The first words Tomoyuki Sugano bellowed to his new Orioles teammates on Feb. 15, in Sarasota, Florida, were full of the optimism that is present during spring training for many Major League Baseball teams yet only manifests into reality for one.

“Let’s go win a world championship,” Sugano called out to the assembled group on the back fields at Ed Smith Stadium. He had just arrived from Japan, where he was one of the most decorated pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball history, and he was shooting for the moon immediately.

The Orioles never left the stratosphere.

Sugano is playing out the string on his first season in the major leagues, with his penultimate start Saturday against the New York Yankees. There were bright moments for the 35-year-old; there were dire ones, too.

As the right-hander reflected on this adventure in a new league, he emphasized the positive — after experiencing the gamut of success and failure at this level, he knows what to focus on this winter. But Sugano, who said he intends to remain in MLB next season after his one-year contract with the Orioles expires, was frank in his assessment of why this season missed the mark of expectation.

“When the season started, especially the Toronto series, I thought this team is really strong, in terms of how they were hitting and how they were performing,” Sugano said through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “But, once we started to lose, that’s when I saw a difference in the clubhouse as well as on the field. Who is kind of taking the lead and stepping up to kind of get us out of the slump?”

The issue?

“Nobody was kind of stepping up, taking the leadership role,” Sugano said. “And, when we were starting to lose over and over again, we just couldn’t find a way to get out of that slump.”

Sugano isn’t alone in sharing that thought. Jordan Westburg said in August he hopes to see the “void” in leadership addressed this offseason. And interim manager Tony Mansolino has challenged some of Baltimore’s stars to shoulder more responsibility, whether in the clubhouse or between the lines each night.

The Orioles reached a low-water mark of 16-34 in late May, a week after manager Brandon Hyde was fired.

From a personal standpoint, Sugano was immune to much of the issues that plagued the rotation and team at large to begin the year. By June 3, his ERA was 3.04 and six of his 12 starts had lasted six innings or longer with three earned runs or fewer against him.

Later in June, however, the league caught up with him. He produced a string of five straight starts of five innings or fewer, and his ERA jumped markedly after he allowed a combined 13 runs in two outings. In July Sugano admitted he thought he might be tipping pitches, and the work to correct that has seemingly helped.

But Sugano didn’t blame the tipped pitches for his skid. He said he became too predictable, starting most at-bats with fastballs up in the strike zone and splitters down in it.

“It was pretty apparent to the opponent hitters,” Sugano said. “So I think I value more the pitch mix more than anything.”

Sugano pointed to his matchup with George Springer last week in Toronto. He opened the first plate appearance against the Blue Jays outfielder with a cutter and followed with two sweepers for the out. In their next meeting, Sugano used two sinkers low in the zone to record the out.

When Sugano prepares for 2026, in Baltimore or elsewhere, he will have a better understanding of how to vary his attack plans to work deeper into games.

“From a personal standpoint, I know why I wasn’t successful,” Sugano said. “I know what to fix for next year.”

He also has an idea of what the Orioles can fix for next year, whether or not he’s here to reap the benefits. In the months since the trade deadline, there has been a void left by the likes of Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn. And, although Sugano said Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Westburg and Dean Kremer “have stepped up,” he sees the need for an additional voice in the clubhouse.

“I think we need a leadership figure on this team,” Sugano said. “Having a solid leadership role is pretty important for this team.”