Tigers Sign Pitcher Nomo

Hideo Nomo did well under Phil Garner last year in Milwaukee and he'll get another chance to pitch for the manager this year in Detroit.

Nomo, the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year, agreed Friday to a $1.25 million, one-year contract with the Tigers that gives him the chance to earn a addition $3.25 million in performance bonuses.

"We entered this offseason looking to add experienced starting pitching, and we have done so with the addition of Hideo Nomo," Tigers general manager Randy Smith said.

Nomo, 31, went 12-8 with a 4.54 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 176 innings last year with the Brewers, who fired Garner as manager late in the season.

He was released by the Mets during spring training last year, then signed a minor league contract with the Cubs and was released by Chicago on April 23.

Milwaukee signed him to a minor-league contract six days later and brought him up May 9. He was claimed on waivers after the season but rejected the claim when it became apparent the Phillies weren't interested in offering a multiyear contract for the money he was seeking.

Nomo had put in five professional seasons in his native Japan when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him in February 1995. He went 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 191 innings that year.

He was 16-11 in 1996 and 14-12 in 1997, then had arthroscopic elbow surgery in 1998 and was a combined 6-12 with a 4.92 ERA for the Dodgers and New York Mets.

In 1997, Nomo became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 500 career strikeouts, doing it in 444 2-3 innings. Last Sept. 8, he became the third-fastest pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts, behind only Roger Clemens and Dwight Gooden.

Nomo has a $1 million base salary and can make $1.8 million for starts, getting the full amount if he makes 322. He can earn $1.45 million based on innings up to 210.

Detroit has a $5.5 million option for 2001 with a $250,000 buyout.

Nomo joins right-hander Masao Kida, the first Japanese player with the Tigers. To make room for Nomo, the Tigers designated right-hander Willis Roberts for assignment.

©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed