Hideo Nomo

Hideo Nomo is a retired professional baseball pitcher who gained notoriety in the NPB and the MLB. Originally from Japan, Nomo started his professional career in 1990 with the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, where he experienced initial success in his rookie season where he won the Rookie of the Year, the MVP, and the Eiji Sawamura award after posting an 18-8 record while striking out 287 batters. His next four seasons in Japan would be extremely successful, and he was scouted by multiple MLB teams. In February of 1995, Nomo came to the MLB by signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he would remain with the team until 1998. In his rookie season, Nomo was voted the NL Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star after becoming the strikeout champion. After his initial success in 1995, Nomo would bounce around the MLB, appearing with eight teams in his 13 year career before retiring in 2008. In 2014, Nomo was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the youngest player ever elected in Japanese history.