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Originally Posted by seanofjapan
You have to consider it from the Japanese perspective too though. Until Nomo NPB teams had a stranglehold on their players and nobody even considered going to MLB. The whole system by which Japanese players come to MLB was established as a result f him.
In Japan, Nomo is still a household name. He was massively famous here before he went to MLB and still is, everyone knows that he is the guy who paved the way.
Ichiro is also a special case because he was the first hitter to come over, and have aHOF career in MLB. But Nomo in Japan is well known as the guy who kicked it off (for better or worse, not all fans here like seeing the best players go to MLB, though most are OK with it).
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Witnessing Nomo-mania from the perspective of a half Japanese SF Giants fan was super cool. To that point in my life, I had never seen an Asian born athlete create any buzz at all, let alone everywhere he played. This was especially true in a place like the Bay Area with tons of Asians and Asian Americans.
IMO, Asians/Asian Americans were starved for someone they could root for. There were always loud Nomo rooting sections at Candlestick, and I remember him pitching a near no-hitter in his first SF start, with I think 16 K's. He was getting standing ovations from the Dodgers and Giants fans alike. He was totally electric and there was no one in MLB who had a pitching style like him. He also always projected a totally cold blooded demeanor on the mound, like the Black Widow in pool.
I absolutely think he played a HUGE role to all the Japanese, and frankly all the Asian born players who followed after him. His brief peak is part of the legend too. Lightning in a bottle, a bit like a Timmy Lincecum. They also both pitched their respective no-hitters during the tail end of their careers.
IMO, Nomo is not forgotten amongst those who saw him break through and understood what it represented at the time. And Ohtani will potentially carry the torch further than any of them.
2018 Topps Chrome blaster box Ohtani.jpg2018 Topps Finest Shohei Ohtani signed close.jpg
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