Hiroki Kuroda Hurls Four Scoreless as Yankees Top Cardinals; Giants Previal, 2-1, over Rangers, Madison Bumgarner Earns Win

Players of the Day for Monday, March 11, 2013

Grapefruit League

Hiroki Kuroda

Some much needed good news for Yankee fans came in the form of four solid innings from the mound by Hiroki Kuroda (1-1), who will likely fall into the role of #2 starter behind C.C. Sabathia once the regular season gets underway.

With sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez nursing injuries, the Yanks will need good starting pitching and Kuroda delivered on Monday, blanking the Cardinals for four innings on three hits, fanning six without allowing a walk. New York went onto the 4-0 victory, a string of four relievers finishing what Kuroda started.

After four years with the Dodgers, Kuroda spent 2012 with the Yankees, posting a record of 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA.

Even with the win, the Yankees remain at the bottom of the Grapefruit League standings with a troublesome 5-11 record.

Madison Bumgarner

Cactus League

10,025 fans set out to Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona but had a surprise of a different kind as Madison Bumgarner and four relievers shut down the Rangers on six hits in a 2-1 victory for the Giants, their sixth win against seven losses.

Texas fell to 7-8 as Bumgarner delivered four strong innings, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out four.

Notching his first win of the Spring without a loss, Bumgarner is looking to fill his role on one of baseball's best starting staffs. Last season, he went 16-11 with a 3.37 ERA for the world champion Giants, but was 1-2 in the post-season.

Hiroki Kuroda Blanks Rangers on Two Hits; Madison Bumgarner Cools Off Nationals as Giants Win

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 14, 2012

American League

With their ace, C.C. Sabathia, on the DL, the Yankees need to get solid efforts from the rest of their starters. On Tuesday in the Bronx, Hiroki Kuroda answered the call, turning in his top performance of the year with a two-hit, 3-0, shutout of the Texas Rangers.

Hiroki Kuroda

Kuroda had a no-hitter through six, but speedy Elvis Andrus broke it up with an infield single to lead off the seventh. Unfazed, Kuroda got the next three batters in order, though Andrus eventually reached third base, tagging from first on Josh Hamilton's fly out to right and taking thrid on a wild pitch.

Michael Young was the only other Ranger to hit safely, leading off the eighth inning with a single up the middle, but he was quickly erased on a double play. Kuroda finished off the final four batters in order for his fourth career complete game, all of them shutouts. Kuroda (11-8) struck out five and walked two.

The Yankees struck for the only runs of the game in the seventh, on back-to-back homers by Nick Swisher - a two run poke - and Mark Teixeira.

The Yankees have taken the first two games of the four-game series with the Rangers which resumes Wednesday night at 7:05 pm EDT. Both the Yankees and Rangers lead their respective divisions by six games.

National League

There were four shutouts in the National League on Tuesday, though none of the pitching performances were complete game wins. The Dodgers topped the Pirates, 11-0; Cincinnati took care of the Mets, 3-0; Atlanta put away the Padres, 6-0; and Philadelphia survived a 1-0 win over Miami.

Madison Bumgarner

In San Francisco, however, Madison Bumgarner went the distance, as the Giants cooled off the Nationals, 6-1.

After the Nationals opened the series by the Bay with a 14-2 trouncing of their hosts, Bumgarner chilled the hot bats of the Nats, allowing just five hits and one earned run in his second complete game of the season. He walked one and didn't allow the lone Washington run until the seventh inning, after the Giants had built a 2-0 lead.

San Francisco added four runs in the eighth, allowing Bumgarner to complete his mound work. Bumgarner improved to 13-7, striking out six and setting down the last nine batters in order.

The win kept the Giants tied with the Dodgers on top of the NL West. Atlanta picked up a game on the Nationals in the East and trail by 4 1/2. The two division leaders will complete the three-game series Wednesday afternoon.

Gio Gonzalez, Mark Ellis Lead Athletics; Kuroda Blanks Brewers; Harmon Killebrew Gone at 74

Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 17, 2011

American League

Gio Gonzalez

Rain washed out four games on Tuesday, but the weather was just fine as the Oakland A's hosted the LA Angels in Northern California. While the Angels and Rangers are the favorites to win the AL West division, Oakland keeps hanging around and their 14-0 victory proves they are a contender with plenty to offer.

