MLB Pitching mounds vs Japan Pitching mounds

The New York Times has a fascinating article on Hiroki Kuroda and how the mounds are a bit different in the MLB than in Japan.

From New York Times:

The mounds in Japan are the same size as those in the majors, 18 feet around and 10 inches high. But in Japan they are made of a softer, more powdery dirt that allows pitchers to dig in more easily and provides less resistance when a pitcher drags his foot.

The difference is not a problem for most pitchers. But for Kuroda, a right-hander who drags his right foot more than most pitchers, the harder ground caused friction that led to painful blisters on the top of his foot.

“It was never a problem in Japan like it has been here,” Kuroda said through an interpreter. “I knew the mound would be harder here, but it has been much harder than I thought. It surprised me. The skin peeled off.”

Mitch Poole to the rescue!

Kuroda asked SSK, the company that makes his cleats, to add additional protection to the inside of his right shoe. And he had Mitch Poole, the Dodgers’ equipment manager, place a permanent seal on additional padding that was added to the outside of the cleat. By spring training, he said, the protection was sufficient.