Hideo Nomo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hideo Nomo 野茂 英雄
Nomo with the Columbus Clippers in 2005
Pitcher
Born: (1968-08-31) 31 August 1968 (age 56) Osaka, Japan
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
NPB: April 10, 1990, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
MLB: May 2, 1995, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last appearance
NPB: 1994, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
MLB: April 18, 2008, for the Kansas City Royals
NPB statistics
Win–loss record	78–46
Earned run average	3.15
Strikeouts	1,204
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	123–109
Earned run average	4.24
Strikeouts	1,918
Teams
Kintetsu Buffaloes (1990–1994) Los Angeles Dodgers (1995–1998) New York Mets (1998) Milwaukee Brewers (1999) Detroit Tigers (2000) Boston Red Sox (2001) Los Angeles Dodgers (2002–2004) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005) Kansas City Royals (2008)
Career highlights and awards
NPB 5× NPB All-Star (1990-1994) Pacific League MVP (1990) Eiji Sawamura Award (1990) Triple Crown (1990) Pacific League Rookie of the Year (1990) Best Nine Award (1990) MLB All-Star (1995) NL Rookie of the Year (1995) 2× Strikeout leader (1995, 2001) Pitched two career no-hitters (1996, 2001)
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2014
Medals Men's baseball Representing  Japan Olympic Games Silver 1988 Seoul Team Asian Baseball Championship Gold 1989 Seoul Team Intercontinental Cup Silver 1989 San Juan Team

Hideo Nomo (born August 31, 1968) is a famous Japanese former baseball pitcher. He played in both Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan and Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.

Nomo first became a star in Japan, playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994. He then found a way to leave his contract and became the first Japanese baseball player to move to MLB permanently. He joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. Many people say Nomo helped open the door for other Japanese players to join MLB because he was such a big star.

Nomo pitched for 13 seasons in the American major leagues. He played for eight different teams before he retired in 2008. In 1995, he won the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League. He was also chosen as an MLB All-Star. Nomo led MLB in strikeouts twice and threw two no-hitters. One of his no-hitters was the first ever at Coors Field, which is a very hard ballpark to pitch in.

Nomo was well-known for his special "tornado" pitching style. In 2014, Nomo was added to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Baseball Start

Nomo was born in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan. His father was a fisherman and postal worker, and his mother worked part-time at a supermarket. As a child, Nomo was quiet but loved baseball very much.

He started playing softball when he was 8 years old. Three years later, he switched to baseball. Nomo created his unique corkscrew pitching motion to impress his father. He thought turning his back to the batter would help him throw the ball faster.

Nomo finished high school in Osaka. He was about 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 200 pounds. However, he was not chosen in the Nippon Professional Baseball draft because he sometimes struggled with throwing accurately. In 1988, Nomo joined an industrial league team called Shin-Nittetsu Sakai. While playing there, he worked hard to improve his forkball pitch.

Professional Baseball Journey

Nomo improved his forkball and his control while playing in the Industrial League. He also played for the Japanese baseball team at the 1988 Summer Olympics, where they won a silver medal.

Playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes

The Kintetsu Buffaloes team in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) chose Nomo in 1989. He started playing for them in 1990 and was an instant success. He won 18 games and lost 8, and he struck out an amazing 287 batters in 235 innings.

His high number of strikeouts was due to his unusual pitching style. He would turn his back to the batter, lift his leg, and pause before throwing. This made his pitches faster and harder for batters to see. This unique style earned him the nickname "Tornado." Nomo also won the Triple Crown that year, which means he led the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

For his first four seasons, Nomo was one of the best pitchers in Japanese baseball. He won 17 or 18 games each year. In 1994, his fifth season, he had a shoulder injury and only won eight games. Nomo's forkball became famous for being very hard for both hitters and catchers to predict.

Nomo became one of the most popular baseball players in Japan. But after the 1994 season, he had a disagreement with his team about his contract. The Buffaloes did not want him to have an agent or a multi-year contract. Nomo's agent, Don Nomura, found a special rule in the Japanese player contract. This rule allowed a player who retired to play for any team they wanted after coming back to active status. This rule helped Nomo move to the U.S. In February 1995, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him.

Joining the Los Angeles Dodgers

Nomo made his first U.S. professional baseball appearance with the Bakersfield Blaze on April 27, 1995. On May 2, he became the first Japanese-born Major Leaguer to play in a game since Masanori Murakami in 1965. Nomo was also the first Japanese-born player to move permanently to the American major leagues. Murakami had only played two seasons before returning to Japan.