Mark Ellis

Gio Gonzalez kept LA in check, giving up one solitary hit over seven scoreless innings. Perfect through the first three innings, Gonzalez walked Macias Izturis in the 4th and surrendered a leadoff single in the 5th to Howie Kendrick, but that was it. No Angel even made it to second base the entire game as reliever Craig Breslow worked a perfect 8th inning and Trystan Magnuson gave up a hit in the 9th, but turned a pair of fielder's choices and a strikeout into a fitting closing.

While Gonzalez and his bullpen mates were baffling the LA batters, Oakland hitters knocked out 15 hits. Mark Ellis collected three of them, doubling in Oakland's first run in the second inning, singling in two more in the 3rd and singling another run home in the 6th. Ellis finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI, scoring three times.

The win put the A's 1/2 game behind the Rangers and Angels, who are tied for the division lead.

National League

Hiroki Kuroda

Working his second straight strong outing, Hiroki Kuroda blanked the Milwaukee Brewers over 7 2/3 innings Tuesday in LA, helping the Dodgers remain relevant in the NL West.

Kuroda (5-3) last stymied Pittsburgh on May 11, holding the Pirates to three hits over seven innings. With the conclusion of the Milwaukee win, Kuroda has not allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings and has dropped his ERA to 2.80.

Scattering six Brewer hits and giving up a couple of walks, Kuroda was effective in tight situations, getting seven hitters on strikes.

The 3-0 win put the Dodgers 3 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the division. Colorado took their second straight from the Giants, 5-3, to reclaim the division lead by 1/2 game.

Harmon Killebrew

This One is Gone: The baseball world mourns the loss of one of the all-time greats as Harmon Killebrew passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday. Killebrew began his playing career with the Washington Senators in 1954, but was best known for his 14 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He finished his major league career in 1975, playing one season with the Kansas City Royals.

One of the top players of all time, Killebrew was a slugger with extraordinary power. A 13-time All Star, he led the American League in home runs six times and finished with 573 homers and 1584 RBI. He ranks 11th in career home runs and will forever remain tied with Rogers Hornsby in RBI, currently 36th all-time.

In 1969, Killebrew earned the AL MVP award, belting 49 home runs and driving in 140 runs.

Killebrew was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. His #3 uniform was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1975. Known as "Killer" at the plate, Killebrew was nothing like his nickname, a mild-mannered gentleman who commanded respect wherever he went.

Beltre Blasts Orioles; Broxton, Kuroda Lead Dodgers to Pair of Wins

Players of the Day for Saturday, April 9, 2011

American League

Adrian Beltre

It's probably too early to be thinking about possible playoff match-ups, but, since it's still only April, the weekend series between the Orioles and Rangers at Camden yards qualifies - for now - as a pairing of the top teams from the AL East and West and the result so far is a draw.

After a rain-out Friday forced a Saturday double-dip, the Orioles took the opener by a 5-0 score behind the 4-hit pitching by Baltimore's Zach Britton, who blanked the Rangers for 7 2/3 innings. It was the first loss of the season by Texas, following a 6-0 start.

Taking an 0-for-4 collar in the first game, newly-acquired Texas 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre was batting just .148, but he and the Rangers would get their revenge in the nightcap,

Beltre, who socked 28 homers and drove in 102 runs in Boston last season, went 3-for-5, with a single, double, home run, three RBI and three runs as the Rangers
blasted the Orioles, 13-1.

Beltre doubled his hit total for the season, to six, and was at .182 with 7 RBI after the onslaught. The two teams conclude their series at 1:35 on Sunday.

National League

Hiroki Kuroda

Jonathan Broxton

2010 was a disappointing year for the Dodgers, watching their arch-rivals, the San francisco Giants, win the NL West and the World Series, so they're determined not to repeat the woes of last season, with a new manager, Don Mattingly, and a new attitude.

They're off to a 5-3 start, 1/2 game behind the Rockies, after they beat the Padres twice on Saturday, winning the resumption of Friday's suspended game, 4-2, in 11 innings and then winning again, 4-0, on the strength of Hiroki Kuroda's 8 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

Jonathan Broxton had the unique pleasure of getting two saves in one day, working a scoreless 11th inning in the suspended game and getting the final out in the regular contest after Kuroda left with runners on first and second.

Broxton issued a walk to load the bases, but then got Cameron Maybin to ground into a game-ending fielder's choice. Broxton also allowed a hit and a walk in the single inning save in the suspended game.

