HIDEO NOMO'S 1996 SEASON WITH THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS

National League Playoff Series
The Dodgers lost the first 2 games to the Atlanta Braves. Nomo was assigned to pitch in the 3rd game on Oct. 5. However, he was knocked out in the 4th inning, giving up 5 runs, 5 hits and 5 balls. His team scored only 2 points. The 3rd straight loss has eliminated the Dodgers from playing in the World Series. Nomo's last showing this year has resulted in great disappointment.

Pitcher of the Month
Nomo has been selected National League pitcher of the month for September. He recorded 3 wins and a loss that month and an ERA of 1.91. This is the second time that Nomo has won the award. His first was in June 1995.

*33rd game
Nomo pitched for the last time in the official season in the National League West on Sept. 28. If the Dodgers won this game against the San Diego Padres, the victory would've given the Dodgers first place in the league. The Dodgers took the lead by scoring in the 2nd and 3rd innings one run each. In the 6th inning though, the Padres caught up. Nomo was pulled down from the mound in the 7th. In the 8th, Tony Gwynn broke the tie to take the Padres to a 4 to 2 victory. Nomo finished the season with 16 wins and 11 losses.

*32nd game
Unfortunately, Nomo failed to help the Dodgers keep the lead against the San Diego Padres. He lost 3 runs which included a 2 run homer in the 5th inning. The game was won by the Padres 3 to 2. This game on Sept 22 has inched the Padres closer to the Dodgers in the National League West Division. There's only 0.5 game between the teams as a result. Nomo lost his 11th game.

*31st game
It's a no-hitter game for Nomo on Sept. 17--the first time ever for him. He did it against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers steadily added points throughout the game. In the 9th inning, Wallach blasted a 3 homer, taking the team to a 9 to 0 victory. Nomo proudly won his 16th game. The day after the game, The US National Baseball Hall of Fame asked that Nomo's baseball cap and ball used in the no-hitter game be presented to them.

Michiyo's Note: It's amazing this game was even played. It was delayed by 2 hours because of pouring rain. In Japan, if it's pouring before a game, they'd go ahead and cancel it--not wait like they did! Anyway, Nomo's quasi-perfect victory is the top news of the day in Japan.

*30th game
On Sept.12, Nomo lost only a homer to the St. Louis Cardinals. He hurled 8 full innings and clinched his 15th win. He has the most wins among his teammates at this point. The Dodgers batted in 4 runs for a 4 to 1 victory. I wonder how many more games Nomo's going to win!

*29th game
Nomo picked up his 14th victory this season on Sept. 7. He threw 8 scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Meanwhile, Raul Mondesi slammed a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 8th. Since Nomo was pitching well, it seemed he could finish the game all by himself. But he was replaced by Todd Worrell after taking 2 outs in the 9th, with runners on first and second bases. Anyway, Nomo is winning more games than last season. This game finished 4 to 3 for the Dodgers.

*28th game
The game on Sept.1 looked good for Nomo and the Dodgers after Mike Piazza belted in a 2 run homer in the top of the 8th inning. The Philadelphia Phillies had only scored 1 run from Nomo in the 5th inning until then. However, Dodgers' relief pitchers were in turmoil, losing 5 runs to the Phillies in the 8th inning. What a disaster!

*27th game
Nomo has tied with his previous year's winning record of 13 on Aug.27. He gave up only one run to the Montreal Expos. Meanwhile, his teammate Greg Gagne blasted a two run homer, and Raul Mondesi hit a two run double, giving the Dodgers 5 to 1. Nomo pitched 7 full innings.

Michiyo's Note: Glad to hear that Brett Butler is back with the Dodgers after a surgery.

*26th game
Dodgers batters just could not hit in the game Nomo pitched on Aug. 21. The LA team gave the opposing pitcher Curt Schilling of the Philadelphia Phillies a shut out victory, while Nomo lost 2 homeruns to Scott Rolen. Nomo gave up a total of 5 runs. The result of the game was a 6 to 0 for the Phillies. Nomo worsened his number of loses to 10.

*25th game
Nomo showed that he's still able to pitch well against the major league players on Aug. 15. He struck out 10 Cardinal batters and different from usual, didn't walk any of them. The game gave him his 12th victory. It didn't get to a good start for Nomo though. He suddenly lost a homer to Ron Gant in the first inning. Nomo boosted his game by batting in a run to take a lead over the Cardinals in the second inning. The Dodgers added more points-- finishing the game 5 to 2. The victory has also lifted the team to 1st place in the National League West Division.

