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"Jim Tracy gave Hideo Nomo the nickname "The Warrior" for his spirit." (Juan Ocampo/Dodgers)

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Hideo Nomo to a two-year contract last December, not many people were excited about it. After all, Nomo requested a trade from the Dodgers in 1998 when he could not get many batters out. For the first six weeks of the season, Nomo struggled. However, after that, he became the ace of the Dodgers' starting rotation. He often pitched well even without his best pitches working earning him the nickname of "The Warrior" from Jim Tracy and his teammates.

Hideo Nomo was an experienced pitcher when he emigrated from Japan to the American major leagues. As a Dodger, Nomo took American baseball by storm helping it to recover from its worst labor dispute and won the National League's Rookie of the Year. For the next two years, Nomo dominated the National League, including doing the impossible of pitching a no-hitter at Coors Field. In late 1997, a ball hit by Scott Rolen struck Nomo's elbow creating bone chips. After that, he was not effective. After the season, Nomo went back to Japan and had arthroscopic elbow surgery without the Dodgers' knowledge.

In 1998, Nomo did not have the sharp downward movement of his split-fingered fastball. He has never had an overpowering fastball, topping at ninety miles-per-hour, nor does he have a good breaking ball. He has never had good control. Thus, when his split-fingered fastball did not have the magic, he was not effective. Nomo's career was dying. Nomo also was unhappy with the changes the Dodgers were going through and asked for a trade. The former Rookie of the Year was sent  to the New York Mets.

From June, 1998 to 2000, Nomo bounced around several teams with losing records, such as the Milwaukee Brewers and the Detroit Tigers. In this period, he regained the magic split-fingered fastball.

In 2001, Nomo pitched for the Boston Red Sox. He was their second best starter behind Pedro Martinez. On a rainy night in April, Nomo pitched the second no-hitter in his career, becoming one of the few pitchers to pitch a no-hitter in both leagues. Though he struggled after the All-Star break, he led the American League in strikeouts.

Because of his previous struggles, Nomo's price was reasonable on the free agent market. Thus, the Dodgers could afford him. Dan Evans wanted a strikeout pitcher who could pitch many innings, and Nomo fit this model. Evans lured Nomo with Dave Wallace, who has an incredible friendship with Nomo. The ex-Dodger returned, signing a two-year contract for $13 million.

In April, Nomo was brilliant with a 2.35 ERA winning two though he lost three. He struggled in May producing talk of putting him in the bullpen. His May struggles were caused by his wildness. In his six starts, he walked twenty-six. He won three and lost two with a 4.46 ERA.

Before the All-Star break, Nomo had nine wins and five losses with a 3.16 ERA. After the All-Star break, he won seven and lost one with a 3.64 ERA.
Nomo's gift to the Dodgers was his incredible competitiveness. Even when he did not have his best pitches working, he did not want to come out of the game. If he was getting hammered, he did not look to the bullpen for help. When runners were on base, Nomo reached down within himself for something special to enable him to get out of the jam. Nomo set an excellent example for young pitchers, such as Perez.

Nomo led the Dodgers with sixteen wins and lost only six. His 3.39 ERA is fantastic. Though Nomo often struggled in the first few innings, he got more dominant as the game progressed.
 
Though Nomo did not have a complete game, he pitched 220.1 innings in 34 games, averaging 6.1 innings a game. He allowed a batting average of .236 and twenty-six home runs. He walked 101, the second highest in the National League. He struck out 193 batters. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 1.91, not good.

Jim Tracy gave Hideo Nomo the nickname "The Warrior" for his spirit. He will begin next year as the ace of the Dodgers.

Sarah Morris is the editor of Dodger Place. She lives in Anderson, Texas.