Former Los Angeles Dodgers president Peter O\u2019Malley, who headed the team from 1970-1998<\/a>, will present the award to Nomo at the ceremony.<\/p>\n \u201cAsian Hall of Fame proudly honors\u00a0Hideo Nomo (Los Angeles Dodgers) as the inaugural recipient of the Hall of Fame Sports Pioneer Medal,\u201d Asian Hall of Fame wrote via Facebook.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHideo Nomo\u2019s groundbreaking MLB career opened doors for generations of Japanese players and transformed the landscape of professional baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n Nomo is a baseball pioneer who became the first Japanese major leaguer to permanently relocate to MLB. He was the second-ever Japanese playing to play professionally in the big leagues, following the San Francisco Giants\u2019 Masanori Murakami, but is credited for paving the way for Japanese players in MLB<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nomo made his debut with the Dodgers in 1995, and pitched in parts of seven seasons with the Dodgers while also featuring for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Devils Rays, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.<\/p>\n During his seven seasons in Los Angeles, Nomo made 191 starts while posting a 3.74 ERA, striking out an even 1,200 batters in 1,217.1 innings pitched.<\/p>\n He threw one of his two no-hitters with the Dodgers, and earned his sole All-Star appearance during his rookie year with the team in 1995.<\/p>\n Now, more than 30 years after his debut, Japanese-born players are a mainstay across the league\u2014but especially with the Dodgers. LA has carved out a core of key players from the NPB<\/a>, bringing in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki over from NPB and signing Shohei Ohtani as soon as he hit the free agency market.<\/p>\n While Nomo is long retired, his legacy on the game and his importance to opening MLB\u2019s doors to Japan more than warrant his reception of the Hall of Fame Sports Pioneer Medal.<\/p>\n Dodgers Nation<\/p>\n Get the app for faster news<\/p>\n![\"Oct](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Hideo-Nomo.jpg\")
Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers former player Hideo Nomo throws the ceremonial first pitch before game three of the 2025 MLB World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesWho is Hideo Nomo?<\/p>\n![\"Dodgers](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cropped-DN-Logo-Official.png\"){kind=logo}
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