Rookie of the Year: Hideo Nomo, 1995

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  27 (Aug. 31)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 1995:

A native of Osaka, Japan, Nomo began playing baseball in his youth and developed his corkscrew (or “tornado”) pitching windup in fifth grade. A dominant pitcher in middle school due to his speed, his issues with control instilled fear as well. While attending Seiyo Industrial High School, he performed well and pitched a perfect game. Failing to draw the interest of college or pro scouts, Nomo joined a semipro team and worked at developing a forkball. Earning a spot on the Japanese Olympic team in 1988 that won a silver medal, he signed with the Kintetsu Buffaloes, an Osaka-based club in the Japanese Pacific League for a 100-million yen bonus (approximately $1 million). With his fastball and forkball, he produced an 18-8 record with a 2.91 ERA, 21 complete games, and 235 strikeouts as a rookie in 1990, receiving Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in addition to the Sawamura Award as the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball. Mentored by veteran pitcher Masato Yushii, Nomo followed up with a 17-11 tally in 1991 with a 3.05 ERA, 22 complete games, and 287 strikeouts. In 1992 he went 18-8 with a 2.66 ERA, 17 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 228 strikeouts. But after compiling a 17-12 record in 1993 with a 3.70 ERA and 276 strikeouts, the pitcher nicknamed “Tatsu-maki” (Tornado in Japanese) experienced an injury-plagued season in 1994 as the result of overwork, accumulating only 114 innings with an 8-7 record, 3.63 ERA, and 126 strikeouts. Utilizing a loophole in his contract, he announced his retirement from Nippon Professional Baseball and signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers for 1995. Following a single start with the high Class A California League, Nomo was called up to the Dodgers. 

1995 Season Summary

Appeared in 28 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 28

Games Started – 28

Complete Games – 4 [5, tied with John Burkett, Ramon Martinez & Tyler Green]

Wins – 13 [9, tied with Ismael Valdez, Denny Neagle & Jeff Fassero]

Losses – 6

PCT - .684 [7]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [1, tied with Greg Maddux]

Innings Pitched – 191.1 [13]

Hits – 124

Runs – 63

Earned Runs – 54

Home Runs – 14

Bases on Balls – 78 [2]

Strikeouts – 236 [1]

ERA – 2.54 [2]

Hit Batters – 5

Balks – 5 [1]

Wild Pitches – 19 [1]

League-leading strikeouts were +43 ahead of runner-up John Smoltz

League-leading balks were +1 ahead of runners-up Carlos Perez & William VanLandingham

League-leading wild pitches were +4 ahead of runner-up Hector Carrasco

Midseason Snapshot: 6-1, ERA - 1.99, SO - 119 in 90.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 16 (in 8 IP) at Pittsburgh 6/14

10+ strikeout games – 11

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) at San Francisco 8/5

Batting

PA – 72, AB – 66, R – 2, H – 6, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 4, BB – 0, SO – 33, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .091, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 5, SF – 1

Fielding

Chances – 21

Put Outs – 6

Assists – 12

Errors – 3

DP – 2

Pct. - .857

Postseason Pitching: G – 1 (NLDS vs. Cincinnati)

GS – 1, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 5, H – 7, R – 5, ER – 5, HR – 2, BB – 2, SO – 6, ERA – 9.00, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 1

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star (Started for NL)

4^th in NL Cy Young voting (29 points, 21% share)

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Hideo Nomo, LAD: 118 points – 18 of 28 first place votes, 84% share

Chipper Jones, Atl.: 104 points – 10 first place votes, 74% share

Quilvio Veras, Fla.: 14 points – 10% share

Jason Isringhausen, NYM: 4 points – 3% share

John Mabry, StL.: 4 points – 3% share

Carlos Perez, Mon.: 4 points – 3% share

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The Dodgers went 78-66 in the strike-shortened season to finish first in the NL Western Division by 1 game over the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers contended from the start and were briefly in first in the NL West in late June. 5 games behind the Rockies on July 25, they commenced a 15-6 run to regain first place for the first time in six weeks and remained in first or second until clinching the division title against San Diego on Sept. 30, capping a 17-8 run. Nomo was at his best during a 6-0 June in which his ERA was 0.89. Lost NLDS to the Cincinnati Reds, 3 games to 0.

