View source for Jeff Nelson (pitcher)

{{short description|American baseball pitcher (born 1966)}}
{{For|the baseball umpire|Jeff Nelson (umpire)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jeff Nelson
|image=Jeff Nelson Qatar.jpg
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1966|11|17}}
|birth_place=[[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 16
|debutyear=1992
|debutteam=Seattle Mariners
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 2
|finalyear=2006
|finalteam=Chicago White Sox
|stat2label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat2value=48–45
|stat3label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat3value=3.41
|stat4label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat4value=829
|teams=
* [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1995}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|2000}})
* [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{mlby|2001}}–{{mlby|2003}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|2003}})
* [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{mlby|2004}})
* [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{mlby|2005}})
* [[Chicago White Sox]] ({{mlby|2006}})
|highlights=
* [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2001]])
* 4× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1996}}, {{wsy|1998}}–{{wsy|2000}})
}}
'''Jeffrey Allan Nelson''' (born November 17, 1966) is an American sports broadcaster and former [[baseball]] [[relief pitcher]] who played 15 years in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). He batted and threw [[right-handed]]. Nelson had two stints with the [[New York Yankees]], the team with whom he won four [[World Series]] championships. Nelson retired from playing in 2007 after signing a minor league contract with the Yankees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070112&content_id=1778229&vkey=pr_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|title=Former Yankee Jeff Nelson retires|work=New York Yankees|access-date=February 10, 2016}}{{dead link|date=October 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In his MLB career, Nelson pitched in 798 games with a 48–45 win–loss record, and with runners in scoring position and two outs he held batters to a .191 [[batting average against]]. In 55 postseason games (third all time), he compiled a 2–3 record with 62 [[strikeout]]s and a 2.65 [[earned run average]] in {{frac|54|1|3}} [[innings pitched|innings]].  Among hitters whom he dominated most were [[Troy Glaus]], who in 14 at-bats was hitless with 11 strikeouts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/p-pvb.cgi?n1=nelsoje01&year=0#minPA2=5&minPA=5&n1=nelsoje01&as=pitcher&year_game=career&orderby=SO|title=Jeff Nelson vs. Batters - Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref>

Nelson had three stints with the [[Seattle Mariners]] (1992–1995, 2001–2003 and again in 2005). He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most [[games pitched]] (383), and has a 23–20 record with the Mariners. Nelson is currently a television color analyst for the [[Miami Marlins]] and New York Yankees.

==Early life and career==
Nelson grew up in Maryland and played baseball and basketball at [[Catonsville High School]].<ref name="jv">{{cite news |last1=Ritchie |first1=Jabari |title=Whole new ballgame: Jeff Nelson trying his hand at coaching basketball |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030128&slug=jabari28 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |work=[[Seattle Times]] |date=January 28, 2003}}</ref>

Drafted by the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in the 22nd round of the [[1984 Major League Baseball draft|1984 MLB draft]], he signed on June 21, 1984. In 1986, he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the minor league phase of the [[Rule 5 draft]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jeff Nelson Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=nelsoje01 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com |access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref>

==Major league career==
Nelson made his major league debut with the Mariners on April 16, 1992, against the [[Chicago White Sox]] at [[Guaranteed Rate Field|Comiskey Park]]. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox Box Score, April 16, 1992 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA199204160.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=October 15, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

On July 13, 1995, Nelson entered a game against the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] with two runners on base and no outs. Nelson threw one pitch to [[Sandy Martínez]] and induced a ground ball [[triple play]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners Box Score, July 13, 1995 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA199507130.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=October 15, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> He became the first pitcher in the era for which [[pitch count]] data is available to throw only one pitch in an outing and be credited with pitching a full inning.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pitching Game Finder |url=https://stathead.com/baseball/game_finder.cgi?request=1&match=basic&order_by_asc=0&order_by=SO&series=any&series_game=any&min_year_game=1901&max_year_game=2020&as=result_pitcher&class=player&offset=0&type=p&number_matched=1&ccomp%5B1%5D=lt&cval%5B1%5D=1&cstat%5B1%5D=Pitches&ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&cval%5B2%5D=1&cstat%5B2%5D=IPouts&team_id=ANY&opp_id=ANY&Role=anyGS&DEC=any&throws=any&is_birthday=either&location=pob&locationMatch=is&game_length=any&HV=any&temperature_min=0&temperature_max=120&wind_speed_min=0&wind_speed_max=90 |website=Stathead.com |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=October 15, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

In December 1995, the Mariners traded Nelson, [[Tino Martinez]], and [[Jim Mecir]] to the [[New York Yankees]] for [[Russ Davis]] and [[Sterling Hitchcock]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/08/sports/baseball-yanks-get-martinez-for-davis-hitchcock.html |title=BASEBALL;Yanks Get Martinez For Davis, Hitchcock|newspaper= The New York Times|date=December 8, 1995 |accessdate=April 29, 2022}}</ref> With the Yankees, Nelson was a member of the [[World Series]] champions in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.<ref name=retires>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/sports/baseball/13yankees.html | title=Nelson Gets His Wish and Retires as a Yankee | newspaper=The New York Times | date=January 13, 2007 | last1=Kepner | first1=Tyler }}</ref>

