New York Yankees: Will Hiroki Kuroda Break Under High-Pressure NY Stage?

The New York Yankees are scheduled to play their home opener today at 1:05 p.m. Is newly-acquired starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda prepared for the high-stress, microscopic pressure in the Bronx? Will he break and fold, or will he dominate?

Kuroda is aware of the intense scrutiny that he will experience from the fans and the media. In his case, the media attention will be increased to include journalists and reporters from Japan.

All eyes will be on him when he walks up to the mound, and he has no illusions that the fans will be unforgiving if he fails. Right or wrong, that's New York.

Speaking to the media through an interpreter, Kuroda said, "Rather than being excited, I'm more worried about how I'm going to perform. Since I've never pitched at Yankee Stadium, I'm a little bit preoccupied. But I try to do my best and have the best outing possible."

Kuroda's record so far isn't spectacular, but the entire team didn't start out well this year after losing their first three games.

In the one regular-season game that he has pitched so far, he pitched 5.2 innings giving up eight hits, one home run and two strikeouts with a 6.35 ERA.

With a tough time on the mound during his first outing, questions rose in the minds of the fans and the media wondering whether or not he'll be able to live up to the high expectations in New York.

Kuroda is no stranger to high-stress and high-pressure situations. He managed to transition well from Japan's Hiroshima Carp to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.

The Yankees were interested in him for years because of his ability to perform under high pressure.

What it really comes down to is that we won't know how he will handle and respond to the pressure until we see him perform in that situation. We'll see that today.

Kuroda may experience some nerves and jitters today since it will be his first time on the mound in pinstripes in Yankee Stadium. He may hit a few bumps in his first outing, but overall, I think that he'll do well throughout the season.

The New York stage is stressful, but Kuroda is an experienced and seasoned veteran.