Do you remember Hideki Nomo?

The righthander was probably the first imported pitcher from Japan that we recall in our lifetime. In 1995, Nomo was the first Japanese pitcher in the majors since Masanori Murahari had a two-year stay with the Giants in the 1965 and 1966 seasons.

In this week’s Behind the Plate column, I will look at some of the Japanese players who have crossed onto our shores in the last 20 to 30 years, as well as some notable late April highlights and trends with the Phillies, Yankees, and Mets.

Rise of the Sun ... Nomo made major news in the game when he broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 1995. He was known for his slow, methodical delivery and a knuckleball. He soon became an attraction who fans wanted to see in their home ballparks.

Nomo posted a 13-6 record with a 2.54 and a league-high 236 strikeouts in 38 starts. He twirled four complete games and had three shutouts. Nomo helped the Dodgers to the postseason and won the league’s Rookie-of-the-Year award over Atlanta’s Chipper Jones.

Over the next few years, Nomo’s production began to slide, and he was sent to the Mets in 1998 after a 2-7 start with the Dodgers. Nomo never regained his stature as he had stops with the Red Sox, Brewers, Rays, Tigers, and Royals. He did have a second stint with the Dodgers and won 16 games apiece in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

Nomo finished his career with the Royals in 2008. His most productive years were with the Dodgers, where he posted an overall 81-66 record and a 3.74 ERA over seven seasons.

Overall, there have been 59 players from Japan who have played Major League Baseball - 43 of them pitchers.

King of Seattle ... Before the Angels’ Shohei Otani was the most notable Japanese player, there was Ichiro. His one-word reference was as well know to baseball fans as Prince or Cher were in the entertainment industry. He was the 2000s version of a Pete Rose hitting machine.

Ichiro, whose last name was Suzuki, spent 14 years in Seattle, leading the league in hits seven times. In his debut in 2001, Ichiro was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie-of-the-Year, leading the league in batting average (.350), steals (56), and hits (242) in 692 official plate appearances.

Many may have forgotten that Ichiro spent three seasons with the Yankees as well as a three-year stay with the Marlins. In his nearly two full decades in the majors, he had a career .311 batting average with 3,089 hits and 509 stolen bases.

Local Flavor ... The Phillies had two Japanese players - both position players.

Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi spent parts of the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Phillies. He hit .304 in 45 games in 2007, and returned to the team the following year after a stop with the Padres and played in just four games, hitting 286.

Outfielder So Taguchi was a reserve on the 2008 team and hit .220 in 88 games.

The Mets have had nine pitchers and two position players from Japan. Second baseman Kaz Matsui (2004-06) and pitcher Daisuke Matsuska (2013-14) were among the more popular players.

Current Met and former Japanese star Kodai Senga is off to a great start this season with a 2-0 record and 2.38 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Yankees’ outfielder Hideki (Godzilla) Matsui was productive during his run from 2003-09 and pitchers Hideki Irabu (1997-99) and Mashario Tanaka (2014-20) were major contributors.

Aaron and Oh ... In 1974, Hank Aaron established the then new mark of 715 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth’s record. It also was during the early 70s that American baseball learned of Japanese home-run king Sadaharu Oh.

Oh hit 868 home runs in 22 years in the Japanese leagues. His total was often questioned for being legitimate with the overall status of pitching in Japan, and the size of the ballparks.

On Nov. 4, 1974, Aaron and Oh met for a “Home Run Derby” in Tokyo before an estimated crowd of over 50,000. It was before a Mets-Yomiuri Giants exhibition game.

Aaron won the contest, 10-9.

Not A Terrific Trio ... The Phillies, Yankees, and Mets entered Sunday’s play with a combined record of 23-22. Both New York teams had a 9-6 slate, while the Phillies were a miserable 5-10.

Ironically, the Phillies are the majors fifth-best hitting team at a. 282 clip, while the Yankees are 11th (.238), and the Mets are 21st (.220).

