SN Archive (1995): MLB reacts to Hideo Nomo's debut, the tornado windup and 'Nomomania'

SN Archive (1995): MLB reacts to Hideo Nomo's debut, the tornado windup and 'Nomomania' originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Three decades before Shohei Ohtani's arrival ushered in a new era, 'Nomomania' captivated the baseball world.

This article, ' Rising Son ' by Gordon Verrell, originally appeared in the May 15, 1995 issue of The Sporting News. Peter Magowan was as curious as anyone about how Hideo Nomo would handle it. Magowan is the owner of the same Giants club that had put Masanori Murakami on the mound in 1964-65, the only other time a Japanese-born player appeared in the majors.

When Nomo held the Giants to one hit in five shutout innings in his historic debut last week, it was clear to Magowan that the Dodgers have an answer to the sweeping fan malaise. “Absolutely, I think he's going to be a draw,” Magowan says. “Maybe not the way Fernando (Valenzuela) was, but he's definitely going be a draw.

Not just because he's Japanese, but because he's got such a unique and colorful way of pitching that it's going to draw attention. People will see him on TV and want to see him in person. ” Nomo, 26, looked very much like a major league pitcher in his first week, at least in terms of results.