Hiroki Kuroda describes time in MLB with one brutal word: Report

Hiroki Kuroda pitched for the Dodgers and the Yankees over the last seven years, and was one of the most reliable pitchers in the majors during that span. But upon his return to Japan, after leaving in 2007, he is not remembering his years playing in the U.S. as particularly wonderful.

During a news conference in Japan, Kuroda was asked how he viewed his time in the major leagues and used one word to describe it:

“To sum it up in one word, it was ‘tough,'” the right-hander said. “In a situation in which I didn’t understand the language and battled to make it through the season, the seven years were — including physically — tougher than they were enjoyable.”

Kuroda bolted the Yankees after last season and admitted his time playing in America was an arduous learning experience.

“In terms of technical aspects, I learned how to make adjustments. As far as mental aspects, I learned how to pitch in tough situations.”

The 40-year-old Kuroda was the Yankees’ most consistent pitcher the past three seasons, working on a succession of one-year deals during some relatively lean years for the club. Kuroda went a combined 38-33 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.16 WHIP and probably should had 50 wins if the Yankees gave him some run support. He previously pitched four seasons for the Dodgers.

Kuroda will start pitching  for the Hiroshima Carp this season — who have held his No. 15 since he left.

But here's hoping you make it back to Yankee Stadium for Old Timer's Day some time in the future Hiroki.

Lights out at O.co Coliseum delays Yankees-A's game (VIDEO)

The decades-old cement block known as O.co Coliseum has a long history of malfunctions and the cracks are beginning to show in more ways than one. An overflowing sewage system last year and early this year have been just some of the more serious issues.

On Saturday night, a bank of lights in left field went out at the temperamental ballpark, delaying the A's game against the Yankees as the teams were about to start the fourth inning.

The delay began at 8:19 p.m. with the A's leading 2-1. The lights came back on after 38 minutes to the cheers from the sellout crowd of 36,067.

Turns out there was a circuit-breaker outage. The breaker had to be manually reset while starters Scott Kazmir and Hiroki Kuroda tried to stay loose.

Kazmir and Kuroda both stayed in the game. Kazmir was seemingly unaffected, going on to complete six innings with just one unearned run allowed. Kuroda lasted only 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs — including two after the delay.

"It's one of the older ballparks,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after the 5-1 Yankees loss. "And sometimes with older ballparks, you're going to have some challenges."

The same might be said of his creaky Yankees and their own power problems this season.

Ichiro outshines fellow countrymen with walk-off home run

It was a game that probably generated more buzz across the Pacific than A-Rod's ill-advised tweet did over here earlier in the day. Overseas, it was being billed as the two best Japanese-born pitchers in MLB dueling each other for mound supremacy Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. But in the end, it was an old reliable outfielder who stole the spotlight from his countrymen.

Neither the New York Yankees' Hiroki Kuroda or the Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish owned each other last night— although they both pitched solid games. And when it was all said and done,  it was Ichiro Suzuki's walk-off solo home run that really reigned supreme.

Suzuki hit the game-winner off Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers with two out in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 victory in front of over 41,000 out in the Bronx.




It was only Ichiro's second walk-off homer in his illustrious career.  The other one coming Sept. 18, 2009 against the Yankees Mariano Rivera— who was the beneficiary of Ichiro's well-known but rarely used power. Mo picked up his first win of the season.

After the Yankees first walk-off this season, Ichiro was happy he and his fellow Japanese players didn't disappoint.

"I just gave it all I had," he said through an interpreter. "I can't say I was trying to end the game there, but I am happy how it ended up."

Mariano Rivera throws out first pitch at Citi Field, then last pitch in loss

The New York Mets made Mariano Rivera's last Subway Series appearance at Citi Field one of his most memorable. That is unless you don't include his presumed appearance in this summer's All-Star Game where he will be feted by Major League Baseball inside the same Flushing ballpark.

The legendary New York Yankees closer announced he would be retiring following the 2013 season. So the Mets — never ones not to remind their fans of what they don't have — asked the future Hall of Famer a few hours before Tuesday night's game if Rivera would honor his crosstown rivals by throwing out the fist pitch. In an honor usually reserved for everyone from heroic soldiers and retired players down the list to Hooters girls, the Sandman accepted.

After a 91-minute rain delay. Mo tossed to the ball into the mitt of Mets' Hall of Famer John Franco before a riveting pitching duel between seasoned vet Hiroki Kuroda and young phenom Matt Harvey. It might have been the only pitch Rivera wishes he threw last night.




