BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Hey Dude, Nomo Hangs Up Two Perfect Innings

Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo still might be having difficulty adjusting to life in the United States, and doesn’t know more than a few words of English, but Saturday he started picking up on our culture.

He heard about the Florida lottery jackpot reaching $82 million, so he immediately went out and bought $10 worth of tickets.

He stood up in front of Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda before the team meeting and, after prodding from Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park, yelled out: “Hey, dude.”

He spent his evening playing pool with Park before watching the Larry Holmes-Oliver McCall fight.

And, oh yeah, he just might have won a job in the Dodger starting rotation.

Nomo, who was unable to pitch off a mound until about three weeks ago, dazzled everyone in the first intrasquad game, pitching two perfect innings. He struck out two and allowed only one ball to be hit out of the infield.

“It’s taken him a while,” said Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, “but I would say after what we saw today, he’s got to be a candidate, without question.

“He’s got a chance to compete, and we’ve got some openings.”

Pitching coach Dave Wallace said: “We don’t know what was going through his mind. Maybe he was waiting for this. But he sure showed us something today.”

Nomo needed only 22 pitches to baffle his teammates, impress the Dodger bosses and become a leading candidate to make the Dodgers’ starting rotation when the season opens.

“He’s hard to (pick up) because you just wait and wait,” said strikeout victim Carlos Hernandez. “You don’t know if he’s going to throw the ball to center field or home plate.

“If you’re catching him, you’ve got time to talk to the hitters and see what’s going on.”

Said Reggie Williams, who struck out on a split-finger fastball: “His windup is so slow, when the ball finally comes out of there, it looks like 100 m.p.h.”

Nomo, who originally was scheduled to open the season in triple-A Albuquerque, got a reprieve when the strike ended. Now, he’s three weeks away from realizing his dream of playing in the major leagues.

“I’m not perfect yet,” Nomo said confidently, “but I don’t want to be perfect yet. It will be a lot more fun when the season begins.”

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All-Star catcher Mike Piazza stole the show in the intrasquad game, hitting two home runs in two pitches off Tom Candiotti and Al Osuna and throwing out a baserunner from his knees.