Suzuki won't be alone in his gratitude to the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who gambled with his future and ultimately paved the way to the big leagues for Japanese with baseball talent. Without "Nomo-mania" that long line of players would have waited a little longer before coming to America's shores.

Think Boston fans are pleased with the services of Daisuke Matsuzaka and a Hideki Okajima? Hideki Matsui may not have been the home run king New York Yankee fans had hoped for, but the "Godzilla" has proved to be a clutch run producer as well as a quality outfielder.

Kosuke Fukudome is a Rookie of the Year candidate with the Chicago Cubs.

Of course, not every player succeeded. Remember pitcher Hideki Irabu?

Nomo, who announced his retirement this week following an abortive comeback with Kansas City, burst upon the scene in 1995, winning 13 games with his forkball and twisting "tornado" wind up. Nomo became the National League's All-Star starter that year and eventual winner of the Rookie of the Year award.

Nomo is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter at (pre-humidor) Coors Field, and eventually won 123 games, including a second no-hit gem for Boston in 2001, becoming just the fourth player in baseball history to have thrown a no-hitter in both leagues (along with Nolan Ryan, Cy Young and Jim Bunning).

Make no mistake, Nomo was not a superstar. He never won more than 16 games, but the 39-year-old was a solid, quality starting pitcher who twice led his league in strikeouts. His overall record, including Japan, was 201-155.

Nomo won't make the Hall of Fame unless there is a special exhibition commemorating his pioneering efforts: his pressure-packed escape to America.

It would be good to remember how much pressure Nomo shouldered in 1995 after cutting his ties with Japanese professional baseball.

Nomo wasn't the first Japanese player in the Major Leagues. Masanori Murakami pitched successfully for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and 1965 but was called back to Japan due to contractual obligations.

Nomo wanted more. He wanted his free agency and exploited a loophole to free himself from his Japanese contract. In fact, Nomo gambled.

A clause in the Japan-U.S. professional baseball working agreement stated that if a player retired, he was free to play for whomever he wished. So, Nomo retired.

Had Nomo failed, no doubt Major League teams would have waited for years before experimenting on another Japanese baseball player, and he would have been without a job.

Robert Whiting, who has written several books about Japanese baseball, said, "The history of Japanese baseball can be divided into two eras - pre-Nomo and post-Nomo. He changed everything. Without him I wonder if there would be any Japanese playing in the United States."

* MARTIN

RENZHOFER an be reached at

sltrib.com.