Aftermath of 1995:

Nomo followed up on his outstanding rookie season by posting a 16-11 record in 1996 that included a no-hitter on the road against Colorado. His ERA was 3.19 and he recorded 234 strikeouts, which included 17 in a win against the Florida Marlins. In 1997 Nomo was bothered by a sore elbow that required surgery after the season and went on to a lesser performance of 14-12 with a 4.25 ERA and 233 strikeouts in 207.1 innings pitched. After getting off to a 2-7 start with a 4.92 ERA in 1998, Nomo was traded to the New York Mets in June and went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA the rest of the way. Released by the Mets during spring training in 1999, Nomo caught on with the Milwaukee Brewers where he produced a 12-8 tally and 4.54 ERA with 161 strikeouts while accumulating 176.1 innings. A free agent in the offseason, he signed a one-year deal with Detroit in 2000. Dealing with nagging injuries, his record was 8-12 with a 4.74 ERA and he was prone to giving up home runs (31). He also struck out 181 batters over 190 innings. Moving on to the Boston Red Sox in 2001, he pitched a no-hitter at Baltimore in his first start and went on to a 13-10 tally with a 4.50 ERA and league-leading 220 strikeouts. In the offseason he was offered a three-year deal to return to the Dodgers in 2002. Back with his original major league team, he regained command of his fastball and produced a 16-6 mark with a 3.39 ERA and 193 strikeouts while compiling 220.1 innings for a 92-win club. He had another solid season in 2003 posting a 16-13 record and a 3.09 ERA with 177 strikeouts over 218.1 innings. Nomo had surgery on his rotator cuff in the offseason and the speed of his fastball dropped in 2004. Missing time with inflammation in his rotator cuff, he was briefly sent down to Las Vegas of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and was released following a year in which his major league record was 4-11 with an 8.25 ERA. Signing on with Tampa Bay in 2005 he was released in July with a 5-8 tally and 7.24 ERA. Signed by the Yankees he pitched only in Class AAA and was let go following the season. Signed by the Chicago White Sox in 2006, he pitched only once with Charlotte of the Class AAA International League before being released due to an elbow injury. After a stint with Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League in 2007-08, he signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2008, who sought to convert him to a middle reliever. The experiment failed and he was let go in late April and retired from baseball at age 39. In Japan his career record was 78-46 with a 3.15 ERA, 80 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 1204 strikeouts in 1051.1 innings pitched. In the American major leagues, he went 123-109 with a 4.24 ERA, 16 complete games, 9 shutouts, and 1918 strikeouts in 1976.1 innings. With the Dodgers his record was 81-66 with a 3.74 ERA, 12 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 1200 strikeouts in 1217.1 innings. Nomo appeared in two postseason games and was 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA and 9 strikeouts over 8.2 innings. He was a one-time All-Star who twice received Cy Young votes. Nomo was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 as only the third player to be selected in his first year of eligibility. He set the stage for other Japanese players to come to the American major leagues after first achieving success in Japan.     

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league. 

Cy Young Profile: Greg Maddux, 1995

Pitcher, Atlanta Braves

Age:  29 (April 14)

3^rd season with Braves

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 170 

Prior to 1995:

Maddux was born in Texas, where his father was stationed in the Air Force at the time. Growing up in several different locations due to his father’s postings, Maddux played football and basketball as well as baseball during his youth. Later his father transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas where he retired from the USAF and settled down. Maddux began to concentrate on his pitching at Valley High School. Not possessed of overwhelming speed, he concentrated on developing his control, which came to serve him well. Chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft, Maddux passed up on college to accept a bonus contract from the Cubs. Initially assigned to Pikeville of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, he appeared in 14 games (12 of them starts) and produced a 6-2 record with a 2.63 ERA and 62 strikeouts over 85.2 innings. With Peoria of the Class A Midwest League in 1985 he was 13-9 with a 3.19 ERA and 125 strikeouts. Maddux jumped from Class AA to AAA in 1986 and was a combined 14-4 with a 2.91 ERA, earning a September call-up to the Cubs. Back in Class AAA with Iowa of the American Association in 1987 he was soon recalled to the Cubs where he was a rocky 6-14 with a 5.61 ERA. A strong first half in his breakout season of 1988 garnered Maddux his first All-Star selection on the way to a record of 18-8 with a 3.18 ERA. He started slower in 1989 but finished at 19-12 with a 2.95 ERA, placing third in NL Cy Young Award voting. The Cubs won the NL East and Maddux lost his only NLCS decision in his first taste of postseason action. He was a .500 pitcher at 15-15 with a fourth-place club in 1990, registering a 3.46 ERA and 144 strikeouts. Maddux topped the NL with 263 innings pitched in 1991 as he compiled a 15-11 record with a 3.35 ERA and 198 strikeouts. With command of a large repertoire of pitches, including a fastball, circle changeup, slider, sinker, and curve, Maddux was known for his intelligent and fearless approach to pitching, in which he would throw any pitch in any situation. He was the NL Cy Young recipient in 1992 after posting a 20-11 record with a 2.18 ERA, again leading the circuit in innings pitched with 268. In addition, he recorded 199 strikeouts. A highly sought free agent following his Cy Young Award-winning season, Maddux turned down a large contract offer that would have kept him with the Cubs and signed with the Braves for $28 million. He also resisted a larger offer from the Yankees to go to Atlanta. In 1993 he stepped into a solid pitching rotation that already included LHP Tom Glavine, RHP John Smoltz, and LHP Steve Avery. The Braves were coming off back-to-back pennants and won the NL West in ’93 with Maddux contributing a 20-10 record with a league-leading 2.36 ERA and 267 innings pitched, along with 197 strikeouts. He received his second NL Cy Young Award. An excellent fielding pitcher, he also won his fourth consecutive Gold Glove. He was 1-1 in the NLCS loss to Philadelphia. Maddux won another Cy Young Award following the strike-shortened 1994 season when he went 16-6 with a 1.56 ERA. 10 complete games, and 3 shutouts.

