Isami Nomura

1.1. School Years and Education

Nomura attended Sangawa High School in Kagawa Prefecture. After high school, he enrolled in Takushoku University, where he joined the university's baseball club. Initially placed in the B team, he advanced to play in the second division league from his freshman fall. By his fourth year, Nomura secured a regular position and became a key player for the team. During his time at Takushoku University, Junichiro Kishi was a fellow classmate, though Kishi later withdrew from the university.

1.2. Amateur Baseball Career

Following his graduation from Takushoku University, Nomura continued his baseball career with the NTT West Japan corporate baseball team. During his tenure, the team participated in the Intercity Baseball Tournament for three consecutive years, with Nomura making appearances in games from his second year with the team. These experiences further honed his skills and prepared him for the professional draft.

2.1. Professional Draft and Entry

On October 11, 2021, Isami Nomura was selected by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as their fourth-round pick in the 2021 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He officially agreed to terms on December 8, signing a contract that included an estimated signing bonus of 50.00 M JPY and an annual salary of 12.00 M JPY. Upon joining the team, he was assigned uniform number 99. Due to the presence of another player with the same surname, Daiki Nomura, on the roster, Isami Nomura is officially identified on scoreboards and in reports by his full name, "Nomura Isami," and his jersey features the abbreviated back name "I.NOMURA."

2.2. 2022 Season: Rookie Performance

Nomura began his professional career on the first team roster for the 2022 season. His official debut came on March 25, 2022, as a pinch runner during the opening game against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Fukuoka PayPay Dome. Just four days later, on March 29, playing against the Chiba Lotte Marines at ZOZO Marine Stadium, he recorded his first career stolen base. Entering as a pinch runner for Akira Nakamura in the tenth inning, he stole second, advanced to third on a tag up, and scored the decisive run on a fielder's choice.

On April 6, Nomura made his first professional start, playing as the No. 2 batter and left fielder against the Orix Buffaloes. In the third inning of that game, he achieved his first career hit, an infield single off pitcher Daiki Tajima. He continued to demonstrate his hitting prowess by slugging his first professional home run on April 21, a two-run shot off the same pitcher, Daiki Tajima, that struck the center screen at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

A significant milestone occurred on August 21, when Nomura hit two home runs against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, bringing his season total to ten. This achievement made him the 59th player in NPB history and the 21st in the Pacific League to reach double-digit home runs as a rookie, the first since Masataka Yoshida in 2016. He also tied the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' franchise rookie home run record of nine, set by Kazuto Tsuruoka in 1939, and the modern record also held by Kazuo Kageyama (1950) and Kenji Koike (1961). On October 2, in the final regular-season game against the Chiba Lotte Marines at ZOZO Marine, Nomura recorded his tenth stolen base. The play was initially ruled an out but was overturned to safe after a replay review, securing his achievement as the first rookie in the Pacific League in 37 years (since Hiromitsu Kumano in 1985) to reach "10 home runs and 10 stolen bases." He concluded his rookie campaign with a batting average of .239, 10 home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 10 stolen bases over 97 games. During the 2022 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage Game 3, Nomura hit a home run against the Orix Buffaloes, marking the first time a Hawks rookie had homered in the Climax Series, and the first in either league's Climax Series since Yusuke Ohyama in the 2017 Central League Climax Series.

2.3. 2023 Season: Injury and Rehabilitation

The 2023 season proved challenging for Nomura, as he began to experience lower back pain during spring training in February, leading to his placement in the rehabilitation group. On March 31, the same day the professional baseball season opened, he underwent endoscopic vertebral arch formation surgery at a hospital in Amagasaki, with an estimated recovery period of approximately two months. This injury significantly impacted his season, delaying his first registration to the active roster until June 6. As a result, he appeared in only 50 games, roughly half of his rookie season total, and finished with a batting average of .160, 3 home runs, and 7 RBIs.

2.4. 2024 Season: Current Status

Nomura's struggles with injuries continued into the 2024 season. On February 20, during spring training, he sustained a left sciatic bone fatigue fracture, forcing him to withdraw from camp. His return to play remains undetermined.

5.1. Batting Statistics

• Statistics current as of the end of the 2024 season.

5.2. Fielding Statistics

; Infield Fielding

; Outfield Fielding

• Statistics current as of the end of the 2024 season.

5.3. Major Records

; First Records

• First appearance: March 25, 2022, against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, entering as a pinch runner for Nobuhiro Matsuda in the 8th inning.
• First stolen base: March 29, 2022, against the Chiba Lotte Marines at ZOZO Marine Stadium, stealing second base in the 10th inning (pitcher: Yūshi Nishino, catcher: Toshiya Sato).
• First start: April 6, 2022, against the Orix Buffaloes at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, starting as the No. 2 batter and left fielder.
• First at-bat: April 6, 2022, against the Orix Buffaloes at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, grounding out to shortstop against Daiki Tajima in the 1st inning.
• First hit: April 6, 2022, against the Orix Buffaloes at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, an infield single off Daiki Tajima in the 3rd inning.
• First RBI: April 8, 2022, against the Saitama Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome, an RBI single to center field off Bo Takahashi in the 9th inning.
• First home run: April 21, 2022, against the Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome Osaka, a two-run home run to center field off Daiki Tajima in the 5th inning.

5.4. Uniform Number

• 99 (2022-present)

5.5. Entrance Music

• "Walking with you" by Novelbright (2022)
• "Coral" by SPiCYSOL (2022-present)
• "Power" by Little Mix (2023-present)
• "Tatakai no Basho de" (闘いの場所で) by Beagle Crew (2023-present)