Hideo Nomo

Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who became the first Japanese-born player to establish a career in Major League Baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers: A Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. Nomo made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 1995 and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Tornado kick: A dramatic windup in which a pitcher turns his back toward home plate and raises his front leg high. Nomo’s twisting windup earned this nickname and made his delivery immediately recognizable.
1995 Major League Baseball season: The 1995 season of Major League Baseball, shortened by the 1994–95 players’ strike. Nomo’s MLB debut and rookie success made him one of the season’s defining stories.
Posting system: A process that allows a Japanese professional baseball team to negotiate with MLB clubs over a player’s transfer. Nomo’s departure helped expose the tensions that later prompted formal transfer rules.
Kintetsu Buffaloes: A former Japanese professional baseball team that competed in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. Nomo began his Japanese professional career with the Buffaloes in 1990.
Split-finger fastball: A pitch thrown with the index and middle fingers spread around the ball, often dropping sharply near the plate. Nomo used the splitter to complement his fastball and produce swings over pitches below the strike zone.
1995 National League Rookie of the Year Award: The award given to the National League’s top first-year player in the 1995 MLB season. Nomo won the award after an outstanding first season with Los Angeles.
Japanese players in Major League Baseball: The history of baseball players born in Japan who have competed in Major League Baseball. Nomo’s success became a precedent for the larger movement of Japanese talent to MLB.
Ichiro Suzuki: A Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who became a star in Major League Baseball. Ichiro’s MLB career followed the path Nomo helped open for Japanese players.
Four-seam fastball: A fastball grip that produces relatively straight movement and high velocity. Nomo’s fastball gave his splitter a contrasting high-speed target.

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Sadaharu OhRelated: His overseas career contrasts with Oh’s achievements centered in Japanese baseball.