By now, you’ve probably heard about the drinking prowess of Wade Boggs, who allegedly threw back 64 beers — give or take a few — on a cross-country flight from Boston to Los Angeles during his playing days.
The Hall of Famer apparently isn’t the only former Red Sox player who could absolutely crush airplane brews, though. Hideo Nomo, who spent one season with Boston in 2001, also was a high-altitude tank, if we’re to believe former MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca.
Lo Duca, a four-time All-Star who suited up for four organizations over the course of an 11-year career, never played for the Red Sox, but he shared a clubhouse with Nomo while with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nomo spent parts of seven seasons with the Dodgers over two different stints with the club — one before and one after his Red Sox tenure — and Lo Duca recalls the pitcher being a “legendary beer drinker” who could throw ’em back like nobody’s business.
Lo Duca told a funny story recently on Action Network’s “The Favorites Podcast” about Nomo challenging the Dodgers’ trainer to a beer-drinking contest during a flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. The trainer apparently passed out after about 18 beers, while Nomo downed 35 or so and managed to walk off the plane without any issues.
We’re not sure whether Nomo had any crazy flight binges during his short stint with the Red Sox, but it’s fair to wonder whether the Japanese pitcher could give The Chicken Man a run for his money with a tolerance like that.
Cheers!