1995 Season Summary

Appeared in 28 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 28

Games Started – 28

Complete Games – 10 [1]

Wins – 19 [1]

Losses – 2

PCT - .905 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [1, tied with Hideo Nomo]

Innings Pitched – 209.2 [1, tied with Denny Neagle]

Hits – 147

Runs – 39

Earned Runs – 38

Home Runs – 8

Bases on Balls – 23

Strikeouts – 181 [3]

ERA – 1.63 [1]

Hit Batters – 4

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 1

League-leading complete games were +3 ahead of runner-up Mark Leiter

League-leading wins were +1 ahead of runner-up Pete Schourek

League-leading win pct was +.185 ahead of runner-up Pete Schourek

League-leading ERA was -0.91 lower than runner-up Hideo Nomo

Midseason Snapshot: 8-1, ERA - 1.64, SO - 86 in 104.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 11 (in 9 IP) at Philadelphia 7/1

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) at Houston 5/28

Batting

PA – 81, AB – 72, R – 8, H – 11, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 3, SO – 22, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .153, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 71

Put Outs – 18

Assists – 53

Errors – 0

DP – 3

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Pitching: G – 5 (NLDS vs. Colorado – 2 G, NLCS vs. Cincinnati – 1 G, World Series vs. Cleveland – 2 G)

GS – 5, CG – 1, Record – 3-1, PCT – .750, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 38, H – 35, R – 14, ER – 12, HR – 4, BB – 7, SO – 19, ERA – 2.84, HB – 2, BLK – 0, WP – 1

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

All-Star

3^rd in NL MVP voting (249 points, 7 first place votes, 64% share)

NL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Greg Maddux, Atl.: 140 points – 28 of 28 first place votes, 100% share

Pete Schourek, Cin.: 55 points – 39% share

Tom Glavine, Atl.: 30 points – 21% share

Hideo Nomo, LAD: 29 points – 21% share

Ramon Martinez, LAD: 8 points – 6% share

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Braves went 90-54 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 21 games over the New York Mets & Philadelphia Phillies. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.44), complete games (18), strikeouts (1087), and fewest hits allowed (1184). Falling five games behind the division-leading Phillies in June, the Braves put together a 20-7 July that started with a 9-game winning streak and ended with the club in first place by 8.5 games. They coasted to the NL East title. Won NLDS over the Colorado Rockies, 3 games to 1. Won NLCS over the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 0. Won World Series over the Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 2.

Aftermath of 1995:

The cerebral pitcher known as “the Professor” remained with the Braves through 2003, continuing to be one of the National League’s best pitchers throughout his tenure. In 2004 he returned to the Cubs as a free agent and was 16-11 with a 4.02 ERA. He had a losing 13-15 record in 2005 and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2006 season. He signed with San Diego in 2007, and after posting a 14-11 record at age 41, Maddux was 6-9 in 2008 when he was dealt back to the Dodgers in August, where he finished out his career. Overall, Maddux compiled a 355-227 major league record with a 3.16 ERA and 3371 strikeouts over 5008.1 innings pitched. He also hurled 109 complete games that included 35 shutouts. With the Braves he was 194-88 with a 2.63 ERA and 1828 strikeouts. In 35 postseason games, his record was 11-14 with a 3.27 ERA and 125 strikeouts over 198 innings. In addition to winning four Cy Young Awards, Maddux was an eight-time All-Star and 18-time Gold Glove recipient. The Cubs retired his #31 as did the Braves. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Maddux was also inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2009. His brother Mike pitched for nine major league teams over 15 years.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.   

