I thought of Nomo but I don't think he convinced anyone that Japanese players "belonged". He had an incredible rookie season but he lacked staying power and I remember a lot of people thinking his delivery was a gimmick that served him well only initially.
Not to say he wasn't good. I just think Ichiro was still the defining player from Japan who convinced MLB that Japanese players could not only do well upon arrival, but sustain a very high level of play.
Nomo was certainly the first, but I consider him in the same pool as Daisuke and Yu Darvish. Decent success but not in the same class as Ichiro and Matsui, though of course infinitely better than Irabu, Kei Igawa, Fukudome, etc.
Last edited by packs; 03-31-2025 at 01:53 PM.
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