is a Japanese former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He pitched in
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB) for
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...
from 1997 to 2007 before playing in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
from 2008 to 2011 and
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
from 2012 to 2014. After the 2014 season, he chose to return to the Carp to finish out his career.
In NPB, Kuroda won the
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.
History
While the Best Nine Award was first presen ...
in 2005 and was
NPB ERA Champion The List of Nippon Professional Baseball champions.
Winners
Japanese Baseball League (1937–1949)
Nippon Professional Baseball (1950–present)
References
;General See also
* List of top Nippon Professional Baseball strikeout pitchers The fo ...
in 2006. He also won a
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
with the
Japanese national baseball team
The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Soft ...
.
Kuroda was appointed
UNITAR
The one stringed guitar, also known as a Unitar is a somewhat less known version of the standard electric guitar. Although rare, the one-string guitar is sometimes heard, particularly in Delta blues, where improvised folk instruments were popula ...
Goodwill Ambassador on 14 September 2015.
Early days
Kuroda was born and lived in Osaka (Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka-fu). His father,
Kazuhiro Kuroda, was also a professional baseball player who played for the
Nankai Hawks
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League.
The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
. He attended Uenomiya High School in Osaka, where he would attend classes and practices from 5 am until 10 pm. He then attended
Senshu University
is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Campuses
*Kanda, Tokyo, Kanda Campus (Main campus): 3-8 Kandajimbo-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-8425
:The Kanda Campus is situated in Jimbocho, a college community in central Tokyo. This urban ca ...
in Tokyo.
Playing career
Nippon Professional Baseball
He joined the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...
in 1996 as a second-round draft pick. During his early career, he was overshadowed by the 1996 first-round draft pick,
Toshikazu Sawazaki, who was the same age as Kuroda and won the Japanese Rookie of the Year award in 1997. However, Kuroda gradually built up his status to become a consistent part of the starting rotation while Sawazaki began to fade away. In 1999 he pitched in the
International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...
held in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, and marked a win against
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
and a complete-game shutout against
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Kuroda won over 10 games for three consecutive years from 2001. In 2003, he became the opening-day starter, taking over for former ace
Shinji Sasaoka. He pitched poorly at the beginning of the season, but improved after the all-star break to end the season with 13 wins. He marked two wins as a reliever in the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, contributing to the Japanese team's bronze medal. In 2005, he led the
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
with 15 wins, and won the
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.
History
While the Best Nine Award was first presen ...
and the
Golden Glove. He continued his success in 2006, ending the season with a league-leading 1.85 ERA to solidify his reputation as one of the best pitchers in Japan. The last Japanese starter to end the season with an ERA below 2.00 was
Masaki Saito in 1989. He also made his first save that year on October 16 against the
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...
, and led the league in complete games over a six-year period from 1999 to 2005.
![黒田博樹20040218](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/%E9%BB%92%E7%94%B0%E5%8D%9A%E6%A8%B920040218.jpg)
In 2006, he was one of two players from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp selected to play in the
2006 World Baseball Classic
The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...
, along with
Takahiro Arai
Takahiro Arai (Japanese: 新井 貴浩, born January 30, 1977 in Naka-ku, Hiroshima) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
His younger brother Ryota Arai, Ryota is also a p ...
. He was touted as one of the obscure but key players on the Japanese team along with, then current, MLB players
Akinori Iwamura
is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007.
He earned the nickname Aki while in M ...
and
Kosuke Fukudome
is a retired Japanese professional baseball outfielder. He previously played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2012, primarily with the Chicago Cubs and had a long spanning career in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Chunichi D ...
, but was injured getting hit by a baseball off the bat to the right hand during a practice game on February 24, forcing him to withdraw from the competition.
He became a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
as early as May 2006, but announced that he would remain with the Carp for the 2007 season. During the off-season, he traveled to the United States to receive cleaning surgery in his right elbow at the suggestion of manager
Marty Brown.
Kuroda pitched as the team's opening-day starter for the 5th consecutive year in 2007. He marked his 100th career win on July 14, 2007 against the
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...
at the Tokyo Dome (his first professional win was also at the Tokyo Dome). Though Kuroda had been most effective during the summer in past years, he struggled to make
quality starts
In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start has effectively replaced the 'complete game' as a ...
during the later half of the season, perhaps due to the surgery he had received during the off-season. He ended the season with a 12–8 record, with a 3.56 ERA.
