Hiroki Nomura

2.1. Childhood and formative years

Born in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroki Nomura harbored a childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He frequently visited the old Hiroshima City Stadium with his allowance and rice balls to watch professional games. His father, a former member of the Koryo High School baseball team, spent countless hours practicing baseball with him during his boyhood. Nomura joined the Little League Hiroshima Chuo Little team in his second year of elementary school. During his time with the team, he was recognized as both the ace pitcher and the cleanup hitter. His teammates included Tomonori Kanemoto, who was one year his senior, and comedian Keiichi Yamamoto, who was two years older. After one year, Nomura transferred to the Hiroshima Jaguars of the Boys League, a team that had been long managed by Fukuo Koba, the younger brother of former professional baseball manager Takeji Koba.

Despite being right-handed for everyday activities like writing or using scissors, Nomura became a left-handed pitcher due to his admiration for Hoshi Hyuuma, the protagonist of the manga series Star of the Giants, who famously pitched left-handed despite being naturally right-handed. Nomura believes that throwing with both arms since childhood contributed to his balanced physique. Between his high school acceptance and junior high graduation, Nomura trained under a professional trainer in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima City. During this period, he trained alongside Kazuhisa Kawaguchi, who was then a star pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Kawaguchi affectionately referred to Nomura as "boy" (小僧_kozo^Japanese), a nickname Kawaguchi still remembered when they reconnected years later.

2.2. PL Gakuen High School

Nomura enrolled in PL Gakuen High School, renowned for its strong baseball program. After the team's victory in the summer Koshien Tournament with star players like Masumi Kuwata and Kazuhiro Kiyohara, Nomura assumed the role of ace pitcher for the new team. He participated in the autumn Osaka Prefecture and Kinki regional tournaments but was not included on the bench for the following spring's invitational tournament. In 1987, as the ace of a formidable team that featured talents such as Izumi Kuwata (Masumi Kuwata's younger brother), Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (who later played for the Chunichi Dragons), Atsushi Kataoka (later with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), Kiyoshi Hashimoto (who joined the Yomiuri Giants), and Shinya Miyamoto (a year his junior, later of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows), Nomura played a crucial role in PL Gakuen becoming the fourth school in history to achieve consecutive spring and summer Koshien championships. During this successful run, he made 10 appearances, recording 6 wins and 0 losses. Due to concerns about his stamina, Nomura often moved to play left field during games after pitching. His contributions, alongside fellow pitchers Hashimoto and Mitsuhiro Iwasaki (who later played for Aoyama Gakuin University and Shin-Nippon Steel Tokai REX), were collectively known as "The Three Arrows."

Prior to the professional draft, Nomura initially did not anticipate being drafted and had planned to continue his baseball career by attending Toyo University. However, in the 1987 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, he received a third-round selection from the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. Although 12 professional teams reportedly showed interest in him, only Taiyo and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes primarily evaluated him as a pitcher, with the other 10 teams considering him more as a position player.

3.1. Draft and early professional years

Hiroki Nomura officially joined the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1988. He spent his initial time gaining experience in the minor leagues before being promoted to the first team towards the end of the season. On October 2, 1988, in a game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp at Yokohama Stadium, Nomura made his professional debut as a starter and achieved a rare feat: a no-walk complete game shutout victory. This made him only the fifth high school rookie in Nippon Professional Baseball history to achieve a complete game shutout in their debut.

In 1989, Nomura was given more opportunities, appearing in 33 games, with 12 starts. However, he struggled with stamina, often faltering in the middle innings, which resulted in a record of 3 wins and 11 losses with a high earned run average of 5.89. In the offseason of 1989, Masakatsu Otani was appointed as the pitching coach. Under Otani's intense guidance and training, Nomura significantly improved his stamina and developed the ability to pitch complete games effectively.

3.2. Peak performance and achievements

In 1990, Hiroki Nomura officially changed his registered name from "Hiroshi Nomura" to "Hiroki Nomura." He quickly gained recognition as a "Giants Killer" after securing three consecutive complete game victories against the Yomiuri Giants on April 19, May 10, and May 26. On June 5, 1990, Nomura faced Masaki Saito of the Giants, a 20-game winner from the previous year who had been undefeated against Taiyo since 1985. Nomura limited the Giants to two runs over seven innings. Although he did not earn the win, Yutaka Takagi hit a go-ahead two-run home run off Saito in the ninth inning, which halted Saito's impressive winning streak against Taiyo. This season marked Nomura's first time achieving double-digit wins in his professional career, and he also made his debut appearance in the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game.

