Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Kuroda Skipping Next Start

Shee-ooot, if I got hit in the head with a 100-mph baseball, damn skippy I'm going to miss a day of work. But Hiroki Kuroda, the warrior, is still fighting his way back from injury and progressing at a fast pace:

LOS ANGELES -- Although right-hander Hiroki Kuroda will miss his next scheduled start for the Los Angeles Dodgers while recovering from a mild concussion, the club is encouraged by his early progress on the way back to the mound.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre and trainer Stan Conte seemed quite optimistic about Kuroda's prospects for a quick, full recovery just two days after Rusty Ryal's line drive hit him in the head during the sixth inning of a game in Arizona. The 34-year-old Japanese pitcher participated in a range of tests Monday after the club returned to Dodger Stadium.

"The greatest gift for me is that smile on his face," Torre said. "He feels a lot better than we expected him to. I think it's remarkable where he is right now. It's wonderful."

For those of you keeping score on Joe Torre, this moves Bigelow Green Tea down to #2 on the list, below Kuroda's smile. Let's hope Kuroda's wife Masayo, whom Jim Peltz reported in a great piece yesterday had thought Hiroki had died, doesn't get jealous.

But back to the story. Adds Dylan Hernandez of the LATimes:

Kuroda underwent an exam that tests brain function, and it showed he had a mild concussion.

"A lot of his reaction times were normal," Conte said. "It was a very good indicator for us that things weren't really bad."

Kuroda also rode a stationary bicycle and his symptoms didn't worsen when his heart rate increased, something else Conte took as a sign of progress. Kuroda will undergo more tests today.

If I ever get hit in the head with a comebacker, I don't know how they'd test my recovery. Speed collating papers from the copier's stacker tray? Witty sarcastic comments per hour? Blogposts per week?

Crap, I hope it's not the latter.

Get well soon, Hiroki!

2 comments:

Fred's Brim said...

Isn't "Rusty Ryal" a Beastie Boys tune?

and I miss you already Kokimon - cant wait to see you back!

Nostradamus said...

Not to be confused with the bum on my stoop.