GAME 153: In the YES booth tonight, David Cone said it all. In games where the Yankees scored 3 or more runs behind Hiroki Kuroda, he is 10-1. Kuroda is not only the last man standing from the Opening Day rotation, he is finishing strong — the fighting spirit of Japan on display once again! Tonight he overcame a rocky first inning to go 6.2 innings, scattering 7 hits, walking none, while striking out 7.
And this time the bullpen held it down for ‘Hiro’. Josh Outman, Esmil Rogers, and Adam Warren combined for a scoreless 2.1 after Kuroda’s departure. Here’s the box score and recap.
Kuroda Deserved Better In Pinstripes
It wasn’t just this season that the offense for the most part failed in games Hiroki Kuroda started, he was also snake-bit last year with a lack of run support. Jacoby Ellsbury put that concern to rest with a big home run, and driving in three before departing with a strained hammy.
Cap’s Last (Home)Stand
Forget the 0-for-whatever in the last week or so. The first ballot Hall of Famer is poised to go out blazing. Can it be any other way?
GAMENOTES: In more of the more unbelievable stats you’ll read — Mark Buehrle has not beaten the Yankees in 17 starts, dating back to April 2004! Buehrle has a 1-14 lifetime record versus the Yanks, with the lone victory coming on April 10th, 2004, in a 3-2 decision over Yankee starter Jorge DePaula.
Today in Yankees Baseball History
MEMORY LANE: Even in defeat, the storied history of the New York Yankees intertwines with some of the game’s most historic moments. On today’s date in 1968, Denny McLain won his 31st game, the most in the American League since Lefty Grove‘s thirty-one in 1931. The Detroit Tigers beat the Yankees 6-2, while Mickey Mantle hit his 535th and next-to-last career homer.
Happy 36th Birthday to Nick Johnson.
SOURCES: TodayInBaseballHistory.com, Baseball-Reference.com