Kuroda, who walked two and fanned four, was nearly unhittable early, taking a one-hitter through six innings, but struggled through the latter stages, allowing six hits overall.

In two starts, both wins, Kuroda has a 1.72 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.

Rios 5-for-6 in White Sox Win; Heyward Powers Braves as Kuroda Stops Phillies

Players of the Day for Monday, August 30, 2010 American League Obtaining the rights to Manny Ramirez, the White Sox figure to put the former Indian, Red Sox and Dodger player into the DH spot, but judging by the ferocity of Chicgo's bats in their 10-6, 11-inning win over the Indians, there isn't a player who wants to be replaced by the newcomer. Paul Konerko was the DH in Monday's conquest, but there's no way Big Paul will be ousted from the day-to-day lineup. The players most affected are going to be Andruw Jones and Carlos Quentin, both of whom played a bit in right field on Monday. Jones is the odd-man out, so it seems, as Quentin carries a more productive bat. The big slugger in for the White Sox was Alex Rios, who's recently broken out of a month-long slump in which his batting average fell from .311 to .288. Rios had five hits in six at-bats, socked a solo homer (his 19th), scored three times, drove in four runs and stole his 28th base of the season. Rios may not reach the hallowed 30-30 mark for homers and steals, though he may drive in 100 runs (currently at 78). Winning over the tribe pushed the White Sox to 4 games behind idle AL Central division leader, Minnesota. The Sox face the Indians Tuesday and Wednesday while the Twins host the Tigers. National League By beating up on the struggling Mets, 9-3, the Atlanta Braves picked up another game on second-place Philadelphia as Hiroki Kuroda (left) took a no-hitter into the 8th inning in a 3-0 Dodger win. Kuroda was lifted with two outs in the 8th after allowing the only Philly hit of the night to Shane Victorino. Hong-Shih Kuo came on to record the final four outs for his 7th save of the season. The Braves got a huge night from rookie Jason Heyward (right), who went 4-for-5 with a 3-run homer, four RBI and three runs. Heyward was originally considered a shoo-in for the NL Rookie of the Year, but he's got plenty of company in the likes of Chicago's Starlin Castro, San Fran's Buster Posey and others. Heyward is batting .278 with 16 homers and 62 RBI, and is currently riding a five-game hitting streak. Atlanta leads Philadelphia by three games in the NL East.

Dodgers Battle Back with 7-2 Home Win

Players of the Day from Sunday, October 12, 2008 National League Championship Series LA Dodgers 7 Philadelphia 2 The LA Dodgers scored five runs in the first inning off starter Jamie Moyer, and Hiroki Kuroda stopped the Phillies on six hits and two runs over 6 innings as the Dodgers won their first NLCS game, 7-2. After dropping the first two in Philadelphia, the Dodgers are now down, 2 games to 1, with Game 4 set for 8:22 pm ET in LA. Notes: The Rays and Red Sox get back to it in the ALCS on Monday. Game 3 is scheduled to begin at 4:37 pm ET in Boston. The series is tied, 1-1.

Dodgers Seal Deal; Brewers Get One Back

Players of the Day from Saturday, October 4, 2008 Milwaukee 4 Philadelphia 1 J.J. Hardy went 3-for-4, drove in a key run in the 1st inning and scored another in the 7th as the Brewers avoided elimination with a 4-1 win over the Phillies. The Phillies still lead the series 2 games to 1, with game 4 set for Sunday at 1:07 pm ET in Milwaukee. While Hardy was scorching the ball, the Phillies' bats were mostly silent, as Milwaukee pitchers scattered 9 hits, though closer Salomon Torres ran into some trouble in the 9th, allowing three hits in the innings, though the Phillies were unable to push across a run. LA Dodgers 3 Chicago Cubs 1 The LA Dodgers knocked the Chicago Cubs out of the playoffs and advanced to the NLCS as starter Hiroki Kuroda shut out Chicago over 6 1/3 innings to lead LA past Chicago, 3-1, completing a sweep over the team that hasn't won the World Series since 1908. Kuroda scattered 6 hits and a pair of walks while fanning 4. Otherwise, it was an infielder's delight as Kuroda got 13 of 15 outs on ground balls. The Dodgers struck in the first inning for two runs - all that they'd need - when James Loney doubled home Manny Ramirez and Russell Martin. Martin was also responsible for the other LA run, doubling home Rafael Furcal in the 5th. After dominating the NL with the best record in the league, the Cubs fell completely apart against the Dodgers' surge, being outscored in the three games by a combined score of 20-6. Notes: The American League playoffs continue today, with the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox both looking to sweep. The Rays lead the White Sox, 2-0. Game 3 is scheduled to begin at 4:07 pm ET in Chicago. The Red Sox can knock out the Angels in their game 3, beginning at 7:07 pm ET at Fenway Park.

