Hokkaido Nippon-Ham announced on April 12 that Chunichi and Toshihiro Sugiura pitcher announced that a cash trade had been reached between the two clubs.

Sugiura pitcher has played for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham since 2018 and was a reliever in 2021, pitching in a career-high 56 games with 28 Ss. Last season, he didn't fare as well, pitching in 18 games ERA 4.96. This season, he continued to pitch well with no runs in 6 inning of his 5 farm games.

▼ Sugiura pitcher commented.
The Fighters I would like to thank all the fans for their support over the past 9 years. The time I spent playing for my hometown team was precious, and the cheers of the fans that I heard when I was at mound gave me a lot of strength. I really want to thank my teammates and all the people on the team. I think this trade is an opportunity for me. The Dragons I will do my best to be an asset to the team and contribute to win as soon as possible.