*24th game
Until the 5th innings in the game against the Cincinatti Reds on August 10, Nomo held the Reds to a no hit no run. But in the 6th inning, Nomo walked a runner, lost his first hit of the game, Kevin Mitchell sacrificed a fly, then Eric Davis hit a three run homer. Nomo lost 4 runs in all that inning. The Dodgers though were able to keep their lead 7 to 5. Nomo luckily won his 11th game this season.

*23rd game
Nomo pitched again last year's champion the Atlanta Braves on August 4. By the 7th inning, Nomo lost 3 runs. In that inning, he was replaced by a pinch hitter.The Dodgers batted in a run to take the lead from the Braves. At that point, Nomo had the chance to extend his win. However, the Dodgers were not able to keep the lead. The Braves beat them 6 to 4.

*22nd game
The game on July 30 opened with a farewell speech by Tommy Lasorda who skippered the Dodgers for 21 years. Lasorda gave Nomo a big hug--sending him off to pitch. Perhaps, Nomo became to conscientious about this memorial day--he walked the first batter of the Florida Marlins, let him run to second, and lost a hit--allowing the Marlins to score already. Nomo finished 7 innings giving up 3 runs in all. This game was taken to the 10th inning after Todd Worrell balked the Marlines home to catch up with the Dodgers 4 to 4. However, Rick Parker's RBI in the 10th gave the Dodgers victory over the Marlins. The celebration thus was complete.

*21th game
I almost forgot that Nomo pitched on July 24 amidst the Olympic Games. He faced the Florida Marlins and lost 3 runs in 7 innings. Unable to receive batting support from his teammates, Nomo marked his 9th defeat this season.

*20th game
It's Nomo against Estes again on July 18. The Dodgers finshed 6 innings behind the San Francisco Giants 2 to 3. In the 7th inning, the Dodgers line-up exploded. Mike Busch hit a grand slam! The team added 6 runs all together. Nomo pitched 8 innings. This game gave him his 10th victory this season. But can't the Dodger's field better!

*19th game
Nomo really didn't seem to be doing so bad on July 13, He struck out 10 batters. However, he lost 5 runs including 3 homeruns in 7 innings. Meanwhile, San Francisco Giants' new pitcher Shawn Estes did so well, taking 11 strikeouts from the Dodgers. Nomo was subjected to his 8th loss.

*18th game
Nomo marked his 9th victory this season in the July 5 game against the Colorado Rockies. He just lost 1 run in the first inning and pitched 8 innings in all. The Dodgers finished 8 to 1. This game has given Nomo his 100th baseball career victory.

*17th game
The game against the Colorado Rockies and the Dodgers on June 30 made homeruns seem so easy to hit. The Rockies' took off by taking a homer from Nomo in the 2nd inning. The Dodgers' Piazza, Carros and Mondesi smashed a homer one after another in the 3rd inning. In all, the Dodgers scored 5 runs that inning. It was actually a very close and exciting game for the spectators. The game wrapped up in the bottom of the 9th inning with the Rockies placing two runs for a 16 to 15 victory. Nomo lost 9 runs in just 5 innings--the worst ever performance he made in the U.S. Major Leagues. Perhaps, he wasn't feeling too well. The day before this game, it was reported that Nomo was showing symptoms of the flu.

*16th game
In the third inning, the Chicago Cubs made 3 consecutive hits which led to their batting in a run. Then in the 5th inning, Nomo lost another run triggered by an error. Otherwise, Nomo pitched well, striking out 9 batters. Too bad, his teammates weren't able to help out. The Dodgers lost to the Cubs 0 to 2. The game has added another loss to Nomo's performance this season. He has 8 wins and 7 losses.

*15th game
Nomo had difficulty from the 1st inning. He lost 2 runs. Although, the Dodgers caught up with the Houston Astros in the 3rd inning with Eric Carros smacking in a two run homer, Nomo lost another 2 runs later in the game. This game on June 20 ended 4 to 2 for the Astros. It's Nomo's 6th defeat this season.

