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nathan spent all of 2003 with the giants in the bullpen after marrying lisa <unk> his girlfriend of five years in november 2002 this was a breakout year for nathan starting the season with 23 scoreless innings en route to a 12 4 record in his first full year as a reliever his 78 appearances put him high on the list of most @@ used pitchers for the season as one of the best setup men in the nl allowing no runs in 15 appearances from july 18 to august 20 his 12 wins in relief led the majors the giants won the national league west by 151 ⁄ 2 games and drew the florida marlins the national league 's wild card winner in the nlds nathan was hit hard in that series blowing his only save opportunity his team fared no better winning game 1 behind jason schmidt 's complete game shutout before dropping the next three
= = = minnesota twins ( 2004 2011 ) = = =
= = = = 2004 = = = =
nathan was traded to the minnesota twins on november 16 2003 in one of the more lopsided trades in san francisco giants history the giants sent nathan to the twins along with pitchers <unk> <unk> and francisco liriano for catcher a j pierzynski and cash the twins decided to make nathan their closer starting in 2004 risky move considering that nathan had notched only one save in six opportunities as a giant but he won the job over j c romero and jesse crain in spring training he was signed to a three @@ year deal on march 4 2004 and agreed to an incentive @@ laden contract with a base salary of $ 440 @@ 000 he started off the season strong allowing no runs in 20 appearances and earning 14 saves from april 15 to june 4 he was named al co @@ player of the week starting on may 10 with four saves in four innings and four appearances facing the minimum number of batters each time his credentials for the first half of the season 23 saves in 24 opportunities with a 1 @@ 19 era in 26 appearances earned him his first all @@ star appearance in the 2004 mlb all @@ star game he was the only twin on the squad and pitched a perfect seventh inning getting bobby abreu to strike out mike lowell to fly out and miguel cabrera to strike out his numbers were impressive through the rest of the season allowing no runs between june 9 and august 18 and between august 25 and september 16 @@ and finishing 2004 with 44 saves in 47 opportunities and an era of 1 @@ 62 the twins won the al central division and faced the new york yankees in the alds nathan picked up his first postseason save in game 1 but blew his second opportunity in game 2 as the twins went on to lose the ensuing three games his outstanding season earned him mvp and cy young votes finishing fourth for cy young and 12th for mvp his first child a son named cole was born on november 9 2004
= = = = 2005 = = = =
during spring training in 2005 nathan signed a two @@ year deal that includes a club option for 2008 he picked up from where he left off in 2004 allowing no earned runs in 15 appearances from april 5 to may 10 he also had streaks of 13 and 12 consecutive save opportunities converted between april and july as a result nathan was named the american league player of the week for the week of june 27 nathan earned another all @@ star appearance in 2005 for his pitching in the first half of the season although his record was 1 3 with a 3 @@ 57 era in 37 appearances he had struck out 43 batters in 351 ⁄ 3 innings pitched and lead the al with 23 saves in 25 opportunities nathan pitched in the 2005 mlb all @@ star game alongside fellow pitcher johan santana pitching the eighth inning of the game he got morgan <unk> to pop out for the first out then gave out a double to moisés alou felipe lópez singled and nathan was able to get miguel cabrera and luis castillo out but not before alou scored nathan had a brilliant second half as he went 6 1 with 18 saves in 20 chances and posted an era of 1 @@ 76 he finished the season with a 7 4 record a 2 @@ 70 era 43 saves in 48 opportunities and 94 strikeouts nathan also became the third pitcher in club history to post consecutive 40 save seasons the twins however missed the playoffs
= = = = 2006 = = = =
before the 2006 season began nathan participated in the 2006 world baseball classic as one of the 30 players selected for the team usa roster he played the first game a 2 0 win against mexico striking out the side while allowing one hit he also pitched the 4 3 victory against japan again throwing a shutout inning nathan went on to pitch the last game for the united states in the ninth inning against mexico again not allowing a run and striking out two
