ARLINGTON, Texas (AFP) – New York Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda hurled seven shutout innings Thursday to collect his 10th triumph of the Major League Baseball season, a 2-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.
It was the third time in the 38-year-old Japanese ace’s past four outings that he did not allow a run to his opponents. He surrendered only six hits — all singles — and improved to 10-6 for the season over 21 starts.
Kuroda, who blanked Baltimore for seven innings and Minnesota for five earlier this month, has a 2.51 earned-run average over 132 2/3 innings, with 91 strikeouts against just 26 walks.
After completing 10 seasons for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Japan League, Kuroda joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and spent four seasons there before joining the Yankees last year, when he went 16-11, his best season since making the jump to North America.
Panamanian relief ace Mariano Rivera entered in the ninth and recorded his 33rd save of the season for the Yankees, who improved to 54-48 as they fight to improve upon fourth place in the American League East division.
Yankees catcher Austin Romine doubled and scored on a Brent Lillibridge double in the sixth and Robinson Cano scored from third base in the eighth inning when Eduardo Nunez reached first to beat out a double play attempt.
Photo Credit: AFP/ Layne Murdoch
