Tomoyuki Sugano debuts in a purple jersey! He revealed he originally wanted to wear number 19 but was denied.

The 36-year-old Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano officially joined the Colorado Rockies and appeared today at the Arizona spring training facility wearing the purple number 11 jersey. When asked about his new number, he joked that he initially wanted number 19, “but that’s former manager Bud Black’s number, possibly retired, so I was told it wasn’t allowed.”

Switching from the familiar orange uniform of his past with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants and Baltimore Orioles to the Rockies’ purple, Sugano smiled and said colors other than orange are nice too. According to the New York Post, Sugano signed a one-year contract with the Rockies worth $5.1 million, which includes $175,000 for translator and trainer expenses, plus six round-trip business or first-class tickets between the U.S. and Japan, totaling $5.347 million in value.

Sugano became the fourth Japanese player in Rockies history since Kazuo Matsui in 2007. The team’s official Instagram posted photos of him at spring training, calling it “the first sight of spring,” accompanied by cactus emojis.

After playing 12 seasons with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball and joining the Orioles in 2025, Sugano appeared in 30 games in his first MLB season, finishing with a 10-10 record and a 4.64 ERA. Despite his fastball averaging under 149 km/h last year, his precise control and extensive experience still earned him favor with the Rockies.

Discussing the upcoming season, Sugano said that after a full year of competition, he knows which areas need improvement, “If I can overcome those during this offseason, there shouldn’t be any problems.” Reflecting on the signing process, he admitted feeling relieved to finalize his team before spring training and said the main reason he chose the Rockies was because “they have the most confidence in my pitching ability and believe I still have room to improve.”

Regarding his upcoming second participation in the World Baseball Classic, Sugano will also wear number 11 — a number previously worn by legends Hideo Nomo and Yu Darvish. He emphasized that he is well prepared for this significant responsibility, “It’s a role with great responsibility, and I hope to perform well.”