| Joe Nathan | |
|---|---|
 Nathan with the Minnesota Twins in 2006 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 22, 1974 Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 21, 1999, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2016, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 64–34 |
| Earned run average | 2.87 |
| Strikeouts | 976 |
| Saves | 377 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs. Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school and in college for Stony Brook, but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the Giants. He worked his way through the minor leagues, alternating between spots in the rotation and the bullpen.
When he debuted in 1999, he became the first player from Stony Brook to reach MLB. After a few years of splitting time between the major leagues and minor leagues, Nathan had a breakout season as a setup man for the Giants in 2003. That offseason, Nathan was traded to the Twins and became their closer. From 2004 to 2009, Nathan was considered one of the top closers in the major leagues, with four All-Star selections and a league-leading 246 saves.[1] Nathan finished fourth in American League (AL) Cy Young voting in 2004 and fifth in 2006.[2][3]
In 2010, Nathan underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow and missed the entire season.[4] Nathan regained the role as closer in July 2011. On August 10, 2011, he became the Twins all-time leader in saves with his 255th in a game against the Boston Red Sox. After the 2011 season, Nathan left the Twins via free agency to sign with the Rangers, becoming an All-Star again in 2012 and 2013. On April 8, 2013, he earned his 300th save. After the 2013 season, Nathan signed with the Tigers. Nathan retired during the 2017 season with the eighth-most saves in MLB history.
Nathan currently has the highest save percentage in MLB history (89.13%) amongst pitchers with at least 200 saves. From a ten year span of 2003 to 2013, he was among the top three best relievers in terms of ERA+, ERA, WAR, and WHIP.[5]
- ^ Corcoran, Cliff (May 5, 2009). "Closer rankings, from No. 1 to 30". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
- ^ "Joe Nathan Finishes Fourth in Cy Young Voting". Stony Brook Seawolves. November 12, 2004. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Johan Santana wins 2nd unanimous Cy Young". BBWAA. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Thesier, Kelly (March 26, 2010). "Nathan undergoes Tommy John surgery". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ Bodig, Chris (January 15, 2022). "Joe Nathan and the Cooperstown Closer Conundrum". Cooperstown Cred. Retrieved January 16, 2022.