Along with
Shinobu Fukuhara
is a retired Japanese baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, H ...
,
Daisuke Miura, and
Shingo Ono, Kuroda was known for receiving very poor run support in Japan. In 2005, he was the starter for a 12 inning pitching relay in a game that ended in a scoreless tie (April 15 against the
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japan, Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its c ...
; the opposing starter was Daisuke Miura). In 2006 against the
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...
, he left the game with a 2–1 lead after pitching 8 innings, but failed to get the win when closer
Katsuhiro Nagakawa
is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league ch ...
let up a tying home run with two outs in the 9th inning. He was also recognized as a "Giants Killer", as he seemed to pitch exceptionally well against the Yomiuri Giants.
Free agency
Kuroda obtained free agency on May 31, 2006, and announced that he was willing to hear offers from other teams. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp had a staunch policy against free agency because it would lead to higher salaries which the team would not be able to provide due to lack of financial structure. The team's management traditionally never attempted to re-negotiate with players of their own team who declared free agency (for example, the team ignored outfielder
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and manager. In his career as a player he spent 11 years with the Hiroshima Carp before moving to the Hanshin Tigers in 2003, where he spent another 10 years. He holds the world record for c ...
's offers to reconsider staying on the team because he had already declared free agency). Numerous teams showed interest in Kuroda, including the
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...
and Hanshin Tigers, who had lost their key starters
Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice-K ...
and
Kei Igawa
is a former Japanese left-handed pitcher. He played for the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He led all pitchers in the Central League for strikeouts in ...
to the
posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, unveiled in 1967 to regulate ...
. The well-financed
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League.
The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
aggressively pursued Kuroda, while the Chunichi Dragons and Yomiuri Giants, who had been in pursuit of free agent
Michihiro Ogasawara
Michihiro Ogasawara (小笠原 道大, born October 25, 1973 in Mihama-ku, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He is currently the first team head coach for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
He had an ...
, were also thought to have interest.
Despite the team's anti-free agent policy, the Carp was facing serious problems with its weak pitching staff, which had kept them in the bottom half of the standings since 1997. The prospect of losing Kuroda, by far the most effective and consistent pitcher on the team, forced them into negotiations. On October 15, 2006, the team offered a 4-year, 1 billion
yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
deal with post-retirement benefits, showing that they were absolutely intent on retaining Kuroda. In terms of base salary, Kuroda had been paid 200 million yen in 2006, and this contract would only give a 50 million yen increase for 2007, with no further increases over the next three years. However, this was a major step-up for the Carp management considering that only two other players on the team (
Tomonori Maeda
is a former Nippon Professional Baseball player who retired after the 2013 season. Maeda's career spanned 24 seasons, all spent with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League. He played in one Japan Series, batting .158 with a triple and ...
and Tomoaki Kanemoto) had ever been paid more than 200 million yen per year. On November 6, 2006, Kuroda agreed to a 4-year 1.2 billion yen deal (250 million yen base salary+bonuses) to remain in Hiroshima. This new contract included a provision that Kuroda would be able to negotiate with
major league teams as a free agent at any point during the 4-year deal. At the same time, Kuroda announced that he would play for no other Japanese teams besides the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Although the deal ultimately concluded with a salary increase, Kuroda's negotiations showed a rare instance where free agency did not inflate salaries to ridiculous amounts.
Kuroda's response was received favorably by both the fans and the media, and in Kuroda's final start of the season, fans filled
Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, old holding red cardboard cutouts of the number 15 (Kuroda's jersey number). However, Kuroda had repeatedly expressed a desire to win a championship, and there was a high possibility that he would leave for the major leagues if the team continued to play poorly. The team ended up struggling to escape from last place in the league throughout the season; far removed from the third-place finish that would have enabled the team to participate in the newly created
Climax Series
The is the current annual playoff system implemented by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It determines which team from the Central League (CL) and from the Pacific League (PL) will advance to compete for the championship in the Japan ...
playoffs.
