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.036 WHiP. Over his 192 innings, he struck out 189 batters while issuing just 39 walks. Over his career in Japan, he has posted a 75-41 record, with a 2.19 ERA and a 1.028 WHiP, striking out 952 batters with only 208 walks in 1076.1 innings.

Despite his excellence, it is unlikely that Sugano will be coming to the majors soon. In Japan, a player is not a free agent until after his ninth season, and Sugano has just finished his sixth season. Meanwhile, the Giants refuse to utilize the posting system, which will keep Sugano in Japan until after the 2021 campaign. Even with that roadblock, Sugano still plans on chasing his major league dreams.

At that point, he will be 32 years old, and on the backside of his prime. Sugano will also, if he stays healthy, have over 1500 regular season innings on his arm, making him that much more of a risk. There is no question that he would find success in the majors if he was able to come over after this season, but that delay could keep major league fans from seeing his true greatness.

Tomoyuki Sugano made history on Sunday night. Hopefully, he will be able to continue his dominance stateside, even if that is some time away.