Hiroki Kuroda is in uncharted territory.
The right-hander has thrown more innings in the majors than ever before, and tonight he’ll face an Orioles team that chased the Yankees all season and is tied with them heading into Game 3 of the ALDS in The Bronx.
If he’s worried about his arm being worn down, though, he’s not saying.
“I really haven’t thought of anything about that,” Kuroda said through a translator on a conference call yesterday. “You know, I don’t really feel fatigued, or I don’t think I can afford to think like that because I always prepare myself for the next game, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
This one will be more important than most. The Yankees don’t want to fall behind in the series for obvious reasons — and they also don’t want to pitch CC Sabathia on short rest in Game 4, something Joe Girardi may consider if the Yankees lose tonight and they need a win tomorrow to survive.
Kuroda won 16 games in his first season with the Yankees and was 11-6 with a 2.74 ERA at home — something he attributed to “luck.” He will also be pitching on seven days’ rest, which he has done well with in the past.
Still, this is his first time back to the playoffs since 2009, when he was pounded by the Phillies for six runs in 1 1/3 innings in the NLCS.
“In ’09, I didn’t have all my stuff and I wasn’t feeling good,” Kuroda said earlier in the week. “I had an injury to my neck and I couldn’t throw in the divisional series.”
He preferred not to dwell on the ugly performance.
“Until now, I haven’t really thought about ’09,” said Kuroda, who had two solid outings in the playoffs with the Dodgers the previous year. “I’m focused on now.”
So is Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez, the right-hander who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles before the season and has become an invaluable part of their rotation.
The 28-year-old rookie has undergone elbow and knee surgeries and will make his first postseason appearance tonight.
“I like pitching in big games,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been doing it for the last eight years, here and in Mexico especially. I had a little bit of experience in playoffs in Mexico, not here in the States, but I think I’m just going to stay within myself and make good pitches and get guys out and try to get them as fast as possible.”
While his major league playoff resume may be lacking, he helped get the Orioles into the playoffs by pitching well down the stretch.
And he’s 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA away from Camden Yards, winning his two previous starts at Yankee Stadium this season.
“It all starts with location of fastball,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “If you sit there and try to grade one pitch, he may not get a huge break like some other guys but when you put the total package together, you see why he’s been successful. He’s a great example to pitchers not only with our team but in the organization about pitching instead of throwing. He’s a guy that understands the art of pitching.”
Showalter also believes Gonzalez’s journey will benefit him.
“He doesn’t get caught up in the emotion, and he stays within himself,” Showalter said. “He’s a very calm guy that has respect for the opposition but also knows what his strengths are.”
dan.martin@nypost.com