Joe Nathan News: Pro Sports Daily

Minnesota Twins' Joe Nathan won't use elbow as excuse

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October 24

St. Paul Pioneer Press

columnist Charley Walters

"Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan, who had two bone chips and some other particles removed from his right elbow by noted orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., this week, said this morning that the tender elbow didn't affect his pitching late in the season. "Not at all; no chance of that," Nathan said. "You talk to any pitcher and ask them if they ever feel 100 percent, and if they tell you they do, they're definitely lying. "To me, it was just another day at the office out there. And even if (the arm) didn't feel great, you go through that during the course of 162 games, when you're not going to feel great sometimes. "Shoot, that last run we had (to win the division) was one of ..."

Nathan has bone chips removed from elbow

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October 23

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Twins closer Joe Nathan turns 35 next month. He's coming off a season in which he saved 47 games but, for now, is remembered more for the save opportunity he blew Oct. 9 during Game 2 of the ALDS to the Yankees. On Tuesday, Nathan had surgery to remove two bone chips from his right elbow, acknowledging that he pitched a chunk of the season not at his fittest. "This is definitely something I'm not going to use as an excuse," Nathan said from his home in Knoxville, Tenn. Nathan had the surgery in Birmingham, Ala., at the offices of Dr. James Andrews, and is expected to be ready in time for the start of spring training. Nathan said he iced his elbow more this year than in any previous season, ..."

Trading Nathan, demoting Gomez should be on to-do list

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October 13

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Patrick Reusse

"There are facts to remember before comparing the Twins' four consecutive first-round dismissals in the playoffs with the string of early exits by the Kevin Garnett-led Timberwolves and a pair of one-and-dones for Jacques Lemaire's Wild: A baseball team already has reached the final eight in a 30-team league when it starts the postseason. An NBA or an NHL squad must win a first-round series to gain the final eight of those 30-team leagues. That's the last qualifier to be offered in dissecting another failure to advance by Ron Gardenhire's Twins. They were 4-2 in postseason play when this all started back in 2002, and since then have gone 0-4 against the Angels, 0-3 against Oakland and 2-9 ..."

Blown save, blown call irk Nathan

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October 10

New York Post

"Yankee Stadium shook when Alex Rodriguez took Joe Nathan into the Yankees bullpen for a two-run homer to tie the game in the ninth, a game the Yankees would go on to win 4-3 in 11 innings. But preliminary tremors already were registered with the Twins closer. One of the very best becomes one of the very worst when he comes to New York, and if Nathan certainly is not the only reliever to be victimized by Alex Rodriguez, he remains the only one in a come-from-behind, late-inning, postseason situation. In 2004, the only postseason series in which Rodriguez excelled as a Yankee until this one, his two-on, one-out double turned around a 6-5, 12th inning Twins lead in Game 2 into a Yankees win ..."

Golden chance to even series blown by Nathan

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October 10

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist jim Souhan

"Joe Nathan won't admit it, won't give in to what sounds like an excuse, but the man is tired. You can see the fatigue in his body language and on his not-what-it-used-to-be fastball, and you could almost sense that he didn't have the stuff to sneak anything fast past Alex Rodriguez on Friday night, when Rodriguez made the swing of the series, maybe the swing of his career. Nathan blew more than a save Friday night. He blew the Twins' best chance. Twins fans will spend the weekend complaining about the missed call on Joe Mauer's fly ball, and about a strike zone shaped like a busted pinata, but the Twins entered the bottom of the ninth with a two-run lead and their rested, All-Star closer ..."

Nathan blows two-run lead for Twins in ninth with A-Rod homerun

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October 10

New York Daily News

"Like most of the Twins, Joe Nathan was flabbergasted by the blown call by umpire Phil Cuzzi that possibly cost them a run in the top of the 11th inning. But the All-Star closer, a Middletown, N.Y., product and a graduate of Stony Brook, also took full responsibility for allowing the game to get that far. Nathan served up a game-tying home run to Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning of a crushing, 4-3, 11th-inning loss to the Yanks in Game 2 of the AL division series Friday night. "I wasn't the only one who blew one tonight," Nathan said after the game, referring to Cuzzi calling Joe Mauer's liner down the left-field line a foul ball in the 11th. "I think everybody in here knows that the ..."

