Nippon Professional Baseball players like the Lee brothers, Leron Lee and Leon Lee, Greg "Boomer" Wells, Randy Bass, and Ralph Bryant playing key roles on their NPB teams. In 1995, star pitcher Hideo Nomo "retired" from the Kintetsu Buffaloes and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nomo pitched over the span of 14 seasons in the Major Leagues before retiring in 2008. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. He twice led the league in strikeouts, and also threw two no-hitters (the only Japanese pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Major League Baseball until Hisashi Iwakuma achieved the feat in
Takehiro Ishii at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Baseball World Cup. He led all pitchers in the 1988 Cup in strikeouts (32 in 27-1/3 IP), beating out the likes of Andy Benes, Ben McDonald, Charles Nagy, Jim Abbott, Hideo Nomo and Orlando Hernández. Ishii went 3–0 with a save and a 0.99 ERA. He allowed only two walks and 15 hits. He joined Abbott as the tourney's All-Star pitchers. He tried to save the semifinals after Hideo Nomo faltered in the 8th but allowed a single, triple, and a balk without retiring anyone in the loss to Cuba that eliminated