Hideo Nomo, baseball player, 1995-2008

Hideo Nomo

Born: 8/31/1968 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan

MLB Debut: 1995-05-02 | Final Game: 2008-04-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 210 lbs

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Biography

Hideo Nomo was a pioneering Japanese pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1995 to 2008. Born in 1968, Nomo became the first Japanese player to establish a foothold in the MLB following the integration of international talent into the league. His unique pitching style, characterized by a distinctive wind-up and impressive velocity, captivated fans and earned him a place in baseball history. Nomo's career record stood at 123-109, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.24 and a total of 1,918 strikeouts, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound. Throughout his career, Nomo achieved several notable accolades, including being named the Rookie of the Year and the TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He was also selected as an All-Star once, underscoring his status as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Nomo's contributions extended beyond his statistics, as he played a key role in bridging the gap between American and Japanese baseball, inspiring a new generation of players from Japan to pursue careers in the MLB. His legacy is evident in the continued success of Japanese players in the league and the increased global interest in baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
123 109 323 318 16 9 0 1976.3 1768 932 251 908 1918 4.24 0

Career ERA 4.24 vs. league average 4.46 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1995 LAD NL 13 6 28 28 4 3 0 191.3 124 54 78 236 2.54 4.45 (+43%) -
1996 LAD NL 16 11 33 33 3 2 0 228.3 180 81 85 234 3.19 4.61 (+31%) -
1997 LAD NL 14 12 33 33 1 0 0 207.3 193 98 92 233 4.25 4.39 (+3%) -
1998 LAD NL 2 7 12 12 2 0 0 67.7 57 38 38 73 5.05 4.43 (-14%) -
1998 NYN NL 4 5 17 16 1 0 0 89.7 73 48 56 94 4.82 4.43 (-9%) -257.3
1999 MIL NL 12 8 28 28 0 0 0 176.3 173 89 78 161 4.54 4.71 (+4%) 146.0
2000 DET AL 8 12 32 31 1 0 0 190.0 191 100 89 181 4.74 4.77 (+1%) -163.1
2001 BOS AL 13 10 33 33 2 2 0 198.0 171 99 96 220 4.50 4.42 (-2%) 1975.9
2002 LAD NL 16 6 34 34 0 0 0 220.3 189 83 101 193 3.39 4.28 (+21%) -
2003 LAD NL 16 13 33 33 2 2 0 218.3 175 75 98 177 3.09 4.40 (+30%) -
2004 LAD NL 4 11 18 18 0 0 0 84.0 105 77 42 54 8.25 4.46 (-85%) -
2005 TBR AL 5 8 19 19 0 0 0 100.7 127 81 51 59 7.24 4.29 (-69%) -
2008 KCR AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.3 10 9 4 3 18.69 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
324 485 22 65 14 1 4 26 0 13 222 0.134 0.156 0.192 0.348 -3847.8

Career AVG .134 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 49.7% below league average.

Career OBP .156 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 53.5% below league average.

Career SLG .192 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 54.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.348 vs. league average 0.760 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1995 LAD NL 28 66 2 6 0 0 0 4 0 0 33 0.091 .266 (-66%) .337 (-73%) .417 (-78%) .755 (-76%) -884.8
1996 LAD NL 33 75 1 10 4 0 0 3 0 2 38 0.133 .269 (-51%) .340 (-54%) .426 (-56%) .767 (-55%) -750.0
1997 LAD NL 33 69 3 11 5 0 0 2 0 1 32 0.159 .266 (-40%) .336 (-49%) .419 (-45%) .756 (-47%) -579.9
1998 LAD NL 12 20 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 6 0.050 — — — — 0.0
1998 NYN NL 17 30 3 8 0 0 0 3 0 1 11 0.267 — — — — 0.0
1999 MIL NL 29 56 3 12 2 1 0 5 0 1 22 0.214 .271 (-21%) .344 (-34%) .433 (-34%) .778 (-34%) -352.0
2000 DET AL 32 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2001 BOS AL 33 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
2002 LAD NL 34 63 3 4 2 0 1 3 0 5 32 0.063 .261 (-76%) .331 (-60%) .416 (-66%) .747 (-63%) -707.1
2003 LAD NL 33 65 4 9 1 0 1 3 0 3 25 0.138 .264 (-48%) .332 (-47%) .422 (-53%) .754 (-50%) -574.1
2004 LAD NL 18 26 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 17 0.115 — — — — 0.0
2005 TBR AL 19 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2008 KCR AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1996 NLDS1 LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1995 NLDS2 LAN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 2 2 0 8.7 12 10 7 9 10.38

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1996 NLDS1 LAN 0 1 1 1 0 3.7 5 5 5 3 12.27
1995 NLDS2 LAN 0 1 1 1 0 5.0 7 5 2 6 9.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 323 318 115 180 13 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1995 LAN P 28 28 6 12 3 2
1996 LAN P 33 33 12 22 1 0
1997 LAN P 33 33 16 8 2 2
1998 LAN P 12 12 6 2 0 0
1998 NYN P 17 16 4 12 0 0
1999 MIL P 28 28 11 11 0 3
2000 DET P 32 31 12 16 1 1
2001 BOS P 33 33 17 18 1 2
2002 LAN P 34 34 10 21 4 2
2003 LAN P 33 33 14 28 1 4
2004 LAN P 18 18 5 14 0 1
2005 TBA P 19 19 2 16 0 0
2008 KCA P 3 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 323

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2001 Player of the Week Week of 2001-04-07
1996 Pitcher of the Month September
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-04-13
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-09-21
1995 Pitcher of the Month June
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-06-24
1995 Rookie of the Year
1995 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2005 TBA AL $800,000
2004 LAN NL $9,000,000
2003 LAN NL $7,750,000
2002 LAN NL $4,500,000
2001 BOS AL $4,500,000
2000 DET AL $1,000,000
1999 MIL NL $250,000
1998 LAN NL $2,800,000
1997 LAN NL $900,000
1996 LAN NL $600,000
1995 LAN NL $2,109,000
Total Career Earnings $34,209,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1996 Cy Young Award NL 4th 5.0 140 0
1995 Cy Young Award NL 4th 29.0 140 0
1995 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 118.0 140 18