Nelson returned to Seattle as a [[free agent]] in {{baseball year|2001}}. In that season he made the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|American League All-Star]] team. Nelson's All-Star selection was considered an innovative move by AL manager [[Joe Torre]], as Nelson's role of middle relief was traditionally overlooked during All-Star selection.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/sports/sports-of-the-times-throwback-reliever-an-unusual-all-star.html|title=Sports of The Times; Throwback Reliever an Unusual All-Star|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 8, 2001|last1=Andersen|first1=Dave|access-date=September 20, 2023}}</ref>

From 2001 to 2003, he formed the right side of Seattle's potent lefty/righty setup squad along with left-handed pitcher [[Arthur Rhodes]]. In 2001, he held opposing batters to a .136 batting average and a .199 slugging percentage, and .074/.110 once he had two strikes on them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/psplit.cgi?n1=nelsoje01&year=2001|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117210806/http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/psplit.cgi?n1=nelsoje01&year=2001|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 17, 2013|title=Jeff Nelson 2001 Pitching Splits - Baseball-Reference.com|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref>

On August 6, 2003, the Mariners traded Nelson to the Yankees for [[Armando Benitez]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story?id=1591519 | title=That didn't last long: Benitez shipped to Mariners | date=August 6, 2003 }}</ref> The Yankees lost to the [[Florida Marlins]] in the [[2003 World Series|World Series]] and once again Nelson left the Yankees.

In {{baseball year|2004}}, Nelson appeared in 29 games for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], going 1–2 with a 5.32 [[earned run average|ERA]]. He was on the disabled list twice with an assortment of injuries to his right knee and right elbow.

[[File:Jeff Nelson1.jpg|thumb|Nelson pitching for the Mariners in 2005]]
Before the {{baseball year|2005}} season, the Seattle Mariners signed Nelson to a [[minor league baseball|minor league]] contract, his third stint with the club.

In the {{baseball year|2006}} offseason, Nelson signed a minor-league contract with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], but was released before the season began. He was then picked up by the [[Chicago White Sox|White Sox]].

===Surgery===
On June 8, 2006, Nelson announced that he would undergo surgery, to relieve a nerve in his right elbow, that was likely to mark the end of Nelson's active baseball career. Following the operation on his pitching elbow, on May 10, 2007, there was controversy when he tried to sell bone chips from his elbow, removed in the operation, on [[eBay]] who cancelled the auction. Nelson, whose daughters attended [[The Bear Creek School]], were going to give half the proceeds to the school and half to the Curtis Williams Foundation.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/sportsbusiness/s/2002/0515/1382741.html "Body parts not allowed to be listed on eBay"], Darren Rovell, [[ESPN]], May 15, 2007</ref>

Nelson signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in January 2007 so that he could officially retire as a Yankee.<ref name=retires/>

==Pitching==
Nelson was a respected [[Slider (baseball)|slider]] specialist, much more effective against right-handed batters than against lefties (who batted 55 points higher, and slugged 106 points higher, against him than did righties). He was also known for his three-quarters sidearm delivery, and threw a cut 90-mile per hour [[fastball]] as well. During his Yankees tenure, he was known for faking a throw to third base and then throwing to first base in an attempt to pick off the baserunner. Until the rule was changed in 2013, making a fake throw to third base a balk,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/sports/baseball/baseball-rule-change-eliminates-a-fake-pickoff-by-pitcher.html#:~:text='%20%E2%80%9D,taken%20off%20in%20that%20direction.|website=The New York Times|last1=Kepner|first1=Tyler|title=Rule Change Eliminates a Fake Pickoff|date=January 26, 2013|access-date=September 20, 2023}}</ref> this was referred to as "the old Jeff Nelson" by Yankees play-by-play broadcaster [[Michael Kay (sports broadcaster)|Michael Kay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2011/08/a-look-at-jeff-nelson-s-trademark-pick-off-move.html|title=A Look at Jeff Nelson's Trademark Pick-off Move -- The Sports Section|first1=Joe|last1=DeLessio|date=August 22, 2011|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref>

==Broadcasting==
Nelson has filled in on sports radio [[KJR-AM]] in [[Seattle]] and also worked as an analyst for [[MLB.com]] during the 2010 post-season.

In 2016, Nelson joined [[Fox Sports]]' pre-game broadcast team for [[Miami Marlins]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/jeff-nelson-joins-fox-sports-florida-as-marlins-live-analyst | title=Jeff Nelson joins FOX Sports Florida as Marlins LIVE analyst }}</ref> In 2019, Nelson served as a game analyst for the [[YES Network]], calling occasional games for his former team. On July 12, 2019, Nelson began appearing on the YES Network's pregame show.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} He substituted for [[Suzyn Waldman]] on [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]] broadcasts of the final games of the Yankees regular season in October 2022, working with [[John Sterling (sportscaster)|John Sterling]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://thespun.com/more/mlb/wfan-reportedly-considering-1-name-to-replace-yankees-legend-john-sterling | title=WFAN Reportedly Considering 1 Name to Replace Yankees Legend John Sterling | date=November 29, 2023 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jeff Nelson}}
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
{{Baseballstats|mlb=119704|espn=2671|br=n/nelsoje01|fangraphs=1092|brm=nelson001jef|retro=N/Pnelsj001}}

{{1996 New York Yankees}}
{{1998 New York Yankees}}
{{1999 New York Yankees}}
{{2000 New York Yankees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Jeff}}
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