By Ethen Lieser
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hideo Nomo delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday May 25. Nomo went on to pitch a one-hitter that game. Photo by Associated Press.
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Hideo Nomo is back. It is a phrase that seemed as distant as Japan itself. But May 25, the older and wiser Nomo one-hit the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming the first Boston Red Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter (April 4) and one-hitter in the same season since Howard Ehmke did in 1923. The main reason for Nomo’s resurgence lies in his control. As a pitcher who relies on his splitter, Nomo must keep the ball down to make hitters chop balls into the ground, something he has been dreaming about the last four years. So far this year, Nomo has as many ground ball outs as fly ball outs. The last two years, Nomo has allowed at least 50 more fly ball outs, which resulted in his bloated ERA of mid-fours. Nomo is 5-3 with a 3.60 ERA this year … Congratulations to the Arizona Wildcats softball team for winning the Women’s College World Series by beating the UCLA Bruins and their blue-chip freshman, Claire Sua, who had a sensational first year, batting .380 with 10 home runs … Seattle Mariners rookie Ichiro Suzuki is currently the top vote-getter for the All-Star game among American League outfielders, which will be played at Safeco Field in Seattle … Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park had two outstanding starts last week, defeating the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies. He pitched into the seventh innings both outings and only allowed one run in each game. The 6-foot-2 righthander is 6-4 this year with a 2.78 ERA … At the PGA Memorial Tournament, Tiger Woods outlasted Sergio Garcia and Paul Azinger for a seven-shot win and took home $738,000. It was his third-straight Memorial Tournament win … Korean golfer Se Ri Pak finished second in the Women’s U.S. Open, eight shots behind tournament champion Karrie Webb.
Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com. |
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