Hiroki Kuroda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hiroki Kuroda黒田 博樹 |
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Kuroda with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: February 10, 1975 Osaka, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||
| NPB: April 25, 1997, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| MLB: April 4, 2008, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 25, 2014, for the New York Yankees | |||
| NPB: 2016, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 124–105 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.55 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,461 | ||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 79–79 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.45 | ||
| Strikeouts | 986 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2024 | ||
| Medal record | ||
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| Men's baseball | ||
Representing  Japan |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2004 Athens | Team |
Hiroki Kuroda (born February 10, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 1997 to 2007. Later, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2011. He also pitched for the New York Yankees from 2012 to 2014. After the 2014 season, he returned to the Carp to finish his career.
In NPB, Kuroda won the Best Nine Award in 2005. He was also the top pitcher for ERA in 2006. He earned a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. This was with the Japanese national baseball team.
Kuroda was named a UNITAR Goodwill Ambassador in 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Hiroki Kuroda was born in Osaka, Japan. His father, Kazuhiro Kuroda, was also a professional baseball player. He played for the Nankai Hawks. Hiroki went to Uenomiya High School in Osaka. He had long days of classes and baseball practice. After high school, he attended Senshu University in Tokyo.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in Japanese Baseball
Kuroda joined the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1996. He was a second-round draft pick. At first, another player, Toshikazu Sawazaki, got more attention. Sawazaki won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997. But Kuroda slowly became a strong starting pitcher. Sawazaki's career did not last as long.
Kuroda won more than 10 games for three years in a row, starting in 2001. In 2003, he became the team's opening-day pitcher. He had a tough start but improved to win 13 games. He helped the Japanese team win a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He pitched well as a reliever in two games.
In 2005, Kuroda led the Central League with 15 wins. He won the Best Nine Award and the Golden Glove. He continued his success in 2006. He finished the season with a league-leading 1.85 ERA. This made him one of Japan's best pitchers. He was the first Japanese starter since 1989 to have an ERA below 2.00.
In 2006, Kuroda was chosen for the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was one of two players from the Carp team. Sadly, he got injured during practice. A baseball hit his right hand. This forced him to leave the competition.
Kuroda became a free agent in 2006. This meant he could choose to play for another team. But he decided to stay with the Carp for the 2007 season. He even had surgery on his right elbow to help him pitch better.
Kuroda was the Carp's opening-day starter for the fifth year in a row in 2007. He got his 100th career win on July 14, 2007. He finished the season with 12 wins and a 3.56 ERA. Kuroda was known for pitching very well against the Yomiuri Giants. Fans called him a "Giants Killer."
Moving to Major League Baseball
Kuroda decided to play in the major leagues in 2007. Many teams were interested in him. He signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2007.
In his first game for the Dodgers, Kuroda pitched very well. He got his first win in American baseball. On July 7, 2008, Kuroda pitched an amazing game against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched seven perfect innings. This means no one reached base. He ended up pitching a one-hit shutout. He was the first Dodgers rookie pitcher since 1984 to take a perfect game into the eighth inning.
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Kuroda made his first playoff start in MLB on October 4, 2008. He pitched great, helping the Dodgers win and move on. He also won his second playoff game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kuroda started the Dodgers' opening day game in 2009. He won the game. However, he got injured soon after. He missed a lot of the season due to injuries. He still made 20 starts and finished with 8 wins.
On August 15, 2009, Kuroda was hit in the head by a fast-moving ball. He had to leave the game on a stretcher. Luckily, tests showed he was okay. He was released from the hospital the next morning.
In 2010, Kuroda pitched a near no-hitter against the Phillies. He made 31 starts and had 11 wins. He also had a career-best 159 strikeouts. He signed another contract with the Dodgers for 2011.
Kuroda finished the 2011 season with 13 wins and a career-best 3.07 ERA. He also struck out 161 batters. He became a free agent again after the season.
Playing for the New York Yankees
On January 13, 2012, Kuroda joined the New York Yankees. He had a great first year with the team. He finished with 16 wins and a 3.32 ERA. He also pitched well in the playoffs.
The Yankees re-signed Kuroda for 2013. He led the American League in ERA for the first half of the season. His pitching slowed down a bit later in the year. Overall, he had 11 wins in 2013. In 2014, he finished with 11 wins and a 3.71 ERA. Kuroda never had an ERA higher than 3.76 in his MLB career.
Coming Back to Japan
After the 2014 season, Kuroda decided to return to Japan. He signed a contract with his old team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, for 2015. He was 40 years old.
Kuroda had one of his best seasons in 2015. He made 26 starts and had an excellent 2.55 ERA. He was chosen for the 2015 All-Star Game. He was 40, and the opposing pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, was only 21.
Kuroda signed another contract to play for the Carp in 2016. He was the highest-paid player in NPB at age 41. He had 10 wins and a 3.09 ERA in 2016. Hiroshima reached the 2016 Japan Series. Kuroda announced he would retire after the series.
How Hiroki Kuroda Pitched
Kuroda used five main pitches. His most important pitch was a shuuto. This pitch is like a sinker and moved downward. He threw it between 90 and 94 miles per hour. His shuuto could even reach 97 mph when he played for the Dodgers. This pitch helped him get many ground balls.
His main off-speed pitch was a slider. He threw it around 83–85 mph. Kuroda also threw a four-seam fastball (90–94 mph). He used a splitter (86–88 mph) and sometimes a curveball (76–78 mph). He used his shuuto and slider most often against right-handed batters. Against left-handed batters, he used more variety, including his splitter to get strikeouts.
Family Life
Hiroki Kuroda is married to Masayo. They have two daughters. Their names are Hinatsu Kuroda, born in 2002, and Wakana Kuroda, born in 2005.
See also
In Spanish: Hiroki Kuroda para niños