Rivera entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Yankees leading, 1-0. Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy led off the inning with an opposite-field, ground-rule double down the left-field line. David Wright followed with a line-drive single up the middle that scored Murphy while Wright took second on a play at the plate. Then, outfielder Lucas Duda lifted a single into right to drive in Wright with the winning run.

In a night that started pleasantly enough with a party for Rivera — including being presented with a fire hose nozzle for being the "ultimate fireman" —  it ended with him watching with head down from the mound as the Mets celebrated a walk-off win.

As usual, Rivera took the 2-1 loss and his first blown save in 19 tries this season with a dose of humility and humor.

"What can I say?" he said afterwards. "It was a great game until I got into the game."

Just another reason rival teams don't mind honoring the all-time saves leader.

Swisher, Soriano, Kuroda pass on Yankees qualifying offers

Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano and Nick Swisher have all rejected qualifying offers from the New York Yankees by Friday's 5 p.m. deadline.

All three players had until today's deadline to inform the club of their final decisions after the Yankees had made the one-year, $13 million offers last week to ensure draft compensation if any of the three free agents sign elsewhere.  They can still negotiate deals to stay with the team.

"Let's put it this way: I don't believe anybody's going to accept," said general manager Brian Cashman after the General Managers Meetings were finished on Friday.  "But I would be happy if they did."

Kuroda and Soriano are the most likely to re-sign — either for more years or more money.  Swisher appears to be ready to test the free-agent waters where he's sure to attract attention.

If the Yankees re-sign Mariano Rivera, Kuroda would the most important of the three to keep in pinstripes.  Kuroda was last season's most consistent Yankees starter and finished the year strong.  If Andy Pettitte decides to retire, he would become a significant part of the Yankees rotation in 2013.

Whether or not Kuroda returns to Japan, as he has suggested, is one option Kuroda has but the 37-year-old could also  end up with the Red Sox or back with the Dodgers as well.  Either way, the righthander will cost more than the $10 million he made with the Yankees last year.

Soriano is looking for a multi-year deal and, if Rivera comes back as the closer, the surly Soriano's price tag might be a little high for the Bronx — where the Yankees want to keep under the $189 million payroll tax in 2014.

Girardi calls for instant replay after ump's blunder

It may sound like a case of sour grapes or even an excuse for the New York Yankees loss to a better Detroit Tigers team, but the shouts for expansion of instant replay in MLB just got another loud proponent in Joe Girardi.

The Yankees manager called on baseball to expand its use of replay after two badly officiated calls went against New York in the first two games of the American league Championship Series.  Both calls played important roles in each instance and led to Girardi getting tossed from Sunday's game for arguing umpire Jeff Nelson's blown call at second base.

"In this day and age when we have instant replay available to us, it's got to change," Girardi said after the Yankees lost to the Tigers, 3-0, and fell behind two games to none in the best-of-seven series.  "We play 235 days to get to this point and two calls go against us."

"Yeah, let's have instant replay," he said at the news conference.  "And ... not just home run, fair, foul.  Let's have instant replay."

The call that got Girardi's ire was a tag at second base in the eighth inning of Sunday's game.  The Tigers' Omar Infante overran second base on Austin Jackson's two-out single and Robinson Cano tagged him before he could get back.  Second base umpire Nelson didn't see it that way and called Infante safe — keeping the Tigers alive and allowing them to score to more runs and make it 3-0.

The call compelled Girardi to send Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda — who was splendid up until then — to the showers. Girardi was tossed minutes later after he seethed through a commercial break.

Nelson, who saw the play on replay after the game — admitted he botched the call.

"I had the tag late and the hand going to the bag before the tag on the chest," he said.  "The hand did not get in before the tag.  The call was incorrect."

Cano — who was called out at first on another bad call in Game 1 —  argued Nelson's call to no avail.

"I was safe (Saturday) and I had (Infante) by about five feet," said Cano.  "But no excuses, either way, you have to score some runs."

"I am not saying we win the game if the call is right. And I'm not saying we win the game if the call was right (Saturday) night either," said Girardi.  But in this day and age there is too much at stake, and technology is available.  That is what our country has done, we've evolved technology to make it better."

Yankees power outage continues on train ride home

The New York Yankees have experienced numerous power outages at the plate this season — stranding runners all over the bases — turning fans hopes into disappointment.  Now the Yankees got a sense of that frustration on their train ride back to New York.