MVP Profile: Barry Larkin, 1995

Shortstop, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  31 (Apr. 28)

10^th season with Reds

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 185

Prior to 1995:

A Cincinnati native, Larkin starred in football as well as baseball at that city’s Archbishop Moeller High School. Selected by the Reds in the 1982 amateur draft he decided to attend the Univ. of Michigan where he anticipated playing both sports. Larkin was advised to redshirt his freshman year in football and concentrated on baseball, where he became a two-time Big 10 Baseball Player of the Year. He also earned a spot on the US Olympic Baseball team in 1984 and was again drafted by the Reds, this time fourth overall in 1985. He was first assigned to Vermont of the Class AA Eastern League in ’85 and batted .267 in 72 games. Advancing to the Denver Zephyrs of the Class AAA American Association in 1986 Larkin hit .283 and was named to the league’s All-Star team. Receiving an August call-up to the Reds, he hit .283 in 41 games and made enough of an impression to receive a vote in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. Larkin overcame an early-season knee injury in 1987 to beat out another top prospect, Kurt Stillwell, as the starting shortstop. He batted .244 but the line-drive hitter began to exhibit some power with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases. He was an All-Star for the first time in 1988 on the way to improving his batting average to .296 along with 32 doubles, 5 triples, 12 home runs, and 56 RBIs while stealing 40 bases. He had a rough season in the field due to hand injuries and committed 29 errors. Larkin got off to a strong start in 1989 and was batting .340 at the All-Star break. Once again an All-Star selection, he injured his elbow while participating in an All-Star skills competition and missed most of the second half of the season. He ended up appearing in just 97 games and hit .342 with 22 extra base hits. Cincinnati topped the NL West and won the World Series in 1990 and Larkin contributed a .301 batting average with 25 doubles, 6 triples, 7 home runs, and 67 RBIs, along with 30 stolen bases. In the field he led all NL shortstops with 469 assists and 86 double plays. In addition to being an All-Star he received a Silver Slugger and finished seventh in NL MVP voting. In the post-season he hit .353 in the World Series sweep of Oakland. Larkin followed up in 1991 with a .302 average and 20 home runs along with 69 RBIs. Another solid season in 1992 was followed by a 1993 season in which he was limited to 100 games by injuries (a common problem with the Reds that year), but he still batted .315 with 8 home runs and 51 RBIs and remained a stellar performer in the field. He also received the Roberto Clemente Award in recognition of his team leadership and work within the community as well as on-field achievements. In the strike-shortened 1994 season Larkin hit .279, due to a slow start, and received his first Gold Glove. By 1995 he was widely considered to be the best all-around shortstop in the NL.

1995 Season Summary

Appeared in 131 games

SS – 130

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 567

At Bats – 496

Runs – 98 [5]

Hits – 158 [10]

Doubles – 29

Triples – 6 [12, tied with five others]

Home Runs – 15

RBI – 66

Bases on Balls – 61 [19, tied with Eric Karros]

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 49

Stolen Bases – 51 [2]

Caught Stealing – 5

Average - .319 [6]

OBP - .394 [9]

Slugging Pct. - .492 [17]

Total Bases – 244 [19]

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 3

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – 4

Midseason snapshot: HR - 6, RBI – 29, SB – 22, AVG – .289, SLG PCT - .458

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 6 AB) at Pittsburgh 8/26

Longest hitting streak – 13 games

HR at home – 8

HR on road – 7

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 3 AB) at Atlanta 5/13, (in 6 AB) at San Francisco 7/27

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 5 at San Francisco 7/27

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 544

Put Outs – 192

Assists – 341

Errors – 11

DP – 72

Pct. - .980

Postseason Batting: 7 G (NLDS vs. LA Dodgers – 3 G; NLCS vs. Atlanta – 4 G)

PA – 33, AB – 31, R – 3, H – 12, 2B – 2,3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 1, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 3, SB – 5, CS – 1, AVG - .387, OBP - .424, SLG - .516, TB – 16, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

All-Star (started for NL at SS)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Barry Larkin, Cin.: 281 pts. - 11 of 28 first place votes, 72% share

Dante Bichette, Col.: 251 pts. – 6 first place votes, 64% share

Greg Maddux, Atl.: 249 pts. – 7 first place votes, 64% share

Mike Piazza, LAD: 214 pts. – 3 first place votes, 55% share

Eric Karros, LAD: 135 pts. – 34% share

(1 first place vote for Ron Gant, Cin., who ranked 11th)

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Reds went 85-59, in the strike-shortened season, to finish first in the NL Central Division by 9 games over the Houston Astros while leading the league in doubles (277), and stolen bases (190). Won NLDS over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 0. Lost NLCS to the Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 0.

Aftermath of ‘95:

Larkin followed up with yet another All-Star season in 1996 in which he batted .298 with a career-high 33 home runs and 89 RBIs. He missed the final month of the 1997 season with a heel injury but still hit .317 with a drop-off in power. Larkin played his entire major league career with the Reds, finishing in 2004, although injuries were more of an issue in his last few years with the club. He batted .295 with 2340 hits that included 441 doubles, 76 triples, and 198 home runs. He also accumulated 960 RBIs and 379 stolen bases. A 12-time All-Star he also received 9 Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. The Reds retired his #11 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2008. His brother Stephen appeared in one game with the Reds in 1998.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.