July 17th in Los Angeles Dodgers History | VaDodger's Blog

Today came the not unexpected news that righthander Hideo Nomo was retiring after 12 years in the Majors. Nomo, who was the trailblazer in terms of Japanese players coming to play in the states, had a solid career with manyh of his top moments coming while he was in Dodger blue. One unforgettable game for Nomo came on July 17, 2003, with Nomo showing his not unusual prowress on the mound but some unusual skill at the plate as well.

In the first game following the 2003 All-Star break, Nomo and the Dodgers took on Garrett Stephenson and the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Nomo held the Cards in check through the first three innings, and then helped his cause by belting a two run homer in the bottom of the third to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The homer was one of four in his career, with all four coming at Dodger Stadium while Nomo was a member of the Dodgers. Later following the scoring of an unearned run by the Cards in the fourth, Nomo doubled home another run to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead (Adrian Beltre had homered earlier in the inning).

On the hill, Nomo went six innings, giving up only one unearned run. Guillermo Mota, Paul Shuey and Eric Gagne held down the fort the rest of the way, and the Dodgers opened the second half of the season with a 6-3 win. The win made Nomo 10-8 on the year, in a season where he'd win 16 games and post a 3.09 ERA.

As a Dodger, Nomo won 71 games, captured the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995, and led the NAtional League in strikeouts that year with 236. In 1996, Nomo won 16 games (including two shutouts) and threw the only no-hit game in the history of Coors Field in a 9-0 whitewashing of the Rockies. Nomo was traded away from Los Angeles in 1998, but returned in 2002 and had two more strong years as a Dodger. In 2002, Nomo reestablished himself as a strong starter, winning 16 of 22 decisions with a 3.39 ERA. He repeated the win total in 2003, before struggling mightily in 2004 and eventually being released.

Nomo has much to be proud of in his Major League career and when he looks back on that career, perhaps he'll recall the night at Dodger Stadium where he pitched and hit the Dodgers to victory.

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July 17, 2008 09:57 PM ET

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I saw this story earlier and thought it was a short career for Nomo. Being a big Dodger fan, I will be sorry to see him leave. Not many pitchers can say they pitched a no-hitter in both leagues, especially one in Coors field. Nice blog.