as the regular 2006 season began for the twins nathan started off strong allowing no runs from the start of the season to april 25 he also converted 10 straight save opportunities from april 11 to june 17 on june 24 nathan recorded his one hundredth career save against the chicago cubs and 99th save with minnesota four days later he got save number 101 his hundredth save with minnesota against the los angeles dodgers becoming the fifth pitcher in twins history to achieve that mark despite putting up great numbers during the 2006 season nathan was not selected to the all @@ star game he continued to pitch well throughout the season passing eddie <unk> for second on the twins ' all @@ time save list when he earned his 117th save against the detroit tigers on september 9 nathan was also given the major league baseball delivery man of the month award for july going nine for nine in save opportunities and posting a 0 @@ 75 era for the month he finished the season with some of his best numbers to date a 7 0 record a 1 @@ 58 era 95 strikeouts 36 saves an 18th @@ place finish in mvp voting and a fifth @@ place finish in cy young voting his 61 games finished were also good for the al lead and opponents batted just 158 against him a career high with 36 saves in 38 opportunities nathan also became the first pitcher for the organization to earn 35 saves in three straight seasons the twins won the division on the last day of the regular season but were swept by the oakland athletics in the alds as nathan made one scoreless appearance
= = = = 2007 = = = =
nathan continued as the twins ' closer for the 2007 season he had a stretch between july and august where he gave up just two earned runs and converted all 12 save chances once again despite nathan 's numbers he was not picked for the all @@ star team nathan finished the year by converting 37 of 41 save opportunities with a record of 4 2 and an era of 1 @@ 88 the twins however had a disappointing season and missed the playoffs
on september 25 2007 nathan was named as one of 10 finalists for the dhl delivery man of the year award the third year in a row that he has been a finalist on october 29 the twins exercised nathan 's club option for 2008
= = = = 2008 = = = =
though nathan was slated to make $ 6 million in 2008 on march 24 2008 the minnesota twins re @@ signed nathan to a four @@ year $ 47 million contract through 2011 the deal also includes a $ 12 @@ 5 million club option for 2012 with a $ 2 million buyout
nathan started the season with 13 consecutive saves but blew his first save of the season on may 27 by giving up a three @@ run inside @@ the @@ park home run on a misplayed fly ball by teammate delmon young however nathan got two outs to end the 9th inning and the twins went on to win the game by converting 27 of 29 save opportunities prior to the all @@ star break nathan was selected as a reserve player for the american league in the 2008 major league baseball all @@ star game nathan finished the year with 39 saves and a career best 1 @@ 33 era he also had a career high six blown saves and surrendered his first career walk @@ off home run to victor martinez on september 16 nathan ranked seventh in the majors in saves and had the lowest era of the top 30 save leaders in 2008
= = = = 2009 = = = =
nathan had a strong season as he was selected as an all @@ star for the 2009 mlb all star game and he finished the year with 2 @@ 10 era with 47 saves in 52 opportunities which was a franchise record he shared honors for the al rolaids relief man award with mariano rivera however nathan did not fare as well in the postseason in game 2 of the american league division series against the new york yankees with the twins leading 3 1 in the bottom of the ninth inning nathan blew the save when he surrendered a game @@ tying two @@ run home run to alex rodriguez it was the first home run nathan had allowed with men on base all year the yankees later won the game in the 11th inning and swept the series on october 11 2009 after the twins lost the final game at the metrodome ( a 4 1 playoff loss to the yankees that eliminated them ) nathan took a pile of dirt from the mound as a keepsake from the metrodome
= = = = 2010 = = = =
on march 9 2010 it was reported that nathan had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament on march 21 after attempting to pitch without having surgery nathan decided to undergo tommy john surgery missing the entire 2010 season
= = = = 2011 = = = =
nathan earned his first save at target field on april 8 2011 he emptied the container of dirt he took from the metrodome on the mound at target field before pitching on april 18 nathan was replaced at closer by matt capps after going 3 for 5 in save opportunities on may 28 2011 nathan was placed on the 15 @@ day disabled list with a right flexor muscle strain chuck james was called up to take his place
on august 10 2011 against the boston red sox nathan became the twins all @@ time saves leader with 255 passing rick aguilera
after the twins declined his $ 12 @@ 5 million club option and exercised a $ 2 million buyout nathan became a free agent at the end of the 2011 season
