OT: Ohtani

[packs]

Nomo was good for a year or two but I think it's hard to argue that he paved the way for Japanese players. He was forgotten almost as soon as he got here but I'm also not sure that was totally his fault. A number of average, bad or forgettable pitchers came over after him and I would say watered down the excitement from Japan. These would include:

Hideki Irabu; Shigetoshi Hasegawa; Masato Yoshii; Tomo Ohka, etc.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by packs

Nomo was good for a year or two but I think it's hard to argue that he paved the way for Japanese players. He was forgotten almost as soon as he got here but I'm also not sure that was totally his fault. A number of average, bad or forgettable pitchers came over after him and I would say watered down the excitement from Japan. These would include:

Hideki Irabu; Shigetoshi Hasegawa; Masato Yoshii; Tomo Ohka, etc.

I think we can agree that Ichiro broke the dam. But, while the few between Nomo and Ichiro weren't the best, Nomo certainly created a sense of yearning from scouts to find the next crossover star, not believing that Nomo was a unicorn. Certainly, Ichiro's stardom as a position player and great hitter opened paved the dirt road for Matsui and Ohtani...but Nomo opened the door for Ichiro.

And I don't believe Nomo was "forgotten almost as quickly as he arrived." My friends and I were trying to mimic his pitching style. And mimicry is the best form of flattery. Yesterday the kids were calling it the Johnny Cueto wiggle; but in 1995 it was known as the Nomo.

[seanofjapan]

Originally Posted by packs

Nomo was good for a year or two but I think it's hard to argue that he paved the way for Japanese players. He was forgotten almost as soon as he got here but I'm also not sure that was totally his fault. A number of average, bad or forgettable pitchers came over after him and I would say watered down the excitement from Japan. These would include:

Hideki Irabu; Shigetoshi Hasegawa; Masato Yoshii; Tomo Ohka, etc.

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).

[itjclarke]

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).

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
2013 BBM Shohei Ohtani premium rookies.jpg2013 BBM Shohei Ohtani two sword player set.jpg

[1952boyntoncollector]

he is amazing but odds are he will get hurt and at best only be a one way player.....bo jackson is the only comparable i see to him being... its basically two unique sport skill sets for him as batting and pitching totally different.. like Bo doing 2 unique sport stills...but he got hurt..