Joe Nathan is a former professional baseball player who played as a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons. Nathan was born on November 22, 1974, in Houston, Texas, and attended Stony Brook University, where he played college baseball for the Stony Brook Seawolves.
Nathan began his professional baseball career in 1995 when he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the sixth round of the MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Giants in 1999 and played for the team until 2003. During his time with the Giants, Nathan was primarily used as a setup man and had a 4.12 earned run average (ERA) in 205 innings pitched.
In 2004, Nathan was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he became the team's closer. He had a breakout season in 2004, recording 44 saves and a 1.62 ERA in 79 innings pitched. Nathan continued to be one of the best closers in the league during his time with the Twins, recording 260 saves and a 2.16 ERA in 460 innings pitched from 2004 to 2011.
After the 2011 season, Nathan became a free agent and signed with the Texas Rangers. He had a strong season in 2012, recording 37 saves and a 2.80 ERA in 64.1 innings pitched. Nathan continued to be a reliable closer for the Rangers in 2013 and 2014, recording 80 saves and a 2.09 ERA in 129 innings pitched.
In 2015, Nathan suffered a season-ending elbow injury and missed the entire season. He signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2016 but struggled in his return from injury, recording a 6.43 ERA in 27 appearances before being released by the team in August.
Nathan retired from baseball in 2017 with a career record of 64-34, 377 saves, and a 2.87 ERA in 923 appearances. He was a six-time All-Star and finished in the top ten in Cy Young Award voting four times. Nathan is widely regarded as one of the best relief pitchers of his era and is a potential candidate for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
⚾