The San Diego Padres announced the hire of former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo as an advisor for baseball operations. Nomo joins Takashi Saito as former Dodgers pitchers who are now part of the Padres front office.
San Diego hired Saito as a baseball operations intern last November. Logan White is another with ties to the Dodgers who is now with the Padres.
White was with the Dodgers for 13 seasons, including the last two as vice president of amateur scouting. He’s now the Padres senior adviser to general manager A.J. Preller and pro scouting director.
As for Nomo, he’s expected to be involved in player development and baseball operations, as well as aiding the Padres expand their presence in Asia. “I am very happy to join the San Diego Padres and return to Major League Baseball,” Nomo said in a release.
“My hope is that my advice will be handed down to the young players of Padres. It is also an opportunity for me to learn, and I hope to help bring a World Championship to the Padres. I look forward to working with A.J Preller and all of the Padres baseball operations staff.”
Along with the hires of Saito and Nomo, the Padres’ efforts to connect with the Asian market include a goodwill trip last November to Japan. San Diego will also host the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters during Spring Training.
Nomo was the first Japanese player to permanently join the Majors. He went 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA in 1995 with the Dodgers, starting the All-Star Game for the National League, and earning NL Rookie of the Year honors.
Nomo spent seven seasons with the Dodgers (1995-98, 2002-04), with his success paving the way for other Japanese natives such as, Ichiro Suzuki, Daisuke Matsuzaka and recent Dodgers signee Kenta Maeda, among others.
Over a 12-year Major-League career, Nomo went 123-109 with a 4.24 ERA and 1,918 strikeouts. Along with pitching for the Dodgers, he spent time with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals.
Nomo threw two no-hitters in his career, including the only no-hitter ever thrown at Coors Field, which he accomplished in 1996.