Hunter Homers Twice for Halos; Kuroda Near Perfect as Dodgers Tie D-Backs

Players of the Day from Monday, July 7, 2008 American League Throughout their lineup, the Texas Rangers have plenty of big bats, but Ervin Santana, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter put the game out of reach before most of them even made it to the plate. After 1 1/2 innings, the Angels had already put up 8 runs and Santana was on his way to his 10th win against 3 losses. Hunter singled home a run in the first, and after Guerrero smacked a two-run homer, Hunter followed with a solo shot, adding another in the 7th. Hunter finished 3-for-5, with 3 RBI and 2 runs as the Angels outlasted the Rangers, 9-6. The Angels have a 6-game lead over the A's and are 8 1/2 better than the Rangers in the AL West. Notes:Kansas City avoided being swept, winning the last of their 4-game series with Tampa Bay, 7-4, ending the Rays' 7-game winning streak. The Red Sox won, 1-0, over NY, leaving them 4 back with the Yanks 8 1/2 out. National League The LA Dodgers spent the first half of the season chasing the Arizona Diamondbacks, and on Monday night, rookie starter Hiroki Kuroda finally got them into a tie for first place in the NL West with a sparkling one-hitter as the Dodgers blanked Atlanta, 3-0. Kuroda, who has had flashes of brilliance to offset some truly ugly outings, allowed only a Mark Tiexiera double to open the 8th inning, as he struck out 6 and didn't walk a batter, using just 91 pitches for the complete game shutout. Only six Atlanta batters got the ball into the air, as Kuroda retired 15 on ground outs. Notes: The outing was the second complete game shutout in just over a month for Kuroda. On June 6, he blanked the Cubs on 4 hits. He followed that up with his shortest outing of the season, 2 1/3 innings at San Diego, in which he walked four and allowed 5 hits and six earned runs. His last outing, July 1 at Houston, he worked 7 shutout innings in a 4-1 win. Kuroda is 5-6 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

Crede goes 4-for-4 in ChiSox Win; Kuroda 4-hits Cubs

Players of the Day from Friday, June 6, 2008 American League The Chicago White Sox continue the domination over Central Division teams, leading the Twins by 3 1/2 games after Joe Crede socked a pair of solo homers in a 10-6 win over Minnesota. Crede also singled twice and scored three times, going 4-for-4 on the night. His two RBI gave him 33, though he's far behind teammate Carlos Quentin, who blasted his 16th home run and drove in 3 runs, for a season total of 53, second in the AL. Notes: The White Sox have won four straight, while out in the West, the Angels won their sixth straight, a 3-1 win over 2nd place Oakland, which boosted their lead in the division to 4 1/2 games. In the East, Boston's 3-game win streak was snapped by Seattle, as the Mariners handcuffed the BoSox, 8-0. Boston leads Tampa Bay by 1/2 game. National League Nobody expected Hiroki Kuroda to last through the 6th inning, much less pitch a complete game, 4-hit shutout last night, stopping the Central division-leading Cubs, 4-0. Kuroda, who was last seen leaving the mound after just 2 2/3 innings after allowing 7 hits and 6 runs to the Mets in New York. On Friday, however, the rookie starter was a different pitcher, throwing 77 of 112 pitches for strikes, fanning 11 in the process, including Alfonso Soriano and Derreck Lee twice each. He also did not issue any walks. Kuroda, who hasn't pitched badly for the most part, sports a 3.49 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP, to go along with his 3-5 record. Notes: There's plenty of good pitching to go around in the NL West. Besides the solid starters for the Dodgers and Padres, there's a guy in Arizona named Brandon Webb, who became the first 11-game winner in the majors with a 3-1 win over the punchless Pirates. Webb allowed 3 hits and one earned run over 7 innings without walking a batter. He struck out 3 while improving to 11-2.