HIRO’S WELCOME: Catcher Russell Martin congratulates Hiroki Kuroda after his two-hit shutout of the Rangers last night at the Stadium. (
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There was nothing lost in translation last night in The Bronx when Hiroki Kuroda produced a slice of masterpiece theatre from the mound at Yankee Stadium.
This was brilliance from the first inning through the ninth delivered by the 37-year-old right-hander, who limited the powerful Rangers to a pair of measly singles in the Yankees’ 3-0 victory that represented his team’s sixth win in the last seven games.
“It’s simple. It’s the best I’ve ever seen him,” said Russell Martin, a teammate of Kuroda’s for three seasons with the Dodgers. “That’s it.”
Kuroda was brilliant, inducing 17 ground-ball outs to accompany five strikeouts and five fly-ball outs in making the Texas hitters look foolish on a night when he carried a no-hit bid into the seventh, spoiled by speedy Elvis Andrus’ infield hit.
“I could put any sign down and it seemed like all his stuff was electric,” said Martin. “When their best hitters are taking weak swings, that shows how good he was.
“He was too dominant.”
That’s been the theme coming up on three months now for Kuroda, who has not only been the Yankees’ most effective starter since late May, but one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers the last 11 weeks.
For beginning on May 27, Kuroda has gone seven or more innings in 11 of his 15 starts, pitching to a 2.29 ERA in allowing 86 hits and 18 walks in 105 2/3 innings.
After a slow start during which he was rocked to the tune of a 4.56 ERA in his first nine starts, the pitcher whose dispassionate disposition belies the fire that burns inside has made the transition from the NL to AL a seamless one.
“The biggest difference is the DH, but I try not to be too concerned about it,” Kuroda said. “I try to manage the lineup and be aggressive with every batter I face.”
So many pitchers have been unable to make the transition from the NL to the AL, and more specifically to the AL East. It’s a different animal here, though manager Joe Girardi discounted the shift in discussing Kuroda before the game.
“He knows how to pitch,” Girardi said. “If you know how to pitch, you know how to pitch [no matter in which league.]”
The manager also cited the particular pressure that accompanies players from Japan on their transition to the majors. Kuroda pitched 10 years for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp before joining the Dodgers in 2008.
“It seems like players from Japan carry a little more weight,” Girardi said. “They represent their country over here. I don’t know what Hiroki was like when he first got here, but it hasn’t seemed to bother him here.”
The Yankees have regained their equilibrium, but they are by no means in a league of their own in the AL East. The Orioles and the Rays are just six games back.
Still, the rotation, even currently absent CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, is more than just spit and glue with Kuroda emerging as a dominant force.
The lineup, absent Alex Rodriguez, continues to pound, with Nick Swisher raking out of the two-hole, slamming a two-run homer to break a scoreless tie in the seventh a night after delivering a grand slam, and Derek Jeter maintaining his other worldly pace with a two-hit night that represented his 10th multi-hit game in his last 15 starts since July 30, a stretch in which he’s hit .403.
Suddenly, Sabathia in Game 1 of the postseason followed by Kuroda in Game 2 — presuming the Yankees can maintain the division lead they’ve held since June 12 — seems like a particular strength rather than a weakness.
“[Hiroki] is the type of guy who likes big games,” said Martin. “He’s had big games in the playoffs [for LA in 2008], and that shows his true character.
“He’s a competitor. I saw how he handled big situations in LA. He enjoys the spotlight. I see how he’s pitching now and I’m a little bit excited.”
For good reason.
larry.brooks@nypost.com