Early life Nomura was born in the coastal fishing village of Amino (now
Kyōtango) in
Kyoto Prefecture. When he was three years old, his father died of disease while serving in China during the
Second Sino-Japanese War. Nomura grew up in poverty with his mother and older brother. With the help of his brother, he was able to attend high school.
Playing career After graduating from Mineyama High School, Nomura joined the
Nankai Hawks after a tryout in 1954. The team's manager at the time believed he'd at least be useful as a catcher for pitching practice. That year, Nomura played in nine games and went hitless for the season. The Hawks discussed cutting him from the team, however, he was given another chance reportedly after Nomura offered to play for free and even threatened to throw himself in front of a train if he was let go. He finished his career with 2901 hits. In 1965, Nomura won the league's first
Triple Crown. He was a player-manager between 1970 and 1977. He played for 26 years, the longest NPB playing career until
Kimiyasu Kudo pitched in his 27th season in 2008; Kudo retired in 2010 having played 29 seasons.
Managerial career Nomura began his 24-year managerial career as
player-manager of the Hawks in 1970. During his eight-year stint as Hawks manager, he led the team to the Pacific League title in 1973. After his playing career, Nomura went on to become a full-time manager. From 1990 to 1998, he managed the
Yakult Swallows, leading them to four league titles and three
Japan Series championships. During what became known as the "golden age of Yakult", Nomura became known for his theory of "ID baseball" based on the philosophy of "thinking baseball". Nomura mentored many talented players, including
Tetsuya Iida, who became known as the "poster child for ID baseball", Following his role as Yakult manager, Nomura joined the
Hanshin Tigers and managed the team from 1999 to 2001. The team finished last in the
Central League all three seasons. On December 5, 2001, his wife, television personality Sachiyo Nomura, was arrested for
tax evasion. Nomura resigned from his managerial position the next day. His wife was accused of hiding ¥45 million of his income, however Nomura was not accused of any criminal responsibility. After the scandal, Nomura managed the amateur corporate league team Shidax from 2003 to 2005. He left after three seasons to return to NPB. The
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles had a poor showing during their inaugural 2005 season. It was the first PL club in 40 years to lose at least 90 games in one season. They finished with a 38–97–1 record. Hoping to improve for their second season, the team hired Nomura to manage the club because of his experience. Over his 26-season playing career, however, Nomura amassed a number of awards, titles and records. During his time with the Hawks, he won five Pacific League
MVP Awards – the most of any PL player and second-most all-time. Nomura also led the PL in home runs for nine seasons, eight of which were consecutive and won 19
Best Nine Awards for best catcher in the league. He accumulated 657 home runs, 1,988 RBIs and 2,901 hits in 3,017 games, all of which are 2nd in the all-time rankings. his copper plaque depicts him wearing his cap backwards with no team logo visible. == Personal life ==