nathan is currently the minnesota twins leader in career saves
= = = texas rangers ( 2012 2013 ) = = =
on november 21 2011 nathan agreed to terms on a two @@ year deal with the texas rangers worth $ 14 @@ 5 million guaranteed with an option for a third year at $ 9 million or a $ 500 @@ 000 buyout
nathan had a strong first season with the rangers as he was selected to the represent the rangers at the 2012 mlb all star game the fifth all star selection of his career he finished his 2012 campaign with 37 saves and an era of 2 @@ 80 during a game against the tampa bay rays on april 8 2013 nathan earned his 300th career save after striking out ben zobrist looking on a controversial strike call made by home plate umpire marty foster tv cameras captured nathan saying wow after the call
nathan was selected to his sixth all star game in 2013 and earned the save for the american league nathan improved on his 2012 campaign finishing his 2013 season with 43 saves and an era of 1 @@ 39 nathan finished his rangers career with an overall record of 9 7 80 saves a 2 @@ 08 era and 0 @@ 98 whip
= = = detroit tigers ( 2014 2015 ) = = =
on december 4 2013 the tigers signed nathan to a two @@ year $ 20 million contract with a club option for 2016 this reunited him with former teammate and fellow ex @@ twins great torii hunter along with rangers teammate ian kinsler on may 5 2014 nathan recorded his 347th career save tying him with randy myers for ninth on the all @@ time saves list two days later nathan recorded career save number 348 putting him alone at ninth on the all @@ time saves list on june 9 nathan recorded career save 358 tying him with troy percival for 8th on the all @@ time saves list on august 23 2014 nathan recorded his 368th career save passing up jeff reardon for 7th place on the all @@ time saves list in a september 16 game against the minnesota twins nathan blew his seventh save of the season surpassing his previous career high of six blown saves when he pitched for the twins in 2008 nathan finished his first season with the tigers making 62 appearances and recording 35 saves in 42 chances while posting an era of 4 @@ 81 he made one postseason appearance in 2014 retiring all three batters he faced in a non @@ save situation in game 2 of the alds against the baltimore orioles the tigers were swept in the series 3 0
on april 8 2015 nathan was placed on the 15 @@ day disabled list due to a strained right elbow during a rehab start with the toledo mud hens on april 22 nathan re @@ injured his elbow after throwing only 10 pitches the same night nathan underwent mris which tested positive revealing tears in his ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow and his pronator teres muscle and would undergo tommy john surgery ending nathan 's 2015 season sources projected that this surgery could end nathan 's career but he was not planning to retire yet
during the 2015 offseason the tigers declined the $ 10 million club option for nathan for the 2016 season and exercised a $ 1 million buyout
= = = chicago cubs ( 2016 present ) = = =
on may 17 2016 nathan signed with the chicago cubs he was immediately placed on the 60 @@ day disabled list upon signing to continue recovery from his previous tommy john surgery nathan made his cubs debut on july 24 2016 against the milwaukee brewers he pitched one inning and struck out the side allowing one hit and one walk
= = records and notable statistics = =
= = personal life = =
nathan is married to lisa ( nee <unk> ) they have two children nathan 's foundation joe nathan charitable foundation also called save it helps raise money and awareness for many different charities the nathan 's reside in knoxville tennessee in the offseason
= = pitching style = =
nathan throws a mix of four pitches his main pitch a four @@ seam fastball was once thrown in the mid @@ to @@ upper 90s but now settles between 91 and 94 mph his main breaking ball is a hard slider in the upper 80s occasionally even touching 90 he uses the slider less frequently against left @@ handed hitters preferring to use a curveball in the low 80s he also uses a two @@ seam fastball against lefties his slider is his best swing @@ and @@ miss pitch with a whiff rate of 42 since 2007
= art ross =
arthur howey art ross ( january 13 1885 august 5 1964 ) was a canadian professional ice hockey player and executive from 1905 until 1954 regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward he was on stanley cup championship teams twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons in january 1907 with the kenora thistles and 1908 with the montreal wanderers like other players of the time ross played for several different teams and leagues and is most notable for his time with the wanderers while they were members of the national hockey association ( nha ) and its successor the national hockey league ( nhl ) in 1911 he led one of the first organized player strikes over increased pay when the wanderers ' home arena burned down in january 1918 the team ceased operations and ross retired as a player
