L.A. Times: By remaining with Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda stayed true to himself

Another look into the mindset of ballplayers from the other side of the Pacific (or at least one of those countries from the other side of the Pacific):

Kuroda said he heard that Larry Bowa, the Dodgers’ former third base coach, said on MLB Network that any player who refused to be traded from a noncontender to a contender should have his mental makeup questioned. (Bowa said in a telephone interview Thursday that his comments were directed at U.S.-born players, adding that he is aware Kuroda has different values.)

Kuroda said he agrees that an athlete’s ultimate goal should be to win, and he understands how Americans might interpret his decision to stay with the Dodgers as an indication that baseball isn’t his top priority. But he said that if anything, he made the decision because of how important baseball is to him. He said he feared that he could change as a person if he changed the course of his baseball career.

Bowa’s explanation helps avert an international incident.