Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs shook the Major League in the early days of the 2024 season. In his first appearance at the opening game of his home league, he pitched six innings with nine strikeouts, no walks, and no walks. He had an ERA of 0.84 in nine games since his debut. He was named the most promising candidate for the Cy Young Award.안전놀이터

Although he failed to continue his early momentum as he slowed down in the middle of the season, he showed remarkable performance in harvesting 15 wins (3 losses, 2.91 ERA). He started 29 games, recorded 173 ⅓ innings, 174 strikeouts, and 13 wins in 2019 for the Yokohama BayStars were his personal best, but he easily exceeded his Major League debut season.

Imanaga sought the fifth Japanese Rookie of the Year after Nomo Hideo (1995), Kazuo Sasaki (2000), Ichiro Suzuki (2001), and Shohei Ohtani (2018), but failed. Last year, the National League was not included in the final three candidates due to the all-time competition for the Rookie of the Year award. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skins won 11-3 with a 1.96-170 strikeout in 23 games and won the Rookie of the Year award in his second year of joining the team.

Imanaga made a move for Yokohama after winning 64 games in eight seasons. He signed a four-year - $53 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

The 36-year-old "Old Rookie" Tomoyuki Sugano is aiming to win the Rookie of the Year award in the Major League after Imana. "I have won all the titles of pitchers in Japan, but I am the only one who has never won the Rookie of the Year award," Sugano told the Japanese sports magazine Sports Hochi in the New Year's interview. A veteran in his mid-30s is also a rookie who is making his debut in the Major League.

Sugano signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles in December for one year to 13 million dollars. He has achieved his long-cherished dream of entering the Major League.

He has been on an elite course as Japan's most prestigious Yomiuri Giants ace, and it is notable that there is no rookie title.

He became the No. 1 player in the 2013 rookie draft. He has achieved remarkable results as a representative pitcher of the Yomiuri Giants for 12 years. He had multiple wins and topped the ERA four times, and received the Sawamura Award, which is given to the best starting pitcher, twice. He became the first pitcher to receive the MVP trophy three times. He was also the winner of the most innings and strikeouts twice. Besides this, he pitched the most innings once, the most complete throws five times, and the most shutouts ever. Sugano recorded 15 wins and three losses with a 1.67 ERA and an 8303 win rate last year. He has 136 wins overall.

He had good performance in his first year as a pro golfer. In 2013, he pitched in 27 games, recording 13 wins and six losses with an earned run average of 3.12. However, he had a better rookie that year. Yasuhiro Ogawa, 35, a right-hander of the Yakult Swallows, was named the best rookie of the year with 16 wins (four losses with an earned run average of 2.93). Sugano, who was lagging behind Ogawa, received the Central League Rookie Award.

If Sugano becomes the American League Rookie of the Year this year, he will be the oldest winner ever. Sam Jessro won the honor at the age of 33 for the Boston Braves in 1950. He will break this record for the first time in 75 years. Jessro entered the Major League after playing in the Negro League, a black league.

Sugano appeared on a Japanese TV program on the 3rd and expressed his thoughts on the major league challenge.

The mood is quite different from four years ago, when he first challenged himself to the Major League. He agonized over whether to advance to the Major League through the posting system in the winter of 2020 before giving up the bid. That year, the Yomiuri Giants lost all four games to the Softbank Hawks, the strongest team in the Pacific League, in the Japan Series. He humiliatingly lost to the same team for four consecutive years following 2019.

It seemed that he would no longer be able to challenge himself to the Major League. He has faltered since he became the third king of multiple wins in 2020. He only had four wins (eight losses) in 2023. However, he has emerged as an ace player last year, and is now flying to bigger stages.

The mood completely changed from four years ago. Sugano said, "Four years ago, I didn't feel like I was rooting for a chance to advance to the Major League." His team also did not welcome the departure of ace pitchers. A week that he gave up after agonizing over going to the Major League must have been the worst period of time.

Sugano said, "I've changed, the environment has changed. Everyone was so happy and I felt they were supporting me from the bottom of their hearts." He never lost his dream in his mid-30s

Left-hander Imana, who posted 15 wins in his first year in the Major League, pitched six scoreless innings in his debut game. Photo capture = Chicago Cubs SNS
Crab encouragement and support are pouring in. It seems to be a great help to Sugano, who is challenging himself on the best stage.