after several years as an on @@ ice official he was named head coach of the hamilton tigers for one season when the boston bruins were formed in 1924 ross was hired as the first coach and general manager of the team he would go on to coach the team on three separate occasions until 1945 and stayed as general manager until his retirement in 1954 ross helped the bruins finish first place in the league ten times and to win the stanley cup three times ross personally coached the team to two of those victories after being hired by the bruins ross along with his wife and two sons moved to a suburb of boston and became an american citizen in 1938 he died near boston in 1964
outside of his association with the bruins ross also helped to improve the game he created a style of hockey puck still used today and advocated an improved style of goal nets a change that lasted forty years in 1947 ross donated the art ross trophy awarded to the leading scorer of the nhl regular season ross was inducted into the hockey hall of fame in 1949
= = early life = =
ross was born january 13 1885 in naughton ontario his father thomas <unk> ross was the head of a hudson 's bay company trading post in the area the ninth of ten children ross grew up speaking both english and ojibwe a native canadian language ross moved to montreal in 1902 to play in organized hockey leagues living in the affluent westmount district he played high school and junior hockey with lester and frank patrick both of whom were later inducted into the hockey hall of fame ross and lester had a financially successful ticket resale business at the montreal arena buying tickets for thirty @@ five cents and selling them for up to a dollar
= = playing career = =
= = = 1905 09 = = =
the best hockey players on their high school team ross and the patrick brothers were invited to play occasional games for local league teams in montreal ross first played in an organized league in 1905 joining montreal westmount of the canadian amateur hockey league ( cahl ) the top amateur league in canada he scored ten goals in eight games during the season his opponents regarded him as one of the best rushing defencemen most defenders at the time either shot the puck down the ice or passed to a forward in contrast ross skated up the ice taking the puck into the offensive zone later that year wishing to pursue a career in banking he moved to brandon manitoba where he joined the brandon elks of the manitoba hockey league the senior league in the province in 1906 his first season he scored six goals in seven games while he recorded six goals in ten games in 1907 around this time the kenora thistles the manitoba league champions wanted to strengthen their team for the stanley cup challenge against the montreal wanderers in montreal during january 1907 they paid ross $ 1 @@ 000 to play both matches a common practice at the time and the thistles won the cup while failing to score ross started many plays and proved an important part of the team although he played for the opposing team he received a good reception from the montreal crowd ross did not play for the thistles when the two teams played for the cup again in march which the wanderers won to take back the cup
the following year ross moved back to montreal he joined the wanderers the team he had helped to defeat who played in the eastern canada amateur hockey association ( ecaha ) the successor league to the cahl as the premier league in the country he scored eight goals in ten games over the two @@ month season that lasted from january to march he helped the team to finish first in the ecaha and retain the cup in 1908 with challenges from ottawa winnipeg and toronto the wanderers were cup champions throughout these challenges so ross became the second player to win the cup with different teams in consecutive years after jack marshall in 1901 and 1902 in january 1908 he participated in the first all @@ star game in sports history a benefit for the family of former wanderer defender hod stuart who died the previous summer aside from his time with the wanderers ross repeated his practice of playing for other teams who paid for his services in important matches for the 1909 season ross demanded a salary of $ 1 @@ 600 although he settled for $ 1 @@ 200 the average salary of hockey players at the time was $ 600 ross received a cash bonus of $ 400 to play in a stanley cup challenge against a team from edmonton in december 1908 in which the wanderers won the two @@ game total @@ goal series 13 10 he finished the season with two goals in nine games
= = = 1909 18 = = =
a new league the canadian hockey association ( cha ) was formed in late november 1909 one of the teams the all @@ montreal hockey club hired ross as a playing @@ manager but the league only lasted to mid @@ january 1910 before disbanding ross who scored four goals in four games in the cha then signed with the haileybury comets of the national hockey association ( nha ) a league formed in december 1909 which proved to be the stronger replacement to the ecaha as the highest level of hockey in canada he received $ 2 @@ 700 to play in the 1910 season which lasted from january to march playing twelve games for the team and finishing with six goals before the following season the nha imposed a salary cap of $ 5 @@ 000 per team the players including ross were unhappy as this would result in a pay decrease and began looking to form their own league without a cap ross wrote to the montreal herald stating all the players want is a fair deal the players are not trying to bulldoze the nha but we want to know where we get off at the plans were abandoned when they realized all the suitable arenas would be unavailable as they were owned or leased by the nha ross scored four goals in eleven games with the wanderers who finished fourth in the five team league during a match against the quebec bulldogs on february 25 1911 ross knocked out eddie oatman in a fight provoking a massive brawl between the two teams which the police had to break up the fight helped to increase the reputation ross had as a tough player unwilling to back down from any opponent the following season ross had eleven goals in nineteen games as the wanderers improved to second in the league
prior to the 1913 14 nha season ross refused to sign a contract for the wanderers requesting a salary increase as one of the top players on the team the wanderers agreed to his demands of $ 1 @@ 500 for the forthcoming season in which he finished with four goals and nine points in eighteen games the next season ross again concerned with his salary began negotiating with other players in the nha to leave their teams and form a new league that would offer higher wages these actions resulted in his suspension in november 1914 by emmett quinn president of the nha ross responded by declaring himself a free agent and claiming his contract with the wanderers was no longer valid consequently although having no technical power to do so quinn suspended ross from all organized hockey the proposed new league failed to materialize and ross applied for reinstatement to the nha which was granted at a meeting of the team owners on december 18 1914 the owners realized if they suspended ross they would also have to suspend all those he signed hurting the league however ross 's actions led to his release by the wanderers at first he trained with the montreal canadiens then joined the ottawa senators
at the conclusion of the 1914 15 season the senators and wanderers finished with identical records of fourteen wins and six losses a two @@ game total goal series was played to determine the nha league champion who would contest the stanley cup with the pacific coast hockey association winner the vancouver millionaires ross who finished with three goals in sixteen games in the season scored one goal in the first match against the wanderers a senators 4 0 victory and though ottawa lost the second game 1 0 they won the series 4 1 to help the senators stop the wanderers who were known for their speed ross created a new system of defence termed kitty bar the door it required three defenders to align themselves across the ice 30 feet in front of the goaltender to stop offensive rushes this style of defence would later be used in a modified version known as the neutral zone trap later used widely to stop opposition offensive chances
the following year ross who had eight goals and eight assists in twenty @@ one games was the second highest paid player on the team his salary of $ 1 @@ 400 was $ 100 less than frank nighbor made even so ross left the team in 1916 returning to montreal in order to look after his sporting @@ goods store and rejoining the wanderers he scored six goals and had two assists in sixteen games for the team the wanderers along with the montreal canadiens toronto arenas quebec bulldogs and ottawa senators dissolved the nha and founded the national hockey league ( nhl ) in november 1917 ross became coach of the wanderers but a fire on january 2 1918 destroyed their home the montreal arena and forced them to fold after four games however the nhl insisted the team continue to play and recorded two additional scheduled matches as defaulted losses for the wanderers even though the matches were not played with the wanderers disbanded ross retired as a player his nhl career yielded one goal in three games played
= = managerial career = =
= = = 1918 36 = = =