ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hiroki Kuroda has heard about the difference between pitching in the NL West and the AL East.
Yesterday, after spending four seasons with the Dodgers, he got a first-hand look at it as the Yankees and Rays slugged it out in the season opener at Tropicana Field with the Rays coming back to beat Mariano Rivera, 7-6.
“I did everything I can to prepare for this,” said Kuroda, who will start for the Yankees tonight for the first time after signing a one-year, $10 million contract in January.
Regardless, there’s nothing a pitcher can do to figure it out until he gets on the field and he knows there may be a different type of pressure on him now.
“You just don’t know until you go on the mound and pitch a game and see how I feel,” Kuroda said through an interpreter. “I always have to challenge myself. The reason why I signed with this team is because I wanted to challenge myself and I welcome that challenge.”
Kuroda is 37 and went 41-46 with the Dodgers. After the Yankees were unable to land him at last year’s trade deadline, he was targeted in the offseason to be the No. 2 starter behind Sabathia — something A.J. Burnett wasn’t able to do in his time with the Yankees.
He had a good seat to see James Shields and CC Sabathia get pounded in yesterday’s opener.
“Any team I pitch for, I have nerves and butterflies,” said Kuroda, who will go up against David Price. “I don’t know how it will be [tonight].”
But he has liked what he has seen of his new team.
“This team has exceeded my expectations,” Kuroda said. “It’s greater than I expected it to be. I’m really honored to be here.
“I think the teamwork is there already before starting the regular season. This is something that I haven’t seen in my professional career.”
His attempt begins tonight.
“I think it’s the accumulation of one pitch, one game at a time,” Kuroda said. “I just have to do what I can to help this team win.”
