Start 2/5/2000

その33

「野茂、野茂、野茂！！！」
野茂英雄投手、２度目のノーヒットノーラン達成


現在２００１年４月５日午後１２時４０分。大リーグでは昨日も試合が行われた。テレビの放送こそなかったものの、シアトル・マリナーズはイチローが２安打を放ち勝利。彼の連日の活躍は一日本人として大変嬉しく思う。そして、たまたまテレビでは新庄選手のいるニューヨーク・メッツの試合を放送していた。彼は先発出場ではなく代打で登場。残念ながら外野フライに終わったのだが、その直後のことだ。メッツの試合の放送が一時中断されて、他のチームの試合の放送が流された。

それはボストン・レッドソックスとボルチィモア・オリオールズの試合だったが、９回に入っていまだオリオールズにはヒットがない、つまりノーヒットノーランの可能性があったのである。そして、そのオリオールズを８回まで０安打に抑えてきたのが、なんとあの野茂英雄投手。思わず画面を食い入るように見つめてしまった。
まず無難にピッチャーゴロでワンアウト。そして次の打者がセンターへ抜けようかという当たり。思わず「やられた」と思ったが、セカンドの野手のダイビングキャッチでなんとかアウトに。手に汗握るとはまさにこのことか。そして迎えた次の打者の打ち上げた打球が左翼手のグラブにすっぽりおさまった瞬間、球場は大歓声に包まれた。野茂自身２度目のノーヒットノーランの達成である。

ナショナル、アメリカン両リーグで達成したのはサイ・ヤング、ノーラン・ライアンといった大リーグの歴史上に残る名投手らに次いで史上４人目。大リーグでノーヒットノーランを２度以上記録したのは２１人目。また、４月４日の大記録達成は、これまでの早い日付での記録を３日更新した。

本当に素晴らしいことである。周知のとおり彼は日本人２人目の大リーガーとして活躍を続けてきたが、ここ数年は味方の打線の援護にも恵まれず不調続き。私のような素人目にも、野茂はもう駄目なのかなと映っていたぐらいである。それだけに今回の見事な復活劇は感極まるものがある。

試合後のインタビューで彼は、「何も考えずに捕手のサイン通り投げたのがよかった。ボストンに来て初めてのゲームなので頑張ろうと思っていた。でも、このゲームで終わりじゃない。今後もプレーオフが終わるまで点をやらない投球を続けたい。（敵地での大声援に）アメリカの野球の文化を感じました。」 と言っていたが、多くを語らないこの無欲で謙虚な姿勢はまさに日本人の鏡である。

自分の国民以外のことにあまり関心を示さないアメリカ人ですら、この日の野茂の快挙には脱帽したようで、試合後どのニュース番組を見ても、野茂、野茂、野茂だった。この歴史的瞬間を生放送でみることができた自分は本当に幸せだと心の底から思う。解雇されるなどどんなに厳しい逆境に置かれても決してくじけることなく、マイペースで努力を続けてきた野茂選手に乾杯！！では、最後にＣＮＮのホームページ

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2001/04/04/bos_bal_ap/?s=4


から、彼の快挙に関する記事を紹介してその３３を締めくくろうと思う。特に、野茂投手のインタビューの英訳だけでも読んでいただければ幸いである。ちなみにノーヒットノーランのことを英語ではno-noというそうである。ではとくとご覧あれ。


野茂の快挙に関する記事（from cnn.com）



Nomo begins Red Sox career by no-hitting O's

(Posted: Wednesday April 04, 2001 10:26 PM
Updated: Thursday April 05, 2001 3:23 AM)

Hideo Nomo kept the O's hitless for his second career no-no. AP

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Another no-no for Hideo Nomo.

Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues, using his unique hesitation windup and a brilliant mix of offspeed pitches and high heat in Boston's 3-0 victory over Baltimore on Wednesday night.

"I felt pretty good throughout the game," Nomo said through an interpreter after his spectacular debut for the Red Sox. "As I was going into the ninth inning, I was not nervous."

Second baseman Mike Lansing saved the no-hitter when he made a back-handed, tumbling catch of Mike Bordick's soft looper to center field for the second out of the ninth inning.

"I looked at the location of the ball, looked at Lansing, and I thought he'd catch the ball," said Nomo, who was remarkably calm for a pitcher who had just put his name in the record book.

Two pitches later, Delino DeShields lofted a routine fly to left field that Troy O'Leary caught for the final out. Nomo was lifted up by catcher Jason Varitek and mobbed by his new teammates as O'Leary ran in to give the right-hander the ball.

"I've always heard what a horse Nomo is and he really proved that tonight,"
Varitek said. "He got stronger and his fastball got better as the game went on. His fastball is what made it tonight. He was phenomenal tonight."

The 32-year-old Japanese pitcher, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado's Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in a 110-pitch outing for the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards.

Cal Ripken also reached on an error in the second inning when his grounder went through third baseman Shea Hillenbrand.

Nomo also pitched the earliest no-hitter in baseball history, doing it three days earlier than Houston's Ken Forsch in 1979 and Detroit's Jack Morris in 1984.

The Orioles didn't get anything close to a hit until Lansing's catch in the ninth. Lansing, who entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth, ended it as a star.

"You know what's going on. As soon as I saw it, I put my head down," Lansing said. "I knew I had to go all out and get there. ... He had worked so hard to get that far. I didn't want him to lose it at that point."

The hardest-hit ball was a drive to the warning track in center by Melvin Mora in the second inning, but Carl Everett had more than enough time and room to make the play.

As the game wore on, many in the crowd of 35,602 abandoned the home team and cheered each out.

"People in the U.S. like good baseball, whether you're on the home team or not," Nomo said.

Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

Signed as a free agent during the offseason, Nomo delivered the first no-hitter by a Boston player since Dave Morehead in 1965. His performance this spring offered no clue of what was to come -- in four starts Nomo was 0-3 with an 11.37 ERA.

"Today was my first time throwing for the Boston Red Sox, and I am obviously very happy with my performance," he said.

Nomo won the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers, exciting all of baseball with Nomo-mania. In 1997, Nomo became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 500 career strikeouts, doing it in 444 2/3 innings. But he struggled the past three seasons, going 26-32 for the Dodgers, Mets, Milwaukee and Detroit. He entered the season 69-61 with a 3.97 ERA.

Brian Daubach took care of the offense for Nomo, hitting two home runs off loser Sidney Ponson. The first homer, in the third inning, followed an error by Ripken. He added a solo shot in the eighth.

Ponson pitched well enough to win -- on most nights. He allowed three runs and four hits in 7 1-3 innings, walking one and striking out 10.


その34へ
INDEXに戻る