HIDEO NOMO WITH THE BOSTON RED SOX IN 2001

POST 2001 SEASON NEWS
Back to the Dodgers
On Dec 20 the Tornado was formally back with the LA Dodgers. He's to earn 13.75 million dollars. The contract is 2 years. Nomo said in a press conference that he was happy to be with the first team he joined in the Major Leagues in 1995.

Nomo becomes free agent
It was learned here on Nov 7 that Nomo had decided to gain free agent status. He's the first Japanese to win the priveledge as he's finished his 7th year playing in the Major Leagues.

WITH THE BOSTON RED SOX IN 2001
October 4
In the first inning, Nomo gave up 2 runs. But he was able to hold on for 7 innings, losing only 1 more run. He struck out 6 in all, to lead in the number of strike out with 220. Since the Red Sox managed to win 5 to 4 over the Baltimore Orioles, Nomo earned his 13th game. By the way, on Oct 7, with the end of the season, Nomo's strike out title was confirmed. It's the 2nd time he wins the crown since 1995.

September 28
Nomo lasted 6 1/3 innings this time. He struck out 6, to lead the league in the total number. But giving up 4 runs, and his team losing 1 to 4 to the Detroit Tigers, he has to take his 10th loss.

September 23
Nomo pitched his worst game. He stayed on only 3 0/3 innings, giving up a whopping 9 runs. His team lost a devastating 6 to 12 to the Detroit Tigers. Nomo faced his 9th loss.

September 18
It's the first time since the terrorist attack in the US that Nomo pitched. Nomo was a wonder. He pitched 7 innings, gave up 2, and struck out 11. His total strike outs reached 204. And Nomo also clinched at last, his 12th win. The Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay DevilRays 7 to 2.

September 9
Nomo again could not win. He pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs striking out 8, but since his team could not bat well, the Red Sox lost 2 to 7 to the New York Yankees. Nomo is down to his 8th loss.

September 4
Nomo in the 6th inning lost a 5th run, reversing negatively the outlook of the game. And he had to take his 7th loss in the game which ended a 5 to 8 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

August 30
Nomo lost a run in the 1st inning. During 7 innings, he succumbed to 3 in all. He struck out 8 and in total with 180 strike outs to lead the league. But Nomo had to take his 6th loss in the game which ended 3 to 1 for the Cleveland Indians. He ended the month of August without any wins.

August 24
Nomo struck out 5 in 6 0/3 innings and this point tying with Roger Clemens in the most strike outs. He gave up 2 runs. When he left the mound his team was taking the lead, but afterwards the Texas Rangers caught up, vanishing Nomo's hope of picking up a win. But in the end, the Red Sox won 7 to 4.

August 19
Nomo was in a mess in the 5th inning. He gave up 5 runs. And his team lost to 13 to 7 to the Baltimore Orioles.

August 14
Nomo had a break due to the accident last time of his thumb. And for the 3rd time he faced Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro had one hit off Nomo. Nomo meanwhile pitched only 5 innings to not overdo this time. He gave up 2 runs and struck out 8. At that point, the teams were tied. The game went into the 11th inning which the Seattle Mariners clinched in the end 6 to 3.

August 6
In the first inning, Nomo gave up a 2 run homer to Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers. But he was basically pitching well, until, his right thumb peeled from a blister. Nomo had to quit pitching. He hurled 4 2/3 innings, and struck out 9 already. He was accounted for giving up 5 runs in all. But his team later turned the scene around to win 10 to 7.

August 1
Nomo hurled 7 2/3 innings. He gave up 4 runs, including a homerun. And had to take his 5th loss, in the 2 to 4 game. The Anaheim Angels won.

July 26
Nomo lost a run in the first inning. But after the 3rd inning, he pitched well. He kept the Toronto Blue Jays from scoring further until he left the game after finishing the 7th inning. He even struck out 10. When he was out of the game, it was tied. But thanks to his teammates, including Manny Ramirez's 2 run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning, Nomo was qualified to win. He clinched his 11th victory in the 6 to 3. game.

July 20
It was not an easy game for Nomo. But he lost only 2 runs in 6 innings. And the Red Sox, with Manny Ramirez's 2 homers defeated the Chicago White Sox 7 to 2. Nomo clinched his 10th win.

July 15
Nomo was not pitching well. He gave up 5 runs in 5 0/3 innings. But his team blasted in runs to give Nomo his 9th win, to already exceed his winning record of last season. The Red Sox defeated the Montreal Expos 8 to 5.

July 7
Nomo pitched 6 0/3 innings and gave up only 1 run. He earned his 8th win, and his team defeated the Atlanta Braves 3 to 1.

July 2
Nomo lost only a run during the 6 innings he pitched. And much of that was due to his own error. He advanced runners to 2nd and 3rd bases due to his wild pitch, and then succumbed to a sacrifice fly. His team won 16 to 4 to the Toronto Blue Jays and Nomo collected his 7th win.

