New York Yankees (0-1) @ Houston Astros (1-0)
The Astros won their second consecutive season opener last night in a 6-2 win over New York. The Astros were 1-5 against New York last season, winning the first game of the season series and dropping the next five including three losses to end the season.
Opposing pitcher: Hiroki Kuroda
*6'1" 205lb RHP, 39 years old.
*His father, Kazuhiro Kuroda, was a professional player for the Nankai Hawks, while his mother was an Olympian at the 1964 Olympics in shot put. .
*Kuroda finished 2013 with a 3.31 ERA/1.16 WHIP, allowing just 191 hits in 201.1IP with 150K:43BB. His 1.92 BB/9 rate was 8th-best among pitchers who threw 200+ IP in 2013. 3.8 WAR last season.
*Kuroda is basically the picture of consistency in terms of IPs, H/9, BB/9, K/9 and ERA+.
*In 2013, he threw his 91.5mph sinker 41.1% of the time, with an 84mph slider 29% of the time, and an 86.4mph four-seam 17.7%.
*Kuroda pitched against the Astros once last season - on April 30 - and threw 7IP, 4H/0ER, 8K:4BB, tying a season-high for strikeouts and walks.
*Dexter Fowler has faced Kuroda 22 times, going 4x21 with a triple, two strikeouts and a walk. Jose Altuve and Jason Castro are a career 2x6 against Kuroda.
*Jarred Cosart gets the nod for the Astros.
*His middle name is Lynn.
*Cosart has never faced the Yankees before, but Jacoby Ellsbury (three PAs) and Kelly Johnson (one PA) are hitless against him in their careers.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
