MLB pitcher for 14 seasons, he was the first Japanese-born player to join the American League.
He played professional baseball for Japan's Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994.
He was voted to his first All-Star game and named National League Rookie of the Year in 1995.
He had two children, Takahiro and Yashitaka, with his wife Kikuko Nomo.
He was teammates with slugger Shawn Green on the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001 to 2002.
