Hideo Nomo

Hideo Nomo (野茂 英雄, Nomo Hideo?, born August 31, 1968 in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan) is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994. He then exploited a loophole to free himself from his Japanese contract and became the first Japanese-born Japanese major leaguer to permanently relocate to Major League Baseball in the United States. His successful debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 is often credited with paving the road for the subsequent "wave" of Japanese players entering Major League Baseball.

Nomo pitched over the span of 13 seasons in the American major leagues with 8 different teams, before retiring in 2008. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He twice led the league in strikeouts and also threw two no-hitters (to date the only Japanese pitcher to throw even one). He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Read more about Hideo Nomo:  Success in Japan, Moving To The Major Leagues, Accomplishments, In Popular Culture

Famous quotes containing the word hideo:

    I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.
    Larry Forrester, U.S. screenwriter, Hideo Oguni, and Ryuzo Kikushima. Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku. Admiral Yamamoto (Soh Yamamura)