In news that can best be described as "surprising to nobody," the Kansas City Royals have released right-hander Hideo Nomo. For those who may have missed it, the 39-year-old Nomo was attempting a comeback after having not pitched in the big leagues since 2005.

In case Nomo's 7.24 ERA in 100 2/3 innings with the Devil Rays that season hadn't made it clear enough (to say nothing of the 8.25 ERA in 84 innings with the Dodgers the year before), dude is toast. Counting his three appearances this year with the Royals, here's how Nomo's career (presumably) ended:

189 IP, 7.95 ERA, 11.29 H/9, 1.81 HR/9, 4.62 BB/9, 5.57 K/9

Nomo's aggregate ERA+ of 53 over his 10th to 12th big-leagues seasons is historical among pitchers who worked at least 150 innings over that period. The only three other such pitchers since 1901 to post an ERA+ under 70 are Huck Betts (1935, 69 ERA+), Ross Grimsley (1980-82, 65), and Eric Show (1990-91, 66).

It's easy to forget just how good Nomo was when he first came over from Japan. His 11.10 K/9 rate as a rookie in 1995 was fifth highest in big-league history (minimum 162 IP) at the time. The guys in front of him? Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan (twice), and Dwight Gooden.

Nomo also won 123 games despite not arriving in North America until age 26, so yeah, he had a pretty darned good career. Oh, and he threw a no-no at Coors Field, which is just sick.

When you look at the end of Nomo's career and think how crappy he is now, remember that it wasn't always that way. And if you're a fan of Ichiro Suzuki or Daisuke Matsuzaka, maybe say a quick word of thanks to Nomo for making their journey to this side of the Pacific a little easier.