Ryoma Nogami

Ryoma Nogami (野上 亮磨)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 150 lbs.

• High School Kamimura Gakuen High School

• Born June 15, 1987 in Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ryoma Nogami pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 12 years.

Nogami was drafted by the Seibu Lions in the second round of the 2008 NPB draft, and he joined their bullpen as a rookie. He had a 4.45 ERA in 27 appearances in 2009, but his ERA rose to 5.14 in 27 games in 2010. Nogami mainly stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues in 2011, and he led the Eastern League with 9 wins. Thus, he won a spot in rotation in 2012, and he was 8-5 with a 2.97 ERA. He had a 11-7 record with a 3.95 ERA in 2013, and he tied Takayuki Kishi for 5th in wins in the Pacific League. However, he also tied Kishi for the league lead in homers.

The Fukuoka native collected his first complete game on August 22, 2014 in his 73rd start, and he set the NPB record for most starts used to get a complete game. He ended up 8-10 with a 4.49 ERA in 2014, and he was 7-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 2015. Nogami had a 3-9 record with a 3.87 ERA in 2016, then he improved to 11-10 with a 3.63 ERA in 2017. He was 10th in ERA (between Chihiro Kaneko and Taisuke Yamaoka), 8th in wins (tied with Manabu Mima) and 8th in winning percentage (between Mima and Kishi). Nogami was the starter of the 2017 PLCS Stage 1 Game 3, but he allowed 2 runs and 3 walks in 3 2/3 innings and got the loss. The Rakuten Golden Eagles eliminated the Lions in 3 games.

Nogami then announced that he would become a free agent, and he signed a 3-year, 450 million yen contract with the Yomiuri Giants. He was 4-4 with a 4.79 ERA in 2018, and he was removed from the rotation in July. In the 2018 CLCS, he pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings in Game 3 of the final stage, and the Giants were swept by the Hiroshima Carp. Nogami had a 3.50 ERA in 13 games in 2019, but he tore his Achilles tendon on October 20 and missed the 2020 season. Nogami pitched 9 games with a 1.65 ERA in 2021, but he injured his shoulder severely on May 18 and he decided to retire. He was a coach for the minor league team of the Giants in 2024.

Overall, Nogami was 58-63 with a 4.03 ERA, struck out 623 and pitched 1,008 2/3 innings in 12 years in NPB. His repertoire featured a fastball that peaks at 92.6 mph, a slider, forkball, curveball and a changeup.