There was a lot of pressure on Nomo. Japanese media and fans came in large numbers to watch his games. Nomo's games were often shown live in Japan, even though it was early morning there.

Nomo's "tornado" pitching style confused batters in the major leagues just like it did in Japan. In 1995, he led the league in strikeouts and had a great 2.54 ERA. He struck out more than 11 batters per 9 innings, breaking a Dodgers team record. He also started the All-Star Game that year, striking out three batters. Nomo was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

Nomo had another excellent season in 1996. On September 17, he threw a no-hitter in Denver's Coors Field. This was a very surprising place for a no-hitter because Coors Field is known for being easy for hitters due to its high elevation. Nomo's no-hitter is still the only one ever thrown at Coors Field.

In 1997, batters started to understand his pitching style better, and his performance dropped a little. However, he still won 14 games and struck out at least 200 batters for his third season in a row. Only one other pitcher, Dwight Gooden, had done that before.

Moving Between Teams (1998–2000)

Nomo did not pitch well in 1998. He started the season with only 2 wins and 7 losses. He was then traded to the New York Mets. His performance did not get better, and the Mets released him that season.

In 1999, he signed with the Chicago Cubs and played three games for their minor league team. He then joined the Milwaukee Brewers, where he won 12 games and lost 8. He reached 1,000 strikeouts in 1999, becoming the third fastest pitcher in major league history to do so. After some contract issues, the Brewers let him go. He was briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies before signing with the Detroit Tigers in 2000. He won 8 games and lost 12 with the Tigers before being released again.

Return to Form and Second No-Hitter (2001–2003)

Nomo signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2001. He started the season in an amazing way by throwing his second no-hitter in his first game with the Red Sox. This happened on April 4 against the Baltimore Orioles. He walked three batters and struck out 11. This no-hitter was the first in the 10-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Nomo also became the first Red Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter since 1965.

Nomo also made history by becoming only the fourth player to throw a no-hitter in both the American League and the National League. The others were Cy Young, Jim Bunning, and Nolan Ryan. Randy Johnson later joined this group in 2004. Nomo also led the league in strikeouts again in 2001.

After the year ended, Nomo became a free agent and returned to the Dodgers in 2002. He had his best season since 1996, winning 16 games and striking out 193 batters. His ERA was 3.39. The next year, 2003, was also strong for him. He won 16 games and had 177 strikeouts. However, in September 2003, he started to show signs of injury and tiredness.

Later Career and Retirement (2004–2008)

Nomo pitching for Tampa Bay in 2005

Nomo began to struggle again in 2004. He had shoulder surgery in October 2003. After returning, he won only 4 games and lost 11 for the Dodgers. His ERA was very high at 8.25.

Before the 2005 season, he signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had a poor start with them and was released on July 25. Two days later, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league contract, but he never played for their main team. In 2006, the Chicago White Sox signed him to a minor league contract, but they released him in June.

In 2007, Nomo played for the Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League. This was seen as a step towards possibly returning to Major League Baseball. He made his debut on October 20, 2007, pitching one inning without giving up any runs.

On January 4, 2008, Nomo signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. On April 5, he was added to the Royals' main team. On April 10, Nomo played in his first major league game since 2005. He pitched in relief against the New York Yankees. On April 20, Nomo was removed from the team, and the Royals released him on April 29. On July 17, 2008, Nomo officially retired from Major League Baseball.

Nomo won 123 games in the Major Leagues and 78 games in Japan. He reached his 200th overall win on June 15, 2005. Nomo's success helped inspire other Japanese stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui to come play in the United States. He is also one of only five players to pitch at least one no-hitter in both the National League and American League. He has thrown the only no-hitters at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and at Coors Field.

After Playing Baseball

Nomo was chosen for the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. He was one of only three players to be selected in their first year of being eligible. At that time, he was also the youngest player ever chosen for that Hall of Fame.

Before the 2016 season, the San Diego Padres hired Nomo as an Advisor for Baseball Operations. His job was to help the team develop players and grow their international connections.

Nomo's Unique Pitching Style

Nomo threw a fastball that could reach up to 95 miles per hour. His main other pitch was a forkball. He threw with an overhand motion.

Nomo was famous for his special pitching windup, which was called "The Tornado." He would slowly raise his arms high above his head. Then, he would lift his front leg and twist his body until his back faced home plate. After that, he would quickly throw the ball towards the plate. He used the same arm speed for all his pitches, which made it hard for batters to guess what was coming.

See also

In Spanish: Hideo Nomo para niños