26-05-2025
World Series Champion Pitcher, Coach, Dies at 60
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Rod Nichols, who earned World Series rings as both a player and a coach, passed away on May 14. He was 60.
Nichols spent the majority of his seven MLB seasons with the Cleveland Indians, who drafted him out of the University of New Mexico in the fifth round of the 1985 draft.
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A native of Burlington, Iowa, Nichols played baseball at Albuquerque's Highland High School before starring at UNM. He was signed by scout Eddie Bane, who as the Angels' scouting director in 2009 would select high school outfielder Mike Trout.
Objectively, Rod Nichols was one of the best prep base players to come out of ABQ in the last half century. 1982 Highland graduate. — James Yodice (@JamesDYodice) May 21, 2025
Nichols saw action in parts of four minor league seasons (1985-88) while climbing Cleveland's organizational ladder. He made his major league debut in Cleveland, starting on July 30, 1988 against the Minnesota Twins.
A detail view of a hat and gloves during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 29, 2013 in Atlanta.
A detail view of a hat and gloves during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 29, 2013 in Atlanta.
Pouya Dianat/That was the first of Nichols' 91 games (48 starts) in an Indians uniform over the next five seasons (1988-92). In 1991, Nichols earned both a shutout win and a save in the same season, something no Cleveland pitcher would do again until 2014 (Carlos Carrasco).
Nichols went 11-30 with a 4.39 ERA (93 ERA+) for Cleveland, and would make only nine major league appearances afterward.
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A free agent for the first time, Nichols signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 1993.
In his lone season in Los Angeles, Nichols appeared in four games out of the Dodgers' bullpen, going 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA. He also made 21 starts for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. Nichols went 8-5 with a 4.30 ERA in his only season pitching for his hometown Albuquerque Dukes — the same team for whom he once served as a batboy.
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Nichols signed with the Kansas City Royals for 1994 and went 5-10 with a 5.64 ERA for their Triple-A affiliate. He did not appear in the major leagues during the strike-shortened season.
When the players' strike lifted in February 1995, Nichols signed with the Atlanta Braves. Although he spent most of the season in Triple-A, Nichols appeared in five games out of the Braves' bullpen in August of that year. After the Braves went on to defeat the Indians in the World Series, Nichols received his first championship ring.
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That also marked the end of Nichols' major league playing career. He spent all of 1996 in Triple-A, and signed in Japan for the 1997 season. He made only three appearances for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks under legendary manager Sadaharu Oh.
In 2000, Nichols took his first coaching job as a pitching coach with the Philadelphia Phillies' Class-A affiliate. Nichols spent another 12 seasons coaching at various minor league levels before he was named the Phillies' bullpen coach in 2013. He picked up another World Series ring when the Phillies won the championship in 2008.
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After three seasons in Philadelphia, Nichols returned to Triple-A as the Iowa Cubs' pitching coach in 2016, a job he held through the 2019 season. The Cubs' 2016 championship afforded Nichols the third ring of his career.
A member of the The New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, Nichols is survived by his wife, Sharon, their three children, and one grandchild.
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