Kuroda, Jurrjens impressive in debuts with new teams
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) - Hiroki Kuroda made his Los Angeles
Dodgers debut, minus the Elvis Presley costume.
Jair Jurrjens took the mound for the Atlanta Braves, hoping to
show his favorite team that he's worth star shortstop Edgar
Renteria.
Kuroda, another Japanese star jumping over to the big leagues,
pitched two scoreless innings for the Dodgers in a 10-3 spring
training loss to the Braves today.
The 33-year-old Kuroda is hardly just another rookie after
signing a three-year, 35 million dollar contract with Los Angeles.
But he just wants to be treated like one of the guys, which he
demonstrated by taking part in "Dodger Idol" the previous day.
A mock contest for players attending their first big league
camp, most of the contestants were in their early 20s. But Kuroda,
who had 103 wins in Japan and was an All-Star each of the past
three years, jumped right in with his new teammates.
He donned an Elvis costume, complete with fake chest hair and
sideburns, to whip off a rendition of "Love Me Tender."
Jurrjens gave up one hard-hit ball in two innings of work, a
ground-rule double by Andy LaRoche that put the Dodgers ahead 1-0
in the first.
Javy Lopez, trying to win a spot as Atlanta's backup catcher
after sitting out last season, had a big day at the plate though he
did have some problems defensively with two errant throws. He hit a
two-run homer off Esteban Loaiza in the third, then batted twice in
a seven-run fifth that broke the game open.
Lopez led off with a walk and came around to score, then drove
in the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. The Braves
sent 12 players to the plate against three Los Angeles pitchers.
Buddy Carlyle picked up the win for Atlanta with two perfect
innings.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement