Hideo Nomo retires from baseball

Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo, who pitched a pair of no-hitters and led an influx of Japanese players to the Major League Baseball, announced his retirement this past Thursday. He was named the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is one of only four pitchers to throw no-hitters in both the AL and NL. (The other pitchers were Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan.) Nomo finished his career with a pitching record of 123-109 with a 4.24 ERA. He was on several teams including the Dodgers, Mets, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Rays and Royals. His 123 wins is the most in the MLB by a Japanese pitcher.

In his rookie season, Nomo-mania took baseball by storm. He is best known for his "tornado" windup, where he paused with his arms overhead and then twisted his body before throwing. His unique pitching delivery wowed fans while frustrating opposing batters.

Watch Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda talk about Hideo Nomo