Kuroda declared his intention to play in the major leagues next season on October 18, 2007. It was briefly rumored that he would use the
posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, unveiled in 1967 to regulate ...
to move to the major leagues, giving the poorly financed Hiroshima team some monetary benefits from the process, but he ended up declaring free agency, which enabled him to negotiate freely with any of the major league teams. The
Texas Rangers,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
,
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
,
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, and
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
showed varying degrees of interest in signing Kuroda, and he signed a three-year, $35.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 12, 2007.
Los Angeles Dodgers
In his first start for the Dodgers, Kuroda pitched seven innings against the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
, holding them to 1 run and getting the first win of his American baseball career. Kuroda went 3–6 with an ERA of 4.04 before going on the DL with mild tendinitis.
Upon his return, he pitched seven shutout innings against the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
. However, his next start was even more impressive. On July 7, 2008, Kuroda pitched seven perfect innings in a game against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
before allowing a double to
Mark Teixeira
Mark Charles Teixeira ( ; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed "Tex", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anahei ...
to lead off the eighth inning. Despite the double, he shutout the Braves on one hit with no walks over nine innings, Teixeira was the only baserunner Kuroda would allow in a 91-pitch complete game one-hit shutout. He became the first Dodger to throw a one-hitter since
Derek Lowe threw one against the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
on August 31, 2005. He became the first rookie pitcher since
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a bro ...
in 1984 to take a perfect game into the eighth inning.
![Hiroki Kuroda (2010)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Hiroki_Kuroda_%282010%29.jpg)
On September 15, 2008, Kuroda was deprived of the opportunity to become the first Dodgers pitcher since Hideo Nomo to throw 3 complete game shutouts in a single season. After pitching 7 innings in which he allowed only 3 hits and no walks, Kuroda was taken out of the game, with an 8–0 lead, so that the Dodgers could give
Brad Penny
Bradley Wayne Penny (born May 24, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Penny played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardi ...
and
Takashi Saito
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Saito's professional career spanned 23 years. He spent his first 13 seasons pit ...
some live practice. The Dodgers would go on to win that game 8–2.
On October 4, 2008, Kuroda made his first postseason appearance in the major leagues as the starting pitcher for Game 3 of the Dodgers' first playoff series against the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
, in which the Dodgers led two games to none. He gave a remarkable 6 shutout inning performance, winning the game and helping the Dodgers complete the sweep of the Cubs to advance to the next round
National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...
. On October 12, 2008, Kuroda started Game 3 against the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
in the
2008 NLCS with the Dodgers down two games to none. He pitched effectively again, giving up two runs in six innings (plus three batters faced in the seventh inning), and went on to notch his second postseason victory.
Kuroda was named the Dodgers opening day starter in 2009 and picked up the win, allowing only one run in six innings. However, he suffered an injury during a bullpen session soon afterwards and did not rejoin the rotation until June 1.
On August 15, 2009 while pitching in the bottom of the 6th inning against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, Kuroda was hit on the side of his head by a
line drive
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
off the bat of
Rusty Ryal
Rusty Allen Ryal (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball utility man. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 14th round of the 2005 MLB Draft, out of Oklahoma State University. He is the son of the former ma ...
. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and spent the night at the hospital. A
CT scan was negative and he was released the next morning.
Despite missing much of the season while battling numerous injuries, Kuroda made 20 starts in 2009 and finished with an 8–7 record and 3.76 ERA. He was named the Game 3 starter in the
NLCS against the Phillies even though he had missed the first round of the playoffs with a "bulging disk in his neck". However, he pitched poorly in the NLCS, failing to get out of the second inning and allowing six runs to score.
On August 30, 2010, Kuroda took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the visiting Phillies; with one out,
Shane Victorino
Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "The Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodger ...
broke up the Dodger hurler's "no-no" with a line drive single to right field. Kuroda received a standing ovation from the home crowd.
In 2010, Kuroda made 31 starts for the Dodgers, finishing the season with an 11–13 record and 3.39 ERA. He had a career best 196.1 innings pitched and 159 strikeouts. He became a free agent at the conclusion of the season, but was re-signed by the Dodgers to a one-year $12 million contract.
On July 27, 2011 Kuroda lost to the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
1–3, becoming the first Dodger starting pitcher to have two consecutive seasons of at least 13 losses since
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a bro ...
in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
and
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
.