In 1991, he continued his strong performance, securing 15 wins for his second consecutive season with double-digit victories. Nomura himself regards 1991 as his best season in professional baseball. He was appointed the opening day starter in 1992 but recorded only 5 wins that season. In 1993, he had an outstanding season with 17 wins and 6 losses, earning him the most wins title in the league. However, the demanding schedule, which sometimes saw him pitch three games in a single week, began to take a toll, and he started to feel cumulative fatigue. This led to a slump in 1994, where he battled elbow and lower back pain throughout the season, finishing with a 5-5 record. He made his second opening day start in 1995 but continued to struggle with elbow and lower back issues, resulting in a 4-7 record.

In 1996, Nomura achieved his third double-digit win season, recording 10 victories after a three-year hiatus. A notable performance occurred on April 23 at Hiratsuka Stadium against the Hanshin Tigers: Nomura pitched a complete game, allowing only two runs, and in the bottom of the seventh inning, with his team trailing 0-2, he hit a crucial go-ahead three-run home run off Seishi Funaki, leading his team to a 3-2 victory in a single-handed effort. On July 1, 1997, against the Chunichi Dragons, Nomura pitched five perfect innings. Although he allowed his first hit in the sixth inning to Yusuke Torigoe, he promptly induced a double play from the next batter, Ken Kadokura, keeping the score clean. He continued to pitch effectively, allowing only one hit and no walks over eight innings. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki finished the ninth inning with three batters, completing what was effectively a quasi-perfect game (27 batters faced by Nomura and Sasaki combined). That season, Nomura recorded his second consecutive double-digit win season and his first shutout in four years, contributing significantly to the team's first A-class finish in seven years and their highest ranking in 18 years, securing second place.

The pinnacle of his career came in 1998, when he secured 13 wins, leading the team in victories for the third consecutive season with double-digit wins. His stellar performance was instrumental in the team's first league championship in 38 years and their subsequent Japan Series title. Nomura was selected as the opening day starter for the 1998 Japan Series against the Seibu Lions. He effectively contained the Seibu offense, holding them scoreless for five innings. Demonstrating his strong batting skills, he also hit two doubles in the fourth and fifth innings, contributing to crucial scoring rallies that overwhelmed the Lions. Although he eventually gave up two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings and was removed from the mound in the seventh, he was credited with the victory in Game 1, marking the Yokohama BayStars' first Japan Series win in 38 years. However, in his second start of the series, Game 4, he struggled against the Seibu lineup, being knocked out in the sixth inning and taking the loss. Manager Hiroshi Gondo showed immense trust in Nomura, even planning a rotation that would have him start three games in the series, cycling through pitchers like Takashi Saito, Daisuke Miura, Tsutomu Kawamura, and Nomura himself.

3.3. Injury and retirement

The continuous strain from pitching through elbow pain to help the team win the 1998 championship ultimately led to a severe injury, preventing Hiroki Nomura from pitching effectively after that season. At 29 years old, 1998 effectively became the culmination of his professional baseball career. During spring training in 1999, he noticed numbness in his left hand. Despite attempts to manage the condition by taping and draining fluid from his elbow during the start of the season, the swelling in his elbow and the numbness in his fingertips became unbearable, leading him to undergo left elbow surgery in May. Even after more than six months post-surgery, the pain persisted. For the remaining three years of his career, Nomura described his struggle as a battle against himself rather than opposing batters.

On August 5, 2001, in a game against the Yomiuri Giants at Yokohama Stadium, Nomura pitched a complete game, allowing only one run, to achieve his 100th career win. He became the first homegrown pitcher for the BayStars to reach this milestone in 14 years, since Akio Saito. Although he had accumulated 94 wins by the end of the 1998 season, the lingering effects of his left elbow injury significantly delayed this achievement. Nomura expressed mixed feelings about reaching the milestone, stating that it "took so long that I wasn't even happy to reach it." In 2002, the left elbow injury recurred, as it had not fully healed, prompting his decision to retire from professional baseball. A retirement game was held for him towards the end of the season, where his former teammate Kazuhiro Sasaki, then playing for the Seattle Mariners, presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

4.1. Pitching style

Hiroki Nomura, despite being right-handed for everyday activities like writing or using scissors, became a left-handed pitcher due to his childhood admiration for Hoshi Hyuuma from Star of the Giants, who also famously pitched left-handed despite being naturally right-handed. Even in his prime, his fastball velocity was just under 90 mph ^{(145 km/h)}. He did not possess a particularly outstanding breaking ball, yet he managed to record 998 career strikeouts. Before his elbow injury, Nomura primarily relied on his fastball and forkball to get batters out. However, after his injury, he adapted his style, emphasizing control and pitching artistry. To make his fastball appear faster, he learned to throw a variety of pitches, including a slider, slow curve, sinker, screwball, and split-finger fastball. He would strategically distribute these diverse pitches both inside and outside the strike zone to effectively retire batters. Nomura was known for his fast pitching tempo, often described as "tear and throw" (ちぎっては投げ、ちぎっては投げ_{chigitte wa nage, chigitte wa nage}^Japanese). This rapid pace was intentional, aimed at denying batters time to think and analyze his pitches.

