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Serving As Your Voice of the Nikkei Community Since 1902
Vol. 63, Issue 17 / April 16, 2008
Japan Into America 3
"Pioneer" Hideo Nomo Brings Changes in U.S.-Japan Professional Baseball
By Shihou Sasaki
The North American Post
In 1995, Ichiro Suzuki was just a 21-year-old Orix Blue Wave star in Japan winning his second Most Valuable Player Award with leading five batting categories. It was just a year after he made his first 200 hits in a season, breaking a Japanese record.
Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima was in his rookie year in Japan just after graduating from high school. Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was a Japanese junior high school student, who watched the Major League Baseball on television and started dreaming of pitching in the big leagues.
Hideo Nomo, a Royals pitcher, has played in MLB for 13 years.
Photo courtesy of the Mainichi Shinbun
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In 1995, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo was showing his "Tornado-style" pitch in the states after his outstanding seasons in Japan; winning Most Valuable Player in 1990, the best pitcher award in 1990 and recording the most wins in 1990 through 1993 and most strikeouts in the same seasons.
In 1995, his contract with the Dodgers was only $110,000 a year, compared to the Boston Red Sox's over a $100-million for Matsuzaka in 2006 or outfielder Kosuke Fukudome's four-year-$48-million contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2007.
But the excitement in 1995 by Japanese baseball fans was bigger than these two high-money contracts. It could be more exciting for them than Ichiro's Mariners debut in 2001 or even his record-breaking-258 hits in 2004.
Hajime Watabe, a former sports columnist for The North American Post Japanese edition, has still fresh memory of Nomo's debut in MLB. Watabe has played competitive baseball in high school and college in Japan.
"I still remember the first time he pitched for the Dodgers," he wrote his memory in The North American Post's December 16, 2006, issue. "He wore a sky blue jersey and threw forkballs to bewildered MLB players. At the time, I did not think that Japanese baseball players could compete in the Major League level."
In 2008, Nomo wears a Kansas City Royals uniform as he plays for his seventh team in the big leagues and also changed his role from starter to reliever. He pitched at SafeCo Field yesterday against the Mariners including Ichiro.
Though having a strikeout from Ichiro, Nomo allowed three hits and three runs in an enning.
Nomo was called up on Apr. 5 from the minor league and threw on Apr. 10 against the New York Yankees including outfielder Hideki Matsui. It was his first pitch in the last 1,000 days in the big leagues. According to the record, Ichiro hit his first career homerun from Nomo in 1993 and has eight hits at 26 bats against him.
Nomo is not actually the first Japanese MLB player, but Masanori Murakami, who pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and 1965, was the first Japanese in the big leagues.
As a "pioneer," Nomo opened a door for other Japanese professional baseball players coming to the MLB with his success. He won the Rookie Award in 1995 after having a 13-6 record with a 2.56 ERA. He recorded 123 wins in the big leagues adding to his 78 wins in Japan. He has also thrown a no-hitter in both leagues with the Dodgers and the Red Sox.
After him, over 30 Japanese baseball players have crossed the Pacific Ocean to play in the big leagues including Ichiro, Johjima, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Masao Kida of the Mariners.
In the 2008 season opener, 16 Japanese players were selected to the 25-man roster of teams, which was the fourth most players from outside of the United States; following 88 of Dominican Republic, 52 of Venezuela and 29 of Puerto Rico.
Fukudome of the Cubs, Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers, Masahide Kobayashi of the Cleveland Indians and Kazuo Fukumori of the Texas Rangers are MLB newcomers while several other players could not make it in the season opener including Masumi Kuwata, Shingo Takatsu, Kei Igawa and Nomo.
As Nikkei (Japanese American) players, Dave Roberts, a San Diego Padres outfielder, Kurt Suzuki, an Oakland Athletics catcher and Shane Komine, an Athletics pitcher, are also members of the 25-player roster in each team.
Royals skipper Trey Hillman has led the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2003-2007 winning the Pacific League twice, in 2006 and 2007.
The big wave of Japanese in MLB came not only on the diamonds but also team offices and press boxes. Translating is the new-opportunity job in the organizations such as the positions held by two Nikkei, Antony Suzuki and Ken Barron of the Mariners.
And Watabe is now Fukumori's translator. He worked for the Mariners merchandise department and as a correspondent for a Japanese sports medium last year.
Hajime Watabe takes his role in translation on the Texas Rangers bench
Photo by Shihou Sasaki/ The North American Post
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Watabe said the most important task in his new job is to understand what Fukumori thinks, how he feels and what he wants to say. This week, he has one of the most difficult situations in translating when Fukumori was sent to the Triple-A this Sunday after recording a miserable 32.50 ERA in three games.
"It's not just to translate from a Japanese word to an English word," Watabe said in Japanese. "I have to not only translate words but also be supportive for [Fukumori] as much as possible."
On the other hand, Watabe looks forward to working at dozens of MLB ballparks as one of big baseball fans. The desire came from the year of 1995, the same as some other Japanese MLB players. He would be able to see the "pioneer" Nomo on the opponent's team if the team calls Fukumori up from the minor leagues.
"After watching Nomo pitch, I was greatly impressed and touched by his success," Watabe wrote in his column. "It was an opportunity for me to think about my future and dream again. I learned his example that bravery and dreaming are important in our lives."
According to the Rangers schedule, the team will meet the Royals on Apr. 29 - May 1, June 10 - 12 and Aug. 25 - 27.
"That would be a very impressive moment," the translator said.
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