It was a familiar issue for Tomoyuki Sugano, and it came in a hurry. The pitch wasn’t even a poor one, but such is life for the Orioles right-hander during his first season in Major League Baseball.

The ball just keeps leaving the yard.

He allowed two home runs in his penultimate start of the season, a 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees, and the first from Giancarlo Stanton was a two-out, three-run shot in the first inning. Stanton reached out for Sugano’s low-and-outside sweeper and lashed it to right field for his 450th career long ball.

The second off Sugano came as a towering shot from Aaron Judge to left field. Sugano didn’t last much beyond that; he was lifted after three innings, an inauspicious final start at Camden Yards.

“I just thought it looked good the first couple batters, some soft contact, one really good swing by a future Hall of Famer,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “And then [he] stopped attacking the zone in some ways.”

The loss guarantees the Orioles will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2021.

“It kind of gives everybody a chip on their shoulder going into the offseason,” Coby Mayo said. “You don’t want to feel this feeling again of playing games at the end of the season and you kind of know your plan. You want to always look forward to the playoffs. I think that this, you kind of need a negative to go forward. Sometimes you need to take a step back for a few steps forward, and I think that’s what everyone in this room hopes to do next year.”

For all Sugano’s hopes to remain in MLB next season, this could be his final appearance in the all-orange uniforms Baltimore wears on Saturdays. He made his home debut in this highlighter look in April, and at that time Sugano seemed to be a coup for the Orioles.

The 35-year-old was one of the most decorated pitchers in Japanese baseball. He took to MLB quickly. And then his season fell off the tracks.

On June 3, Sugano held a 3.04 ERA. Since then, he has a 5.84 ERA in 17 games. The four-run, three-inning performance matched his shortest start of the season, which he set at the beginning of September due to a foot injury.

The 30 home runs off Sugano this season are the most against an Orioles pitcher since John Means allowed that many in 2021. Those 30 homers are also tied for the most allowed in the American League this season.

“I think it’s something to do with the pitch sequencing,” Sugano said through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. Sugano pointed out that every pitch to Stanton in that first-inning matchup was on the outer edge of the plate.

“If I had gone in at some point, maybe the results could have been different,” he said.

When he becomes a free agent this winter, Sugano hopes to land another major league deal. The Orioles signed him to a one-year, $13 million contract last winter. It’s hard to believe Baltimore will seek to re-sign Sugano at that price point, nor would another major league team, given the end of his season.

His short start meant the bullpen covered much of the game, which ushered in a little bit of history in a difficult season. When right-hander Jose Espada took the mound in the seventh inning, he became the 70th Orioles player used this year — tying the major league record set by the Miami Marlins in 2024.

The Yankees, meanwhile, enjoyed a dominant start from left-hander Carlos Rodón, who allowed one run in seven innings. He struck out eight batters and, until the fifth, the lone two hits against him were infield singles.

As it was, the only other two hits against Rodón were from Mayo. The first baseman punched an opposite-field single in the fifth, and he plated the lone run when he pulled a double in the seventh.

“We have a lot of faith in the fact that Coby can handle left-handed pitching,” Mansolino said. “I think he is proving himself there. Obviously, the next step is going to be against the other side here at some point, which he will get.”

Mayo’s performance was the brightest spot of a dim night, and it continues a strong month for the rookie. Mayo is hitting 16-for-56 (.286) in September. And, as the Orioles plan how to combat left-handers in the future, the right-handed Mayo figures to be a large part of the solution if he can continue this late-season surge. In that sense, his contributions were a positive.

“Looking for a good last week or whatever we have left, and if I can go into the offseason [with] a little peace of mind that I finished the year strong and I can put up these little goals, I think it’s a positive,” Mayo said.

Few other plate appearances were noteworthy. For a second time in this four-game series, a left-hander from the Yankees neutralized the Orioles. On Thursday, Max Fried spun a gem. Rodón did the same Saturday. Baltimore will look at Sunday for a chance to split this weekend tilt.

News and notes

• During his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, catcher Adley Rutschman hit a home run Saturday. The 27-year-old is nearing a return from his second injured list stint due to an oblique injury.
• Gunnar Henderson stole his 27th base, extending his career-high total. The shortstop’s power numbers have taken a step back this year, but he’s showing an elite baserunning skill. Henderson has been safe on 27 of his 31 attempts.

This article has been updated.