Nomo Debut Great, Dodger Finish Isn’t : Baseball: Japanese pitcher throws five strong innings, but bullpen blows 3-0 lead in 15th against Giants, 4-3.

They rose as one from their seats, and with tears streaming down their faces, unfurled the Japanese flag in Section 12 at Candlestick Park, waving it proudly.

They erupted with cheers the moment Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo emerged from the Dodger dugout, and as Nomo slowly walked to the mound, Section 12 truly realized the significance of every step.

“This is a very, very special day for our country,” said Mitsuko Iwama, who took her son out of school for the event. “I wanted my son to see this because young people see him as a symbol of excellence.

“I’m a Giant fan, and always will be a Giant fan, but like a lot of people here today, I’m a Nomo fan.

“And that makes me proud.”

Nomo, the first Japanese-born player to pitch in the major leagues in 30 years, had the folks dancing in the aisles in Section 12, and perhaps all of Japan.

Nomo was absolutely brilliant in his major league debut, pitching five shutout innings of the eventual 4-3 loss while yielding one hit and striking out seven. The most difficult aspect of Nomo’s day simply was waiting for the game to end. After 5 hours, 16 minutes, the San Francisco Giants wound up with a zany, 15-inning victory.

The game was televised live in Japan at 4:30 in the morning, but the viewers never got the chance to see the Dodgers end their 25-inning scoreless streak with three runs in the top of the 15th, only to give up four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Dodger left fielder Reggie Williams hit a two-out, run-scoring single that finally gave the Dodgers a run in the 15th. Eric Karros followed with a two-run double, seemingly assuring the Dodgers of the victory.

Instead, Rob Murphy retired the first two batters, but then walked left-handed-hitting catcher Jeff Reed. Darren Lewis followed with a single. Manager Tom Lasorda pulled Murphy and brought in Greg Hansell to face Robby Thompson.

Giant Manager Dusty Baker told Thompson simply to get on base, giving Barry Bonds a chance to hit. Thompson defied the order. He hit a three-run home run over the left-field fence.

The Dodgers, having used 25 players--including their entire bullpen and bench--could only sit back and watch Bonds single to left and Matt Williams follow with a double past a diving Reggie Williams in left. The ball rolled to the wall, allowing Bonds to score the game-winner.

Japanese television pulled the plug after Nomo left the game. Since it was a national holiday in Japan, Constitution Day, the folks spent the remainder of the day celebrating their greatest baseball hero since Sadaharu Oh.

“I’m so glad I got to pitch in a real major league game,” said Nomo, whose strikeouts were marked with “K” placards by three Japanese fans. “This is what I always wanted. My dream was realized.”

Nomo arrived at Candlestick in a white stretch limousine, accompanied by Lasorda and hitting coach Reggie Smith. He stayed to himself when he reached the clubhouse, listening to his portable cassette stereo.

He calmly walked on the field, took his warm-up pitches, and then completely overwhelmed the Giants. The only hit he allowed was a third-inning double by Thompson. He struck out seven and walked four of the 19 batters he faced.

By the time Nomo left the game, his fan support had swelled and he was cheered heartily by the crowd of 16,099. For a day, it didn’t matter to Giant fans that they were cheering a Dodger. For a day, Hideo Nomo transcended any silly Giant-Dodger rivalry.

“I’ve been to a lot of games here,” Iwama said, “but I’ve never seen the crowd like this. For a moment, I thought I was at Dodger Stadium.”

Who could blame her, everywhere you looked in Section 12, there were fans rooting for Nomo. Wearing a Dodger cap and sitting in row 25 was Ii Ee. He was scheduled today to return to Osaka, Japan, from his Los Angeles business trip. Instead, he re-routed his trip to San Francisco. Business at the Osaka Panasonic plant can wait. Nomo couldn’t.

“I wanted to see this game very bad,” Ee said. “This is a big day for all of us. I’m going to remember this day for as long as I live.

“My ticket (stub), I’m going to take care of it very well.”

Nearby were Katsuya Egawa and Souch Honda, flight attendants stationed in Napa Valley. They told their bosses they couldn’t possibly work today.

“You kidding, there was no way we were going to miss this,” Honda said. “This is something that one day we’ll be able to tell our grandchildren about.”

Nomo opened the game by throwing two low fastballs, but three pitches later, Darren Lewis became his first major league strikeout victim. He retired Thompson on an infield pop-up, but then walked Bonds, Williams and Glenallen Hill.

Dodger pitching coach Dave Wallace quickly went to the mound and used the little Japanese he knows. “I told him to relax, and hikuku , keep the ball down,” Wallace said, “or at least, that’s what I think I said.”

Nomo, battling Royce Clayton for eight pitches, struck him out on a forkball. The inning, after 32 pitches, was over. Section 12, ignoring its hostile surroundings, went bonkers.

The rest was, well, kantan , easy, for Nomo. He faced only one batter over the minimum, and never was in trouble again. He wound up throwing 91 pitches.

“This was a very, very big start,” said Isao Shibata, former Japanese All-Star center fielder who was at the game with a TV crew. “How he performs shows how far Japanese baseball has come. By him being successful, it will open the door to Japanese people.

“Who knows, maybe now there will be a second Nomo or a third Nomo.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

He Delivers

Hideo Nomo by the numbers: * First Inning 32 pitches, 3 walks

* Next Four Innings 59 pitches, 1 walk

* Overall

Pitches/Strikes 91/51

Strikeouts 7

Walks 4

Hits 1

* vs. Barry Bonds Walk, stolen base, fly out

* vs. Matt Williams Walk, strikeout