Hiroki Kuroda is hoping for a full, healthy season
Reporting from Phoenix — There are aspects of baseball in this country that Hiroki Kuroda still isn’t used to.
Heading into his third season in the major leagues, Kuroda hasn’t completely adjusted to pitching every five days. Or to the slickness of American baseballs. Or to even the spring-training schedule.
So before leaving Los Angeles for Camelback Ranch last month, Kuroda picked up the phone and called the Japanese pitcher who overcame these obstacles better than any other. A pitcher who did that while wearing the same Dodgers colors Kuroda wears today.
He called Hideo Nomo.
Nomo is a part-time Los Angeles resident, but he and Kuroda had never met or talked. Kuroda had heard that Nomo was a guest coach in the spring-training camp of the Hiroshima Carp, the Japanese club for which Kuroda pitched in the first 11 years of his professional career.
Nomo-san. Kuroda desu.
Mr. Nomo. This is Kuroda.
Kuroda said that while the conversation wasn’t long, it was helpful.
“Obviously, he’s someone I respect a lot,” Kuroda said.
Nomo offered him tips on how he could make adjustments between starts and maintain his form throughout a long major league season.
Perhaps most important was that Nomo provided some insights into how Kuroda could make slight changes in his mechanics when throwing the forkball.
“I’ve been struggling with it,” Kuroda said.
The pitch used to be Nomo’s out pitch. It was also Kuroda’s when Kuroda was in Japan, but the weapon became less of one when he moved to the United States, the reason being that balls used here are slicker.
“What surprised me was how carefully he’s been watching me,” Kuroda said. “He knew enough about me to be able to point of some things I could change in my delivery.
“He’s a very passionate person.”
Last year was the year Kuroda was expecting to put into practice what he learned in his first season.
But the year was mostly lost because of two lengthy stints on the disabled list, the first because of a strained side muscle and the second because of a line drive that hit him on the head.
“I couldn’t get in a rhythm,” Kuroda said.
Kuroda believes the line drive by Arizona’s Rusty Ryal that hit him on the head Aug. 15 resulted in the herniated disk in his neck that bothered him late in the season.
Kuroda returned to pitch in the National League Championship Series, but gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. His season was over.
He spent a significant part of the off-season in Japan receiving treatment for his neck, including acupuncture, which he said relieved him of some of the pain. He also visited a temple in Okinawa and received a bracelet with yellow beads that was blessed by a monk.
At age 35, Kuroda said he is going into this season as if it is his last.
“I don’t want to have any regrets,” Kuroda said. “I want to be able to play an entire season without any physical problems.”
His first two seasons with the Dodgers had some high points — most notably, his two victories in the 2008 postseason — but his regular-season major league record stands at 17-17.
Kuroda said he hasn’t thought much about what he’ll do when his three-year, $35.3-million contract with the Dodgers expires at the end of the season.
He could retire. Or play in Japan again. Or lengthen his stay in the majors.
But if he decides to stay, Kuroda said he would like to remain with the Dodgers.
“I like this team,” he said. “The fans have been great to me. Management has been very supportive of me. I feel blessed to be part of this organization.”
Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said he thinks Kuroda is ready to have the kind of year he wants.
“The first year was an adjustment,” Honeycutt said. “Now, at least he knows what to expect. That’s half the battle. I think he has a much better understanding. We have to see how he’s going to respond physically.”
