Two-time Sawamura Award-winner Tomoyuki Sugano took another step toward reclaiming his status as one of Japan's top pitchers with six sublime innings for the Yomiuri Giants in a 5-0 Central League win Thursday over the Yakult Swallows.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who won Japan's top award for starting pitchers in 2017 and 2018, located as well as ever to limit the Swallows to two walks and three singles at Tokyo's historic Jingu Stadium.
Yakult lefty Keiji Takahashi (0-1) struck out nine through six innings but gave up the game's first run in the sixth on a two-out walk, a stolen base and an RBI single from catcher Seiji Kobayashi.
With Kobayashi behind the plate, five Giants pitchers combined to allow just four walks and four hits in the shutout win.
"Sugano's condition is quite good," Kobayashi said. "Yakult's lineup is strong, but we came up with a thorough plan of attack in our meeting."
Sugano improved to 2-0 after throwing seven scoreless innings in his season debut a week earlier.
Among other games Thursday, Hiroshima's Shunsuke Tamura tripled in a ninth-inning run in the Carp's 1-0 win over the Hanshin Tigers.
In the Pacific League, Orix's Leandro Cedeno hit his third home run in two games and Kotaro Kurebayashi's ninth-inning walk-off double lifted the Buffaloes past the Rakuten Eagles 2-1.
