The Man, the Mania: Nomo Does No Wrong : Baseball: He strikes out 13 in 3-0 victory over Rockies and has already gained a spot on the All-Star team.

They began chanting his name Thursday night before the national anthem. They unfurled Japanese flags. The playing field and Dodger clubhouse were crammed full of reporters.

There were sights and sounds of Hideo Nomo everywhere. Four teen-age girls were wearing Nomo T-shirts. Three middle-aged men walked out of the Dodger gift shop with nearly $600 in Nomo memorabilia.

Nomomania?

You better believe it.

The paid crowd of 46,295 at Dodger Stadium watched Nomo lead the Dodgers into first place in the National League West with a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies, striking out 13 batters for his second consecutive shutout.

“I never thought I’d see anything like Fernandomania again in my life,” said Dodger broadcaster Jaime Jarrin, who was Fernando Valenzuela’s interpreter. “But it’s coming. Believe me, it is coming.

“This night is the closest thing I’ve seen to Fernandomania, and it’s bringing back very sweet memories of 1981. Fernando was shutting everybody out that year, and Nomo is striking everybody out.”

Dodger fans, infamous for early exits, refused to leave. They stood during the entire ninth inning and screamed when Nomo struck out Walt Weiss to end the game. It was Nomo’s 50th strikeout in his last four games, setting a Dodger record, eclipsing Sandy Koufax’s mark of 49 last accomplished in 1965.

“I’m very happy and honored to be compared to Sandy Koufax,” Nomo said through his interpreter. “But I don’t have records on my mind.”

In shutting down the best-hitting team in the National League, Nomo (6-1) got his NL-best sixth consecutive victory while yielding an 0.89 earned-run average. Montreal’s Felipe Alou, manager of the NL team, said earlier in the day that Nomo, who has a league-leading 109 strikeouts, will represent the Dodgers at the All-Star game.

“The guy’s amazing, he’s unbelievable, he’s awesome,” Manager Tom Lasorda said, pausing to think of more superlatives. “There’s no question he should be part of the National League All-Star team. He deserved it. He earned it.”

Said Todd Worrell, who was warming up in the ninth but was never needed: “Baseball needs Nomo. He’s brought excitement back into the game, certainly to Los Angeles. He’s helping restore a lot of the luster this game has lost.

“We should take advantage of it.”

Nomo, who gave up six hits and struck out at least two batters in six innings, no longer is viewed simply as a curiosity. He has emerged as one of the dominant pitchers in the league. Nomo is yielding a league-low .165 batting average, and his 2.05 ERA is second only to three-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux.

Little wonder that Lasorda received a phone call from an oil company vice president who took a flight in from Tokyo on Thursday just to see Nomo pitch. Apparently, he wasn’t worried about the 14-day advance purchase price or a Saturday layover. He’s headed back to Japan today.

Then, there were the three businessmen who walked out of the Dodgers’ gift shop with three $150 Nomo Dodger jackets, three $25 Nomo T-shirts, and three $10 Nomo baseballs. They passed on the $50 Nomo sweat shirts, the $15 limited edition Nomo baseballs, the $5 Nomo pennants and the $3 Nomo pins.

“I’ve heard so much about Nomo, but this is the first time I’ve seen Nomo pitch,” said Kawai Chiyuki, an insurance salesman. “I’ll be back. You better believe it, I’ll be back.”

Certainly, the attention isn’t fading. The Dodgers issued 131 media credentials for the game, including 75 for Japanese reporters and cameramen. It’s the most media credentials ever provided to a regular-season game at Dodger Stadium, according to the team.

The Dodgers hardly are worried about the record $2-million signing bonus they paid Nomo. They’ve nearly cleared that much money simply in Nomo ticket sales and memorabilia.

“Everybody loves Nomo,” Lasorda said. “The Japanese community. Americans. Baseball. Nomomania is here.”

Dodger fans officially declared their love affair with Nomo in his last start when he pitched a two-hit shutout over the San Francisco Giants. Yet they became rabid this night.

The Dodgers had a 3-0 lead after Mike Piazza hit his 13th homer in the seventh inning (Piazza went three for four, raising his average to .402), but the Rockies loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth. Nomo, looking for a strikeout, instead induced a 1-2-3 double-play ball from Andres Galarraga, sending the fans into a frenzy. When Dante Bichette ended the inning by lining to shortstop Jose Offerman, they gave a loud ovation.

“There’s not too many pitchers who can do what he does,” said Galarraga, who struck out twice. “You think it’s a forkball, and it’s a fastball. Then you think it’s a fastball, and it’s forkball. You just can’t recognize it.”

The same team that lit up Nomo for nine hits, three homers and seven runs in only 4 2/3 innings six weeks ago in Denver could muster only a double among its six hits this night. The heart of the Rockies’ order--Joe Girardi, Larry Walker, Galarraga and Bichette--went one for 14 with six strikeouts.

“The type of team he’ll have a problem with is a team that puts the ball into play and makes him throw strikes,” Rocky Manager Don Baylor said. “When you’re a free-swinging team that seldom walks, he’s going to take advantage of that.”

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Hot Hideo

A look at Hideo Nomo’s last 10 starts:

Date Opp. IP H ER K May 12 St. Louis 4 0 1 5 May 17 Pittsburgh 7 2 0 14 May 23 at New York 6 8 3 7 May 28 at Montreal 6 1/3 4 3 9 June 2 New York 8 2 1 6 June 7 Montreal 8 6 1 4 June 14 at Pittsburgh 8 6 2 16 June 19 at St. Louis 8 1/3 3 1 8 June 24 San Francisco 9 2 0 13 June 29 Colorado 9 6 0 13

Note: Nomo has won his last six games. His 50 strikeouts in last four games surpasses Sandy Koufax’s Dodger record of 49.