Returning Hiroshima Carp veteran Hiroki Kuroda was far from his best in his final preseason tune-up but still managed seven scoreless innings against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on Sunday.
The 40-year-old right-hander, who pitched the last seven seasons in the majors with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, got a lot of practice working from the stretch after five leadoff hitters reached against him.
"When one thinks about the season, situations like that are going to arise," said Kuroda, who had cruised through his first two spring starts. "This was good practice."
At decisive moments, Kuroda could rely on his two-seam fastball. After three hits loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, he got Hawks captain Nobuhiro Matsuda to hit into a tailor-made double play.
Kuroda allowed six hits, while striking out three and walking none. He completed his preseason with totals of just two runs and one walk in 17-1/3 innings.
"Now comes the long season," he said. "It's time to buckle down and look forward to Opening Day."
