Japanese · Osaka, Japan · Born 31 August 1968Hideo Nomo, nicknamed the Tornado, was the first Japanese-born player to become a permanent MLB star, pitching two no-hitters and paving the way for Japanese players in the majors.
Hideo Nomo won NL Rookie of the Year in 1995, threw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues — including one at hitter-friendly Coors Field — and became the first Japanese-born player to permanently relocate to MLB, opening a door through which Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and a generation of Japanese players would follow. After winning a silver medal with Japan's national team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he turned professional with the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1990, where his unusual corkscrew windup and signature forkball made him one of the league's most dominant pitchers, winning 78 games over five seasons. After a contract dispute with Kintetsu's management following the 1994 season, Nomo exploited a loophole in his NPB contract to become a free agent and sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, becoming the first Japanese-born player to permanently relocate to Major League Baseball. Nomo's rookie season was a sensation: he led the National League in strikeouts, was voted an All-Star starter, and won NL Rookie of the Year, drawing huge crowds of Japanese and Japanese-American fans wherever he pitched — a phenomenon dubbed "Nomomania." His MLB breakthrough is widely credited with opening the door for the wave of Japanese players, including Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui, who followed him to the major leagues over the following decade. On September 17, 1996, Nomo pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies at hitter-friendly Coors Field, a feat no other pitcher has repeated there. He threw a second no-hitter on April 4, 2001, against the Baltimore Orioles while with the Boston Red Sox, making him just the fourth pitcher in MLB history — after Cy Young, Jim Bunning, and Nolan Ryan — to throw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues. Nomo pitched for eight different MLB teams across 13 seasons, twice returning to the Dodgers, before retiring in 2008 with 123 MLB wins and 1,918 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
First Japanese-born player to become a permanent MLB star; two career no-hitters
How They Played
Right-handed pitcher known for a corkscrew windup and a devastating forkball
Lasting Impact
Opened the pathway for Japanese players to MLB, inspiring the generation that followed including Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui
Career Honours
- NL Rookie of the Year (1995)
- 2x MLB All-Star
- 2x no-hitter pitcher (NL & AL)
- 2x NPB/MLB strikeouts leader
- Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (2014)
| Team | Period | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Kintetsu Buffaloes | 1990–1994 | — |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 1995–1998 | — |
| New York Mets | 1998–1998 | — |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1999–1999 | — |
| Detroit Tigers | 2000–2000 | — |
| Boston Red Sox | 2001–2001 | — |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2002–2004 | — |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 2005–2005 | — |
| Kansas City Royals | 2008–2008 | — |
Japanese Athletes