Dodger Milestones in the Development of International Baseball During the O’Malley Era: The 2000s

Peter O’Malley travels to Sydney, Australia to watch baseball competition in the Olympic Games. Hall of Fame Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda leads the USA team to a gold medal

Pitcher Chan Ho Park becomes the first South Korea-born player to appear in a major league All-Star Game

Longtime Dodger executive Akihiro “Ike” Ikuhara was unanimously voted into the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame as a posthumous selection. Ikuhara is the first Major League Baseball executive to be elected into the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame

Peter O’Malley sponsors and develops the inaugural Akihiro “Ike” Ikuhara and Peter O’Malley Memorial Sports Management Class at prestigious Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. O’Malley was interested in helping students develop skills for careers in sports management and arranges for 12 lectures with prominent speakers, including two U.S. Presidents, through 2009

Ichiro Suzuki said his idea to play in MLB has to give credit to Hideo Nomo. “When I began, I never thought about it much. A really big influence was when (Hideo) Nomo signed a contract to play in the major leagues with the Dodgers. Up until then, it was merely an image in my mind, but when I saw Nomo play on television, the thought of playing in America became much clearer.” Jeff Idelson, “Memories and Dreams,” National Baseball Hall of Fame magazine, July/August 2006