Tyler Glasnow will toe the rubber for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, but he’ll have a tough act to follow after an all-time great throws out the ceremonial first pitch.
Former Dodgers’ starter Hideo Nomo — a player who’s often credited with opening the door for other Japanese players to migrate to Major League Baseball — will throw out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 3.
Nomo began his career in Nippon Professional Baseball back in the early-1990s and then came stateside in 1995. At the time, Nomo’s agent exploited a loophole that enabled him to become a free agent, leading the Dodgers to swoop in and sign him. Nomo took home NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1995 and made his lone All-Star appearance that same year. He also finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting in both 1995 and 1996.
Dodgers choose Hideo Nomo to throw out ceremonial first pitch in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series
Nomo spent his first three-plus MLB season in Los Angeles before being traded to the New York Mets. After a half-season in Queens, Nomo went on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers (1999), Detroit Tigers (2000), and Boston Red Sox (2001). His time in Boston saw Nomo toss his second career no-hitter — his first came with the Dodgers in 1996.
Nomo returned to LA in 2002. That year, the right-hander posted his best statistical season since 1996. He went 16-6 with a 3.39 ERA in 34 starts for the Dodgers and struck out 193 batters in 220⅓ innings pitched. Nomo spent two more years in southern California before heading to Tampa Bay in 2005. As good as Nomo was in 2002 and 2003, he was equally as bad in 2004 and 2005.
Things got so awful for Nomo after being released by the Rays in 2005 that he participated in the Venezuelan Winter League in 2007 just to make it back to the majors. That experience, however, helped him to catch the eye of some scouts, and he was able to finish his career with a brief appearance for the Kansas City Royals in 2008 before retiring. In all, Nomo owns a 123-109 record and career 4.24 ERA.
Nomo was well known for his windup; oftentimes dubbed “The Tornado”. Age has a way of catching up with all of us, and fans shouldn’t expect any such delivery on Monday night. But hopefully Nomo’s able to hype up those in attendance at Dodger Stadium and help provide a boost early on as LA tries to take a 2-1 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in pursuit of back-to-back World Series championships.
