BOSTON, Massachusetts: Japanese ace Hiroki Kuroda held Boston to just five hits as the New York Yankees snapped a three-game losing skid by beating the rival Red Sox 5-2 yesterday.
Kuroda got credit for the victory as he took a shutout into the seventh inning before leaving the Major League Baseball game.
He improved to nine wins and six losses on the season, as New York scored three times in the top of the seventh to break open a tight contest.
“He had everything today,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “His stuff was really crisp. He kept his pitch count down in the early innings.”
Yesterday’s win helped New York avenge a 4-2 loss in Friday’s opener of the three-game series against the Red Sox.
Kuroda got out of a jam in the Red Sox’s half of the fifth after surrendering back-to-back singles to begin the inning.
He recovered to get out the next two batters, then got the third out when Boston’s Mike Carp made an unsuccessful attempt to score from third on a pitch that initially got away from Yankee catcher Chris Stewart.
Kuroda got plenty of help from the Yankee batters who pounded out 12 hits, with Brett Gardner and Lyle Overbay collecting three hits each. AFP