Yet, it is still about pitching. The Phils have a team ERA of 5.63 - 27th in the league and ahead of only the White Sox (5.70), Tigers (.587), and A’s (7.97 ouch!). The Yankees have a staff ERA of 3.11 - good for third overall - and the Mets are 12th best with a 4.20 ERA.

There are only two teams in baseball with a staff ERA under 3.00 (Tampa Bay 2.63 and Minnesota 2.64).

The Phillies’ Aaron Nola (1-2) picked up his first win of the season Sunday, and he and Zack Wheeler (0-1) need to get back on track quickly if the Phils are to stay on the Braves’ and Mets’ heels.

Keep an eye on the Twins this season, as they can be a true surprise team with plenty of young talent.

And can anyone name a starting pitcher on the A’s staff?

Rays of Hope ... Tampa Bay had its 13-game winning streak snapped Friday night in a loss at Toronto.

The Rays tied both the 1982 Braves and the 1987 Brewers for the longest winning streak to begin the season.

After its streak, Atlanta lost five straight games in ‘82. It eventually ended the season with a 89-73 mark and won the NL West.

Milwaukee raced to a 20-3 mark to the start the ‘87 season, before it fell back to earth with a 12-game losing streak in May.

Who Were Those Brewers? ... Despite the hot start to the 1987 season, the Brewers finished in third place in the American League East that year - behind both Detroit and Toronto. Their regular season record was 91-71

Paul Molitor had a 39-game hitting streak, and Juan Nieves tossed a no-hitter. Manager Tom Treblehorn led a squad that featured Teddy Higuera, Len Barker, and Chris Bosio as anchors of the pitching staff, and Dan Plesac was the closer.

Molitor, Rob Deer, and Robin Yount were key players in their lineup. One-time Phillie Dale Sveum was the starting shortstop and Cecil Cooper was the DH. If you played in fantasy leagues back then, you knew these guys.

MIchael Jack ... “Swing and a long drive, there it is, number 500! The 500th career home run for Michael Jack Schmidt.” That was the call from legendary Phillies’ broadcaster Harry Kalas on Schmidt’s historic shot in the top of the ninth that gave the Phils a 8-6 victory at Pittsburgh on April 18, 1987.

Schmidt finished his career in 1989 with 548 home runs, 10 Gold Gloves, 12 All-Star appearances, and three MVPs.

Who replaced Schmidt at third base? Charlie Hayes played in 85 games and had a respectable .258 average with eight homers and 53 RBIs.

More Schmidt ... On April 17, 1976, Schmidt crushed four homers against the Cubs in an 18-16 slugfest victory. He tied the National league record for homers in a game and became only the third Phillie to accomplish the feat along with Chuck Klein and Ed Delahanty.

The Cubs built a 12-1 lead before the Phillies’ comeback.

Fantasy Files ... In terms of starters for the Phillies, Yankees, and Mets, there hasn’t been too much shuffling in fantasy projections through the first few weeks of the season.

The Phillies’ Trea Turner is still among the top five players in the league and the gold standard at shortstop. J.T. Realmuto remains among the top values at catcher.

One of the sleeper picks for me is the Phillies’ Alec Bohm. With Bryce Harper out of the lineup, Bohm appears to have turned up his game, and he should be primed for a big season. Keep the faith with Nick Castellanos, who will have something to prove. Brandon Marsh also could be on the rise.

The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge both should have banner years, and they will need to have those to keep the Bombers in contention. Gleyber Torres and Oswaldo Cabrera are my sleeper picks here. Jhony Brito was bombed by the Twins recently, but I would pick him up for the long run.

Pete Alonso and Max Scherzer are the mainstays for the Mets. They have decided to hand off the catching duties to top prospect Francisco Alvarez, and he should be worth making an investment in.

Feedback welcome ... Your comments and thoughts are always welcomed at phillyjets.jm@gmail.com