Following Monday night's 3-2 ALDS Game 2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the team's Amtrak train that was taking the players back from Baltimore early Tuesday morning experienced a breakdown, delaying the team's arrival in New York until 6 a.m..

The train experienced an electrical power problem after arriving at Baltimore-Penn Station at 1 a.m..  After leaving, the train encountered the same issues and coasted into a station in Aberdeen, N.J., where the millionaire ballplayers boarded a bus for the remainder of the journey home.

"Well, I think our guys made the best of it and kind of laughed at it," manager Joe Girardi said."It's something you have to deal with, similar to getting in from the West Coast some days is what it's like."

It's still sounds way better than a jam-packed No. 4-Train to Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees reportedly lucked out because their bus company had available buses headed to Atlantic City and they were able to meet up quickly.

The Orioles were not so fortunate.  The team had to order buses and finally reached New York at 8 a.m..

"We got here," manager Buck Showalter said.  "Reminded me of those days of riding buses.  Everyone took it well."

Both teams were forced to make adjustments in their schedules because of the late arrivals.

The Orioles cancelled Tuesday's workout at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees turned their pressers with Girardi and Game 3 starter Hiroki Kuroda into conference calls.

Yankees president Randy Levine said the team was never in danger.

"Andy Pettitte said he smelled smoke," said Levine.  "But there was no smell in our car."

Yesterday that smell came from a third rail, today it's from the third spot in the lineup.

Yup. That whiff of smoke swirling around the Yankees today is coming from A-Rod burning out.

Antawn Jamison part of the Yankees' Bleacher Creatures 'roll call'

Antawn Jamison was spotted in the bleachers of Yankee Stadium before Game 1 of the Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets Friday night.  The Cleveland Cavaliers forward was part of the Bleacher Creatures' first inning ritual of the Yankees roll call and even had his name called too.  Jamison tipped his Yankees cap to the cheering fans.

I don't know why the NBA star chose to sit way out on the planks when there are plenty of luxury seats available even with the two rivals at— or near the top— of their divisions.  Maybe because it's more fun to sit with the Creatures and the primo seats cost $2500 each!

The first game pitted Hiroki Kuroda against Johan Santana— in his first outing since throwing the first no-hitter in Mets history.  All the anticipation of Santana breaking Johnny Vander Meer's 74-year old record of hurling two straight no-no's was moot after Robinson Cano took the Mets pitcher deep with a two-run homer in the second inning.



I don't know what connection the North Carolina-raised Jamison has with the Yankees but maybe he was just trying to get spotted by some of the Knicks brass.

The 35-year old averaged over 17 points last season and still has game.  Now he has some New York fans too.

Mariano Rivera says Yankees need Pettitte back

The signing of Andy Pettitte— after a year of retirement — by the New York Yankees at the end of spring training was met with skepticism by most fans and a little bit sentimentality by the rest.  Now,  it looks like Brian Cashman's latest out-of-the-box pitching acquisition since Bartolo Colon might be the spark the starting rotation needs.

Remember how the surgically repaired, over-weight Colon supplemented the Yankees' rotation early last season— after missing two seasons— when the pitchers struggled?  He was the early favorite for Comeback Player of the Year until he slowed down in the stretch.  But it was enough to help carry the team into the playoffs.

With Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia throwing beach balls to opponents, Michael Pineda out for the season and CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda looking a little tentative, all eyes are now on Pettitte and no one knows it more than his old friend Mariano Rivera.

"I know how he's doing," said Rivera.  "I'm keeping an eye on him."

The closer is still reluctant to push Pettitte's comeback ahead of schedule.

"We definitely need him back," Rivera said of the 40-year old Pettitte.  "But we need him at 100 percent."

Pettitte is still working out the kinks and gave up three earned runs in five innings Wednesday for Double-A Trenton in his second start.  If all goes according to plan, Pettitte will be back with Rivera in the majors by mid-May as the No. 3 starter.

"He'll change the dynamic of the whole rotation," said centerfielder Curtis Granderson.  "We all know what a difference  he can make."

Rivera made it clear he isn't knocking the current state of the rotation and knows it's too early to throw in the towel.

"I'm not concerned at all," said Rivera.  "We have a lot of games left.  I'm happy it's happening now than later."

If any one knows when Pettitte will be ready, it'll be Pettitte himself.