What are you doing?” “Paid leave”… The delicate relationship between the Giants’ Sugano and manager Hara, as seen through the harsh whips of love.
The player who was accused of "abandoning the workplace" by manager Hara was released in a trade.
Tomoyuki Sugano, 33, of the Giants, who had missed the start of the season due to a right elbow strain he suffered in March, finally got his first win of the season after giving up two runs in five innings against SoftBank at PayPay Dome on June 11. However, the victory, which came more than two months after the season opener, unexpectedly displeased the all-powerful manager, who is also his uncle.
After the game, Sugano was called for a hero’s interview, and with a face tanned black, he said joyfully, “It was a very hard time, but I feel like I was rewarded a little.
Manager Tatsunori Hara (64), however, was not as happy about his nephew’s first white star of the season, saying, “I think it was good that he got a win. I think it was good that he got a win. He can still do it. He showed little joy at the return of Sugano, who wears the ace number 18.
On March 18, during an open game against Nippon Ham, he felt discomfort in his right elbow and had to leave the mound in the first inning. After the injury healed, he developed a sleeping sickness, and his return to the lineup was delayed. In early May, when there was no indication that Kanno would return to the lineup, Hara expressed his anger, saying, “I want to hear about it. Go and interview him! What are you doing? What are you doing?
On May 28, when he finally returned to the mound for his second game, he showed no interest , saying,“I haven’t heard anything about it, but just to be clear, I took the mound. What do you call taking time off at work? Paid time off. Isn’t the time for paid holidays long gone?” He said sarcastically, and the people around him froze in their tracks.
On the other hand, he called pitcher Shoyuki Togo (23), who has already won eight games this season, “our ace” and treated Kanno as a “person from the past. Sugano himself was very impressed with his uncle’s harsh comments, saying, “I planted the seeds, so I’ll just go back to ……,” but the sarcasm was so numerous that those around him were concerned that he might be being too harsh.
A reporter covering the Giants commented, “The thing Hara hates the most is leaving the team due to injury. In 2009, he used the phrase “abandonment of the workplace” to describe Reito Taguchi, who broke down early in February camp, and traded him just before the start of that season. I am sure he would not have considered releasing Kanno only for Kanno, but there were danger signs,” he said warily.
On May 31, Hara’s mother Katsuyo, who was a grandmother to Sugano, died of old age. The wake and funeral were held on June 4 and 5, and Director Hara met Tomoyuki Sugano, who was in attendance, and recalled the occasion with a look of dismay: “I haven’t seen Tomoyuki in a long time.
The tension in the relationship between uncle and nephew is palpable. A spark is brewing within the team.
