Hideo Nomo

At 56 years old, Hideo Nomo has this physical status:

Hideo Nomo (born in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan) is a retired Japanese baseball pitcher who competed in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB).

He made a name for himself in his home country, where he competed with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994.

He then exploited a loophole to free himself from his deal and became the first Japanese major leaguer to permanently relocate to MLB in the United States, debuting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995.

Nomo was often credited with opening the door for Japanese players in MLB, despite being the first Japanese player to play baseball in the United States, before retiring in 2008.

He won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 1995 and was named a MLB All-Star.

He was a force in strikeouts and was also a pitcher for two no-hitters in MLB.

He was the only Japanese pitcher in MLB to throw a no-hitter until Hewakuma's Hisashi Iwakuma did so against the Baltimore Orioles on August 12, 2015.

Nomo was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, winning the Nomo Award.

He now lives in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Nomo was born in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan, into the Shizuo family, a fisherman and postal worker, and Kayoko, a part-time supermarket employee. Nomo was shy and withdrawn as a youth, but he was ardent about baseball. He created his corkscrew-style pitching motion in order to please his father while still playing catch. He believed that switching from being his back turned to his target would help him with his pitches.

Nomo graduated from Seijo Industrial High School in Osaka, where he soared to 188 centimetres (6 ft 2 in) and 91 kilograms (201 lb). However, he was not selected in the Nippon Professional Baseball draft due to issues with his control. Rather, in 1988, Nomo joined Shin-Nittetsu Sakai, an Industrial League squad representing Nippon Steel's Sakai, Osaka's branch. Nomo slept with a tennis ball taped between his fingers during this time in order to perfect his forkball grip.

Source

Career in Major League Baseball

The tornado that baffled batters in Japan had the same effect on major league hitters, and he led the league in strikeouts in 1995 (while finishing second in walks) and was second in second with a 2.54 ERA. Sandy Koufax's single-season franchise record of 10.546 in 1962 was beaten by 11.101 batters per 9 innings. He also started the All-Star Game that year, knocking out three of the six batters he faced. In that game, he led out 93 mph. Nomo was named NL Rookie of the Year for the first year over future MVP Chipper Jones. In 1996, Nomo recorded another fine season, with a no-hitter to be thrown in the worst of situations, Denver's Coors Field, a park that has long been known as a hitter's park due to its high elevation, semi-arid climate, and a lack of foul territory. Josh Beckett was the only one in Coors Field, and he was the last Dodger to throw a no-hitter until Josh Beckett completed one on May 25, 2014.

In America, Nomo also found success in the workplace. The Air Max Nomo, Nike's most popular sneaker, was released in 1996. In addition, he appeared in a Segata Sanshiro commercial for the Sega Saturn in 1997.

His fame faded a little in 1997, but he did go 14–12, leaving Dwight Gooden as the only other pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in each of his first three seasons.

In 1998, Nomo pitched poorly, beginning the season 2–7 and then being traded to the New York Mets. His results didn't improve and was decommissioned that season. In 1999, he signed with the Chicago Cubs and made three appearances with them in the Triple-A minor leagues before refusing to make more progress in the minor leagues and the Milwaukee Brewers, where he went 12–8 with a 4.54 ERA. In 1999, he reached his first strikeout record in major league history, beating the third fastest player in history. He was refused by the Brewers due to labour issues, but the Philadelphia Phillies charged him, and the Philadelphia Phillies later gave him a free agency only 24 hours later, despite more contract issues. He was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 2000 and was released after going 8–12 for a 4.74 ERA.

Nomo signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2001 and began the season in a spectacular fashion on April 4, against the Baltimore Orioles, walking three and striking out 11. This no-hitter was the first in the 10-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, making Nomo the first Red Sox to pitch a no-hitter since Dave Morehead in 1965. In both leagues, the Nomo was also the fourth player in baseball to have thrown a no-hitter (joining Cy Young, Jim Bunning, and Nolan Ryan). After throwing a flawless game in 2004, Randy Johnson will rejoin them as the fifth player. It's the first time a Major League Baseball no-hitter has been pitched, calendar-wise. For the first time since his first season in MLB, Nomo led the league in strikeouts for the first time.

Nomo, a free agent after the year's, was traded to the Dodgers in 2002. He had his best season since 1996, with a 16–6 record, 193 strikeouts, and a 3.39 ERA. He had another good year in 2013--13, with 177 K and a 3.09 ERA. He began to complain of injury and exhaustion in September 2003, but not before.

In 2004, Nomo began to fail again. After suffering shoulder surgery in October 2003, he was banned after going 4–11 with an 8.25 ERA for the Dodgers (the worst ERA for a player with at least 15 decisions in a season).

He signed a $800,000 deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the start of spring training for 2005. If Nomo started 20 games, the agreement also included a $700,000 reward that kicked in. The clause was reportedly included because the Devil Rays' upper management was uncertain if Nomo had fully recovered from his injury. He was released on July 25 after a rough start in which he had a 7.24 ERA. Coincidentally or not, this was two days before he was scheduled to begin his twentieth major league career. Nomo was picked up off waivers by the New York Yankees, who subsequently committed him to a minor league deal, but he never remembered him. During spring training in 2006, Nomo signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox to compete for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the International League, but the White Sox cut him on June 7 of that year.

Nomo signed with the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League in 2007, under the guidance of Carlos Hernández, his former catcher. His involvement in the Venezuelan league was seen as the first step toward a potential Major League comeback. He made his debut against Tiburones de La Guaira on October 20, 2007. Nomo pitched one inning, allowing one hit and no runs.

Nomo signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals on January 4, 2008. If you were added to the roster, Nomo would have been offered a $600,000 one-year contract and the opportunity to receive $100,000 in performance compensation. On April 5, the Royals acquired his contract and was added to the 25-man roster. Nomo made his first major league appearance since 2005 on April 10. In relief, he met the New York Yankees. When the Yankees were up 4–1, he was brought to start the seventh inning of a game. Nomo loaded the bases, but Hideki Matsui, his native countryman, was able to strand all three runners. However, in the ninth inning, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada surrendered back-to-back homers to him. Nomo had been chosen for assignment on April 20, Nomo was scheduled for assignment. On April 29, 2008, the Royals announced him on April 29, 2008. Nomo officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on July 17, 2008.

Post playing career

The San Diego Padres recruited Nomo as Advisor for Baseball Operations prior to the 2016 season to help the club with player growth and international visibility. David Bednar has claimed that he learned his split-finger from Nomo.

Source