Decades of Japanese Dodgers Blazed Trail for Ohtani’s Golden Era
A look at the Los Angeles Dodgers' history with Japanese-born players before their current Golden Era on Japanese Heritage Night.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have stacked their rotation with three Japanese powerhouses in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, but they had established themselves as a prime landing spot for Japanese players long before any of the three had stepped foot in LA. The Dodgers have a history of bringing in Japanese players and turning them into stars, laying the groundwork for their record-breaking deal with Ohtani which has ushered a successful era of Dodger baseball into Los Angeles. On Japanese Heritage Night , we are looking at Japanese players who made a name for themselves during their time with the Dodgers.
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 Images Which Japanese Players Played for the Dodgers Before Shohei Ohtani? Hideo Nomo Hideo Nomo was the first Japanese-born player the Dodgers ever signed, bringing him in on a minor league contract with a $2 million signing bonus in 1995.
He made his debut for the Dodgers the same year and took MLB by storm, winning NL Rookie of the Year and earning the only All-Star appearance of his career during his first year in the majors. He finished that year with 28 starts, posting a 2. 54 ERA through 191.
1 innings pitched and leading the NL with 236 innings pitched. The right-hander remained with the team through 1998, when the Dodgers shipped him to the Mets to land All-Star catcher Mike Piazza. That wasn’t the end of the Dodgers’ journey with Nomo, though, as he came back ahead of the 2002 season and stayed through 2004.