June 27
Nomo gave up 2 homers-- a double and a triple. In 6 innings, he lost in all 6 runs. The good part was that he struck out 8. But he did not have to take a loss because his team took the lead afterwards at one point. But in the end the Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay DevilRays 7 to 9.

June 22
Nomo was homered by his former teammate Raul Mondesi. In all he lost 3 runs in 8 innings, but his pitches were not bad. He struck out 12. But, the relief pitcher lost another run, which in the end gave the Red Sox a 3 to 4 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.

June 16
Nomo was pitching well, until he gave up 2 runs in the 4th inning due to an error. He pitched 6 1/3 inning, and gave up in all 6 runs. He lost the game. For the Red Sox, it ended 0 to 8 facing defeat before the Atlanta Braves.

June 10
Nomo succumbed to a homer in the first inning. But he held on for 6 innings, giving up 3 runs in all. And luckily this time, Nomo clinched a win--his 6th this season. The Red Sox won 5 to 4.

June 5
Nomo was not Mr. K today. But he held on til the 7th inning. His wild pitch had hurt him. He left the game at 3 to 3 tie. And the game was really wild after that. It extended into a 18 inning game where the Red Sox finally won 4 to 3 over the Detroit Tigers.

May 31
Nomo pitched a no-hit game until the 4th inning. But in the 5th inning, an err out in the field led to his giving up a run. Then he was homered in the 6th. His team, was still ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays at that point. But the Blue Jays caught up, so Nomo was not given credit for the win of the game. It finished 11 to 5 for the Red Sox.

May 25
Spectators of about 33,000 were in awe of Nomo's strike out streak. It reached 7,just one short of the American League record. Nevertheless, Nomo was wonderful . He struck out 14, produced no walks,gave up only 1 run,and hurled over a distance. The Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4 to 0. For Nomo, it's his 5th win.

May 19
Nomo pitched against the Kansas City Royals. He gave up 5 runs in 6 innings, and the most so far this season of 9 hits. Nomo took his 3rd loss in the 2 to 6 game.

May 8
A dream match was realized again. This time, Nomo gave up 2 hits to Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. In all Nomo lost 3 runs in 5 innings. But his teammates support was great. The Red Sox won 12 to 4, and Nomo gained another win--his 4th.

May 2
It's been 7 years since Nomo faced another Japanese superstar. That's Ichiro. It was in Seattle. Nomo kept Ichiro from getting on base the first 2 times at bat. But the 3rd time, Nomo hurled a pitch into Ichiro's back. Ichiro could not get up immediately. But managed to walk over to first base. During the 6 0/3 innings Nomo hurled, he gave up 3 runs. But Red Sox relief pitcher lost more runs. So Nomo took his 2nd loss. And the Red Sox lost 1 to 5 to the Mariners.

April 26
Nomo appeared to be creating a no-hitter game. He finished the 6th inning, giving up no hits. But in the 7th, the first Cincinnatti Twins batter, Tori Hunter popped the ball to right, and it dropped. At any rate, Nomo pitched a shut out 7 inning. And since his team won 2 to 0 he earned his 3rd win.

April 20
In the first inning, Nomo walked 4. And then the New York Yankees' Tino Martinez homered a grand slam. Nomo pitched the next inning, but lost 1 more run. So Nomo did not last long. And the Red Sox lost 1 to 6. Nomo had to take his first loss.

April 15
Facing the New York Yankees, Nomo gave up only 3 hits, but 2 of them were homeruns. And when Nomo left after finished 6 innings, the Red Sox were behind. So he did not pick up a win this time. However, his team managed to win 5 to 4.

April 10
Nomo faced the Baltimore Orioles again. This time, at home. He did give up base hits this time, but with his teams support of 10 runs during the 6 innings he's pitched, he earned his 2nd win. He gave up one run and struck out 4.

April 4
Nomo's debut with the Boston Red Sox was a wonder. The start of the game was delayed by more than 40 minutes at Camden Yards in Baltimore due to a black out. But that didn't give any negative effect to Nomo. His fast balls were great. He struck out 11. And perhaps the new strike zone did good too. He not only kept the Baltimore Orioles from scoring, he completed a no hitter. It's his 2nd. The game finished 3 to 0. His first no-hitter was in Colorado in 1996 when he was playing for his first US team, the Dodgers. And the last batter he got out was his former teammate Delino DeShields.
Michiyo's Note: It's great to see Nomo doing well again. It's been a while. And it's the first time in a while that the Japanese media went wild over him.

Nomo in exhibition game
Hideo Nomo pitched in an exhibition game for the first time this year on Mar.4. He hurled against the Minnesota Twins. He said that he was aiming for strike outs. And sure, he took all 3 batters out with strike outs. However, he did lose a lot of runs too--5 in just one inning. But he did not express disappointment to reporters after the game.


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