Nomo Baseball Club, the amateur team set up by Hideo Nomo, won the national club championship in its first appearance Monday. Nomo Baseball Club shut out Toyama Baseball Club 5-0 in a semifinal game and went on to claim its first national title with an 8-1 rout of Yamato Takada Club in the final at Invoice Seibu Dome.
Left-handed starter Masashi Oya pitched eight shutout innings in the semis and outfielder Kenichi Someya homered to help Nomo Baseball Club take a seven-run lead after five innings in the final.
"I am thrilled. We usually play close games, but the final two games went smoothly since we scored first. I would like to report what we accomplished to Nomo," team manager Nobuhide Shimizu said.
Nomo, the pioneer of Japanese major league players, established the club in 2003 with the aim of giving opportunities for young talent at a time when an increasing number of corporate teams were disbanded amid the economic slump.