4.2. Batting ability

Despite being a pitcher, Hiroki Nomura possessed exceptional batting skills. During his high school career at PL Gakuen, he even hit a home run at Koshien, and at one point, he was more highly regarded as a hitter than a pitcher. In his professional career, as a starting pitcher, he recorded a batting average of .250 or higher in four separate seasons. He also amassed a total of six career home runs. There were seasons where he maintained a batting average close to .300 well into the middle of the season. A memorable instance of his batting prowess occurred on April 23, 1996, in a game against the Hanshin Tigers. With his team trailing 0-2 in the seventh inning and runners on first and third, Nomura expected to be replaced by a pinch-hitter. However, manager Akihiko Oya told him, "Nomura, there's no one to replace you." Remaining at the plate, Nomura swung decisively and hit a game-changing, go-ahead three-run home home run, leading his team to victory. Even in 1998, the year his team won the championship, he recorded his highest batting average as a qualified pitcher at .250, along with one home run and eight RBIs, which are statistics comparable to a position player. Interestingly, Katsuya Nomura, the manager of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at the time, would hold team meetings specifically on "how to contain batter Hiroki Nomura."

4.3. "Giants Killer"

Hiroki Nomura is widely known for his exceptional performance against the Yomiuri Giants, earning him the nickname "Giants Killer." Throughout his career, he compiled a record of 25 wins and 17 losses against the Giants, resulting in an impressive winning percentage of .680. This winning percentage is the highest among all pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball history who have recorded 25 or more victories against the Yomiuri Giants.

5.1. Coaching career

In 2003, Hiroki Nomura embarked on his coaching career, serving as the pitching coach for the Shonan Searex, the minor league team of the Yokohama BayStars. He was then promoted to the pitching coach for the main Yokohama BayStars team in 2004. However, he resigned from this position at the end of the 2005 season following the hiring of Hideyuki Awano as pitching coach.

Nomura returned to the Yokohama BayStars as pitching coach in 2007, initially overseeing the bullpen until 2009, and then serving as the bench coach in 2010. During his second tenure, the team's pitching staff performance declined; in both 2008 and 2009, they recorded the only team ERA above 4.00 in the Central League, and in 2010, they had the worst team ERA among all 12 professional teams. Consequently, he departed the team at the end of the 2010 season.

5.2. Baseball commentator and media activities

After his initial coaching stint, Hiroki Nomura became a baseball commentator and critic. In 2006, he served as a baseball commentator for Nippon Broadcasting System, tvk, and J Sports, and as a baseball critic for Sankei Sports. From 2011, he resumed his roles as a commentator for Nippon Broadcasting, tvk, and J Sports, and as a critic for Sankei Sports. He also became a regular baseball commentator for Fuji Television's sports news program Suporuto!, a position he held until April 1, 2016.

Since 2012, Nomura has also appeared on Fuji Television's baseball broadcasts, including Enjoy! Baseball and SWALLOWS BASEBALL L!VE, and remains actively involved with the Fuji Sankei Group. From 2016, he began serving as a guest commentator for Yomiuri TV, TBS Channel, and Sponavi Live (covering Yokohama DeNA BayStars games).

5.3. Other activities

In January 2014, Hiroki Nomura's student baseball eligibility was reinstated, allowing him to coach amateur baseball teams. In February 2015, he was appointed as a special coach for the Obirin University baseball team. He primarily provides pitching instruction on weekends and during university breaks, such as summer and spring holidays. During his time at Obirin, he notably coached Chihaya Sasaki, who later went on to play for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

6.1. Background and influences

During his time at PL Gakuen High School, Hiroki Nomura's classmates included Takahiro Nabeyama. Nomura was a childhood fan of his local team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and admired players such as Koji Yamamoto, Sachio Kinugasa, and Kojiro Iketani. His mother, however, was a great admirer of Takeji Koba, who was then the manager of the Carp. This led to a unique anecdote where Nomura, as a child, would sleep in pajamas printed with Koba's uniform number 72, rather than a player's number. Koba later became the manager of the Yokohama Taiyo Whales when Nomura was drafted. Despite having planned to attend university, Nomura ultimately decided to turn professional after being drafted by Koba, indicating the significant influence the manager had on his decision.