There was speculation that Kuroda would be traded at the
trading deadline
In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
in 2011, but he chose not to waive the "no-trade clause" in his contract because he wanted to remain with the Dodgers for the rest of the season.
Kuroda finished the 2011 season with a 13–16 record, posting career highs in both wins and losses. His final ERA was 3.07, the best of his career and he struck out 161 batters on the season. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
New York Yankees
On January 13, 2012, Kuroda agreed to a one-year contract worth around $10–11 million with the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. He was added to the Yankees roster on January 26, 2012.
After a successful first year with the Yankees which featured a 16–11 record with a 3.32 ERA in 219.2 regular season in IP and a 2.81 ERA in 16 post-season innings, the Yankees re-signed Kuroda to a 1-year deal worth $15 million on November 20, 2012. At the end of the 1st half in 2013, Kuroda led the AL in earned run average with 2.65. After the All-Star Break, Kuroda's velocity began to weaken as he went 3–7 with a 4.25 ERA in 13 starts. Overall in 2013, Kuroda went 11–13 with a 3.31 ERA in 32 starts. The next year he would go on to finish 11–9 with an ERA of 3.71 in 32 starts. Following the 2014 season, he would return to Japan – Kuroda would never post an ERA higher than 3.76 in his MLB career.
Return to Japan
On December 26, 2014, it was reported that Kuroda had decided to return to Japan for the 2015 season and would sign with his old team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, on a one-year $3.3 million contract.
Upon rejoining the Carp at age 40 after seven seasons in the MLB, Kuroda recorded one of his finer seasons as a professional. Despite an 11–8 record, Kuroda made 26 starts (topped only three times in his 12 other NPB season), recorded a 2.55 ERA (a full 1.04 below his NPB average), and finished with a 1.102 WHIP (topped only twice). By allowing just 8 home runs all season, Kuroda's HR/9 of 0.4 was easily a career best. Kuroda was named the Central League starting pitcher in the 2015 All-Star Game, his fifth overall selection. His opponent on the mound representing the Pacific League,
Shohei Ohtani
, nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional B ...
, was 19 years Kuroda's junior (40 and 21).
After some deliberation, Kuroda signed a contract to return to the Carp in 2016. The contract is worth a reported $4.9 million, making Kuroda the NPB's highest-paid player at age 41. Kuroda had a 10–8 record and a 3.09 ERA in 2016. Hiroshima reached the
2016 Japan Series
The 2016 Japan Series was the 67th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp, champions of the Central League, played the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, champions of the Pacific League, in a ...
. Kuroda announced that he would retire following the series' conclusion.
Pitching style
Kuroda threw a mix of five pitches. His lead pitch was a
shuuto
The or shootball is a baseball pitch. It is commonly thrown by right-handed Japanese pitchers such as Hiroki Kuroda, Noboru Akiyama, Kenjiro Kawasaki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish and Masumi Kuwata. The most renowned ''shuuto'' pitcher in hist ...
—similar to a
sinker and labeled as such by
PITCHf/x PITCHf/x is a system created and maintained by Sportvision that tracks the speeds and trajectories of pitched baseballs. This system, which made its debut in the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, is installed in every MLB stadium. The ...
—which he threw between 90 and 94 mph. Kuroda's shuuto topped out at 97 mph when he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Kuroda's shuuto velocity declined in his later career, the pitch still made him an effective ground-ball pitcher. His main off-speed pitch was a
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
in the 83–85 range. Kuroda rounded out his repertoire with a
four-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...
(90–94), a
splitter (86–88), and an occasional
curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
(76–78). Nearly 90% of the pitches Kuroda threw to right-handed batters were shuutos or sliders, split about evenly. Against lefties, he added considerable variety and drew on his splitter as a strikeout pitch. Kuroda was prone to leave a slider low and away against righties in two-strike counts.
Family
Kuroda and his wife, Masayo, have two daughters, Hinatsu Kuroda (born November 18, 2002) and Wakana Kuroda (born August 13, 2005).
References
External links
ArmchairGM Player Profile:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuroda, Hiroki
1975 births
Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players
Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States
Living people
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Japan
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
New York Yankees players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Olympic baseball players of Japan
Olympic bronze medalists for Japan
Olympic medalists in baseball
Senshu University alumni
Baseball people from Osaka