The Hideo Nomo celebrity doll depicts him as himself a Japanese Major League Baseball (MLB) professional player in a number 16 Dodgers uniform. Nomo was known for his tornado pitching delivery and played for eight different MLB teams. The doll was made in 1998 by Hasbro (Kenner) as part of its Starting Lineup ’98 Edition of 12 inch dolls.

From the box:

HIDEO NOMO

In ’96, Los Angeles Dodger’s pitcher Hideo Nomo continued his brilliance of the previous year, as he became the 20th player in franchise history to hurl a no-hitter. Nomo’s no-no was all the more impressive because it came against the Colorado Rockies in a hit-happy Coors Field. He finished the year second in the league in strikeouts (234), shutouts (2) and opponents batting average (.216). Pitching for a franchise with a long history of great pitching, Nomo became the first Dodger to record more than 200 strikeouts in each of his first two seasons.

Since coming to the Major Leagues from the Japanese Pacific League in ’95, Nomo has confused and frustrated hitters with his bizarre pitching motion and hard fastball. The 29-year-old right-hander took Rookie of the Year honors in ’95, finishing with a 13-6 record and 2.54 ERA. In 191.1 innings he amassed 235 strikeouts, while allowing only 124 hits and 78 walks. Right-handed batters were almost an automatic out for Nomo: they  hit just .168 against him! In’95, he started the All-Star game, and pitched two scoreless innings; he also made an appearance in the Divisional Series in a loss against CIncinnati.

An outstanding pitcher from the moment he put on the Dodgers uniform, Hideo Nomo and his fans can look forward to many more years of high strikeout and victory totals.

 

Nomo, while not the first Japanese player to play in the MLB, was the first Japanese player to reach star status. He was inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 and also won a baseball Silver Medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics for Japan. He retired in from the MLB in 2008.

The 12 inch Starting Lineup figure comes wearing a grey Dodgers uniform and blue plastic baseball hat with a white LA logo. The uniform shirt and pants are completely removable with snap closures. A royal blue undershirt is underneath the number 16 Hideo Nomo decorated jersey. The jersey has decorative small white button along with the decals. The pants have a blue belt with a golld buckle.  

On the feet are black rubbery plastic baseball cleats and white baseball socks with a blue stripe up the side. Accessories include a small hard plastic 1:6 baseball and a soft rubbery baseball mitt.

Standard 12 inch Starting Line up articulation on the Nomo figures includes neck, shoulders, elbows, wrist, waist, hips, knees, and ankles.

Price check the Hideo Nomo Starting Lineup action figure with these links:
 

To see Hideo Nomo in action, here is him with 17 strike outs in one game in Dodgers Stadium.

There is a Jack Sheldon song There’s No One Like Nomo in his honor.