6.2. Family

Hiroki Nomura's second son, Masahiro Nomura, also pursued a career in baseball. After playing for Obirin University, he played as an outfielder for the Kanagawa Future Dreams in the Baseball Challenge League in 2021. Since 2022, Masahiro Nomura has been playing as an infielder for the Hitachi Ltd. Baseball Club.

7.1. Pitching statistics

The team "Taiyo" refers to the Yokohama Taiyo Whales, which changed its team name to "Yokohama" (Yokohama BayStars) in 1993.

7.2. Batting statistics

Over his career, Hiroki Nomura achieved a batting average of .196, with 92 hits, 6 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 1 stolen base.

7.3. Titles and awards

• Most Wins title: 1 time (1993)
• JCB-MEP Award: 1 time (1991)

7.4. Milestone records

• Firsts (Pitching)
  • First appearance, first start, first win, first complete game, first shutout: October 2, 1988, against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Game 24 at Yokohama Stadium.
  • First strikeout: Same game, in the top of the 4th inning against Tsuguhiko Kobayakawa.
• Milestone Records
  • 1000 innings pitched: Achieved on October 6, 1996, against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Game 26 at Yokohama Stadium, in the top of the 3rd inning with one out. He was the 270th player in Nippon Professional Baseball history to reach this milestone.
  • 100 wins: Achieved on August 5, 2001, against the Yomiuri Giants in Game 21 at Yokohama Stadium, with a 9-inning, 1-run complete game victory. He was the 117th player in NPB history to reach this milestone.
  • 1500 innings pitched: Achieved on August 25, 2001, against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 21 at Yokohama Stadium, by striking out Shugo Fujii in the top of the 5th inning with three outs. He was the 148th player in NPB history to reach this milestone.
• Firsts (Batting)
  • First hit: October 16, 1988, against the Chunichi Dragons in Game 26 at Yokohama Stadium, in the bottom of the 3rd inning against Masahiro Yamamoto.
  • First RBI: July 15, 1989, against the Chunichi Dragons in Game 15 at Nagoya Stadium, in the top of the 2nd inning against Takamasa Suzuki.
  • First home run: September 26, 1990, against the Yomiuri Giants in Game 25 at Tokyo Dome, a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning against Hiromi Makihara.
• Other Records
  • Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game appearances: 3 times (1990, 1991, 1993).

7.5. Uniform numbers and registered names

Throughout his playing and coaching career, Hiroki Nomura used several uniform numbers and registered names.

• Uniform numbers
  • 21 (1988-2002) - Player
  • 79 (2003) - Coach
  • 71 (2004-2005) - Coach
  • 75 (2007-2010) - Coach
• Registered names
  • Nomura Hiroshi (野村 弘_{Nomura Hiroshi}^Japanese) (1988-1989)
  • Nomura Hiroki (野村 弘樹_{Nomura Hiroki}^Japanese) (1990-)

8.1. Broadcast appearances

• Nippon Broadcasting Show Up Night Games
• tvk Yokohama DeNA BayStars Enthusiastic LIVE Baseball Broadcast
• J Sports J SPORTS STADIUM (primarily covering games hosted by Hiroshima and Chunichi)
• Fuji Television Suporuto! (2011-2016; regular Sunday commentator in 2012, also appeared on weekdays)
• Enjoy! Baseball (2012-)
• L!VE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
• SWALLOWS BASEBALL L!VE (2013-)
• Professional Baseball News
• Fuji Television Lion no Gū Tatchi (Goo Touch Supporter)

8.2. Books and film

• Film
  • The Blood of Wolves: Level 2 (孤狼の血 LEVEL2_{Korō no Chi LEVEL2}^Japanese) (released August 20, 2021, distributed by Toei) - Voice appearance only.
• Books
  • Why do PL Gakuen OBs Succeed in Professional Baseball? (PL学園OBはなぜプロ野球で成功するのか?_{PL Gakuen OB wa naze Puro Yakyū de Seikō Suru no ka?}^Japanese) (co-authored with Kiyoshi Hashimoto, Pia, 2009) - Nomura was interviewed for Chapter 9.
  • Tatsunami & Nomura Teach! Pro Thinking for Baseball Boys and Their Parents to Improve (立浪&野村が教える! 野球少年が親子でうまくなるプロ思考_{Tatsunami & Nomura ga Oshieru! Yakyū Shōnen ga Oyako de Umaku Naru Puro Shikō}^Japanese) (co-authored with Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, Shueisha, 2012).