*14th game
An incredible play was completed on the June 17 game against the Atlanta Braves. Nomo lost a run and walked another in the first inning without taking an out. The following batter plopped up the ball. It could've fallen between the in fielder and out fielder. However, shortstop Castro caught the ball backwards--that eliminated the batter. Then he threw the ball immediately to second base, and from second it went to first. A triple play was achieved. This marvellous play seems to have given Nomo a hike in his pitch and the Dodgers batters exploded. Nomo won his 8th victory by pitching 6 1/3 innings. The Dodgers defeated last year's world champ 6 to 2.

*13th game
Nomo lost a 2 run homerun to the Cincinatti Reds in the 6th inning. Otherwise, he took 9 strikeouts in 8 innings. In the bottom of the 8th inning, his teammates finally started to show support. The Dodgers overwhelmed the Reds 3 to 2. Nomo gained his 7th victory in this game on June 9. The game attracted specifically, a big crowd of 47,847, according to a regular writer to this web site who was one of the spectators there himself.

*12th game
Nomo seems to be losing his luck lately. In his June 4th game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he lost 3 runs in the 4th inning. He again couldn't stay on to pitch after the 6th inning. Unfortunately, his teammates couldn't save him from marking this 5th loss this season. The Dodgers lost to the Pirates 3 to 0. Another unfortunate aspect of this game was that attendance fell below 30,000. Some blame Nomo for not being as exciting to watch as he was last year.

*11th game
The game on May 29 was a close one. Nomo lost only one run, but was off the mound after the 6th ining. He was replaced by a pinch hitter when his turn to bat came in the 6th inning with one runner on second base. The Dodgers were 1 to 1 against the Phildephia Phillies, so the choice couldn't be helped. No points were added there, however. The winner was decided in the 11th inning with the Dodgers beating the Phillies 3 to 2.

*10th game
Nomo lost 3 runs in the top of the first inning in his game against the New York Mets. After that, he recovered. But it was too late. This time, his team mates could not save him. This is his first loss in Dodgers homeground, and his 4th loss in total this season.

*9th game
Nomo faced the Philadelphia Phillies on May 17 in front of a largest crowd ever or 54,304. Although Nomo lost 3 runs to the Phillies in 7 innings, supported by his team mates including Piazza's 2 run homer, he was able to clinch his 6th victory.

*8th game
Oh no! Nomo wrecked his right hand's thumb in the 3rd inning in his game against the St Louis Cardinals on May 12. That bloody injury seemed to have affected his pitch. In that inning, Nomo lost 2 runs. By the 6th inning another 2 runs were added, and he was taken off the mound. The Dodgers ended up losing 5 to 6. Nomo has given up his third loss this season.

*7th game
It seems like the Dodgers' victory is definite when Nomo pitches. Although Nomo lost 4 runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 6, his teammated made up for it, by batting in 8 runs. They include a 3 run homer by Mondesi and a 2 run homer by Piazza.

*6th game
In this game too on April 30 against the Colorado Rockies Nomo couldn't pitch more than 8 innings. However, thanks to his teammates who smacked 7 runs, the 2 runs Nomo lost did not affect his team's victory. Nomo marked his 4th win.

*5th game
Nomo's pitch wasn't extraordinary on April 26. Still he was able win this game by clinching his 3rd victory this season in the game against the Houston Astros. In the second inning, Nomo gave up a 2 run homer. Mike Piazza made up for it by batting in two runs and Delino Deshields later smashed a two run homer. Nomo left the mound in the 8th inning.

*4th game
Is this the same team Nomo pitched against the previous time? On April 20, the Florida Marlins knocked him out in the 5th inning. Nomo gave up 4 runs and 7 hits.

*3rd game
Nomo is incredible! He faced the Florida Marlins in Los Angeles on April 13. Although he lost a homerun to the Marlins in the 3rd inning, he succeeded in pitching 17 strike outs. All I can say is, Nomo is remarkable.

*2nd game
Nomo's totally made it up for his first stumble. On April 8, he pitched against last year's world champion Atlanta Braves. Nomo succeeded in a shutout game 1 to 0 in front of over 50,000 spectators. It marked the 3000th game since the Dodgers have moved its franchise from Brooklyn. Nomo celebrated the day by also becoming the first pitcher in both leagues to achieve a no-run game this season.

*1st game
Hideo Nomo pitched for the first time this season in the U.S. Major League Baseball on April 3. His team, the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Houston Astros in Houston Texas. Nomo took off to a fine start. However, after the third inning, the Astros hit in runs after runs. In the 5th inning, Nomo gave up three hits in a row. He lost a total of 3 runs. The Dodgers lost 5 to 2.


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