Hiroki Kuroda

From BR Bullpen

Hiroki Kuroda (Mr. Complete Game)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 1", Weight 173-210 lb.

School Senshu University
High School Uenomiya High School
Debut April 4, 2008

Born February 10, 1975 in Osaka, Osaka Japan

[edit] Biographical Information

Hiroki Kuroda has a strong athletic lineage as his father is outfielder Kazuhiro Kuroda and his mother was a shotput competitior in the 1964 Olympics. He went 6-4 as a reliever in college in Tohto University Baseball League competition, then was taken in the second round of the 1996 NPB draft by the Hiroshima Carp. Kuroda was with the Carp in '97, striking out the first batter he faced, one Hideki Matsui. Overall, he was 6-9, 4.40 that year as a regular member of the rotation. In 1998, he slipped to 1-4, 6.60 and hurt his shoulder and he was no better in '99 (5-8, 6.78, 20 HR ia 87 2/3 IP, including four in an inning on July 31). He was 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, striking out 21 and walking 2 in 16 1/3 IP. He tied for second in the event in both strikeouts and wins.

In almost 57 more innings in 2000, he allowed just three more runs and was 9-6 with a 4.31 ERA. He led the Central League with seven complete games and threw four in a row at one point. Kuroda continued to make strides in 2001, going 12-8 with a 3.03 ERA. He threw a league-leading 13 complete games (and allowed the most hits, 175), including five complete outings in a row. On August 22, he threw a one-hitter, allowing only an infield hit to Hirokazu Ibata. In his first All-Star game, he struck out the side on 10 pitches.

In 2002, the 27-year-old hurler went 10-10 with a 3.67 ERA. He tied Kei Igawa and Koji Uehara for the CL lead in CGs. He was 13-9 with a 3.11 ERA in '03 and finished third in the Central League in both wins and ERA. He did not lead in complete games, as his 8 were three fewer than Uehara. In 2004, he fell to 7-9, 4.65 with a league-high 7 complete games but he did go 2-0 in the 2004 Olympics.

2005 marked Kuroda's best year to that point. Hiroki went 15-12, 3.17, tying Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi for the league lead in victories. He was second to Daisuke Miura in ERA and third in strikeouts (165 in 212 2/3 IP). He led in complete games for the fifth time in six years, with 11. Additionally, he picked up a Gold Glove Award and made the Best Nine as the top pitcher in the league. He became the first 200-million yen pitcher in Carp history. Through 2005, his career line was 78-75, 3.97. Given that he plays in the most offense-friendly park in Japan, his ERA+ is probably more impressive than his ERA.

Picked to play for Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Kuroda was hit by a ball and injured his right index finger, getting replaced on the roster by Tomoyuki Kubota before he could pitch in the tournament. The injury left no lasting impression, though, as Kuroda has dazzled through August 24 in 2006 with a 12-6, 1.93 year with 136 K and 21 BB in 182 IP. He is second in the CL in wins, third in strikeouts, second in ERA and second in complete games. He made his second All-Star squad. He won CL pitcher of the month honors in both July and August (4-0, 1.11), becoming the first Carp hurler to win the award in back-to-back months. He then was sidelined for a spell with inflammation.

A free agent, Kuroda re-signed with Hiroshima instead of taking a look at other teams in Japan or the USA.

In the first 2007 NPB All-Star Game, Kuroda joined with Koji Uehara, Shingo Takatsu, Masanori Hayashi, Atsushi Kizuka, Hitoki Iwase, Tomoyuki Kubota, Marc Kroon and Kyuji Fujikawa to throw a one-hit shutout of the Pacific League. He was 12-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 2007, finishing 9th in the CL in ERA in a significant drop-off from 2006. He led the league with 7 complete games.

After the season, Kuroda declared free agency, seeking a possible trip to the US. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 years and between $36-40 million. He won a spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation in spring training and made his debut on April 4, 2008. Kuroda had a fine MLB debut, scoring as many runs as he allowed (one) and scattering three hits over 7 walkless innings. He retired the first MLB batter he faced, Brian Giles, on a weak grounder, before striking out another Japanese player, Tadahito Iguchi. He retired the first 8 batters altogether before opposing pitcher Justin Germano singled. The only run was a solo shot by Giles in the 6th. Kuroda wound up with the victory while Chad Billingsley threw the final two frames. Kuroda was only 9-10 for the 2008 Dodgers, but had a 3.73 ERA and 119 ERA+, indicating poor luck and run support. He finished in the top 10 in the 2008 NL in complete games, shutouts and fewest walks per 9 innings. After 11 seasons with poor Hiroshima Carp clubs, he made his first postseason start in the NLDS, beating the Cubs with a strong Game 3 effort to eliminate them from the playoffs.

Kuroda's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 97 mph, a slider, a splitter in the mid to high-80s and a shuuto(sinker). He has been criticized for relying too heavily on his fastball. He is known as a tough competitor.

Main source: Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland