CINCINNATI — If Tomoyuki Sugano wanted to go shopping in Japan, a disguise was necessary.

It speaks volumes of the popularity and fame of the Rockies pitcher that he was forced to resort to sunglasses, a hat and mask covering his face if he wanted to be anywhere in public in his home country.

There are levels to baseball stardom in Japan. While Shohei Ohtani stands at the top of the ladder, it’s easy to argue Sugano isn’t far below.

Sugano, who is scheduled to take the mound for the Rockies against the Reds at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday, declines to talk much about himself. He says “the past is the past” when asked about the accolades and fame he accumulated while pitching for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.

However, the record books speak for him.

For more than a decade, Sugano was the steady force at the front of the Giants’ rotation and was a pitcher defined as much by consistency as dominance. He reached double-digit wins nine times in 12 seasons, setting the tone with a 13-6 rookie campaign that hinted at what was to come.

What followed was one of the most reliable runs an NPB starter has put together. Sugano finished his NPB career with a 136-74 record and 2.43 ERA, logging 1,857 innings and striking out 1,585 batters. It was his command that separated him. Sugano rarely beat himself, issuing only 347 walks across his tenure (1.26 walks per game), a testament to his precision and poise on the mound.

At his peak, he wasn’t only consistent. He was dominant. Sugano led the Central League in wins four times and paced the league in strikeouts twice. He also captured four ERA titles, including a remarkable 1.59 mark in 2017, further cementing his status as one of the league’s premier arms.

That stretch of excellence did not go unnoticed. Sugano earned NPB’s highest honor for a pitcher, the Eiji Sawamura Award, in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.

For the Giants, Sugano wasn’t just an ace. He was a constant — a pitcher who, year after year, delivered what was expected and often more.

As good as Sugano was in Japan, he wanted to show he could also pitch against the best batters in the game. That would see him leaving NPB for Major League Baseball before the 2025 season.

“When I look back at my career, I didn’t want any regrets. I also always wanted to play in the big leagues,” Sugano said through his interpreter, Yuto Sakurai.

That desire led him to Baltimore where he signed a one-year deal with the Orioles for last season. A 10-10 record and 4.64 ERA may not have been Sugano-style numbers, but it was also his first taste of what MLB truly was and what it would take to succeed.

“Everything in regards from adjustments to PitchCom and the pitch clock to the different environments I pitched in,” Sugano said Tuesday when asked about his biggest lessons learned last season. “I just try to take everything in and not overthink it.”

That’s exactly what he has done this season, tackling the challenge that is pitching at elevation in Denver. Pitchers often shy away from signing on with the Rockies because of Coors Field, but Sugano has embraced the challenge and the leadership role that has come with being a 36-year-old pitcher with extensive experience.

“I wasn’t thinking too much about the environment,” Sugano said after his first Coors Field start April 6. “I was trying to keep the ball down and trying to get groundouts and punch-outs.”

That simple philosophy has worked so far for Sugano, who will make his sixth start of the season Wednesday.

Last season in Baltimore, per Baseball Savant, Sugano’s pitches were hit in the air 59.2% of the time, part of the reason why he surrendered an MLB-high 33 home runs. This year in Colorado, that fly ball number has been reduced to 54.8%.

While opponents have hit five home runs in five games this season, Sugano’s ERA stands at 3.42 (down from 4.64 last season) and his hits allowed per nine innings has dropped from 9.9 to 8.2.

“Sugano has been fantastic,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Tuesday. “Watching him be a professional and the way he goes about his business, it’s been impressive. What he does during the start, how he commands the baseball, how he throws all of his pitches for strikes and how he competes, it’s all really good.”

Signed with Colorado through the end of this year, Sugano is nowhere close to completing his MLB journey. He hopes to pitch “a minimum” of three more seasons.

The numbers will ultimately tell part of Sugano’s story. But for him, this chapter isn’t just about ERA or wins. It’s about adaptation, resilience and proving that even after more than a decade of dominance, there’s still another level to reach. He’s still climbing, no disguise required.

Reds 7, Rockies 2

What happened: Cincinnati quickly spoiled Kyle Freeland’s return from the injured list, posting three first-inning runs, including a two-run homer from Spencer Steer. Elly De La Cruz was a thorn all night, logging a pair of RBI singles and a two-run homer in the eighth, his 10th of the season.

On the mound: Cincinnati starter Chase Burns used nine strikeouts worked around seven hits given up in his six innings of work. The Reds right-hander logged 22 swings and misses.

At the plate: Colorado couldn’t find the big hit when it mattered most, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Edouard Julien provided the bulk of Colorado’s offense, going 3-for-4 with a third-inning solo home run.

What’s next: Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.42 ERA) is scheduled to go against Cincinnati’s Brandon Williamson (2-2, 5.40 ERA) at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday at Great American Ball Park.