Nippon Ham
On May 10, 1994, Gross was purchased from the Los Angeles Dodgers by the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League. This explains his absence from Major League Baseball from 1994 until 1998. He was highly successful in Japan, leading the league in wins from 1995 until 1996. He returned to the United States in 1998 to undergo surgery. He is remembered by baseball enthusiasts as one of the finest non-Japanese players to have played in the Japanese Leagues and for the Nippon Ham Fighters.