Nathan's going-away present

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September 3

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Two outs. Two strikes. Two-run lead in the ninth. Joe Nathan at the controls. "You get it in your closer's hands," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, "it should be over." "Every time, we say, 'Nathan on the mound, you might as well pack it in,'" White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. What actually happened Wednesday numbed the crowd and gave the White Sox -- in their last appearance in the Metrodome before the Twins move into Target Field next season -- only their second victory in their past 13 games in the Dome. An easy save became a crushing loss when Nathan was charged with four runs in the ninth inning as Chicago won 4-2. The Twins blew a chance to sweep their division rival and keep ..."

Nathan's escape displays his skills

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August 31

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Sid hartman

"It wasn't pretty, but one of the great closers in baseball -- the Twins' Joe Nathan -- was able to retire the Texas Rangers on Sunday after loading the bases with no one out in the ninth inning to preserve a 5-3 Twins victory at the Metrodome. Without Nathan, the Twins wouldn't be in the American League Central race. What a competitor this man is. Texas led 3-2 before the Twins rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Nathan came in to pitch the ninth. "It's not fun with a two-run lead, especially after both teams battled all game," Nathan said. "We battled back late. "[It's a] situation where [you're] trying to do whatever you can to hold the lead and ..."

Joe Nathan not about to leave game

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August 23

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Young pitchers take note — don't try to pull a Joe Nathan, waving your skipper off when he emerges from the dugout to take the ball from your hand. It won't work. "If I walk out there tonight and Duensing says I'm not coming out of the game," Gardenhire said, using Saturday's rookie starter Brian Duensing as the example, "you can't print what I'll say to him." Such moves are reserved for seasoned veterans (Brad Radke once refused to leave a game after Gardenhire arrived at the mound to yank him) and, well, pitchers who qualify as one of the best in the game at their job. Nathan threw 53 pitches in his two innings of work on Friday, blowing a one-run lead, then getting the win one inning ..."

Minnesota Twins survive without Joe Nathan

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August 23

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"By the time Matt Guerrier, Minnesota's closer du jour Saturday night, gave up his second hit in the ninth, he didn't dare glance toward the bullpen. "I was afraid to look," Guerrier admitted after an 8-7 victory over the Royals, "and see Joe walking in behind me." But there was no Joe Nathan, who was so unavailable after he threw 53 pitches Friday that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told the closer to not even bother putting on a jersey Saturday. There was just Guerrier and a host of other pitchers to hold up — and threaten to give up — Minnesota's second straight win. Before the game, Gardenhire said he hoped his team could score 10 runs and have no need for a closer. Scoring a lot of ..."

Nathan gets a very rare day off

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August 23

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Saturday marked a first for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire -- the first time in six seasons he really didn't have Joe Nathan available to close. "There's been times when he's saved like three, four games in a row and I'm like, 'No way,' but it didn't come up when we needed to use him," Gardenhire said. "I'd say, 'No way he's going to be pitching,' and he would say, 'Yeah, I'm pitching." "[Saturday] probably is the first time there's not even going to be a question about it. He's not pitching." Nathan threw 53 pitches during two innings of work on Friday while blowing a save against the Royals. The Twins came back to take a 5-4 lead in the 10th, and Nathan had to work out of a two-on, one-out ..."

Twins, Nathan beat Royals 10 after closer blows save in ninth

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August 22

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Joe Nathan stood on the infield grass, his body facing right field, his head hanging and his hands on his knees. Seconds before, his 3-2 pitch to pinch-hitter Brayan Pena had cleared the right-field fence, and now Pena was speeding around the bases, as if fretting that the baseball gods might take back his game-tying, save-blowing shot off one of baseball's most stable closers. If the Twins had withered then, deflated by such an unlikely result after they had climbed back, yet again, from an early deficit, perhaps it would have been understandable. Instead, on a night that harkened back to Minnesota's piranha days, the Twins kept coming and went on to beat the Royals 5-4 Friday night. ..."

Nathan gets a bad one right back

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August 22

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"It was already a crazy night at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, but the ultimate madness would have been manager Ron Gardenhire removing closer Joe Nathan with two on and two outs in the 10th inning during his second laborious inning of work. Gardenhire took a few steps out onto the field to remove Nathan, who was backing up third as Alberto Callaspo flied out. "I'm at a situation, mentally, where there's no way I'm not finishing this game," Nathan said. "I'm backing up third. I take a breath, and as I glance I see Gardy about to walk out." Nathan waved his hand at his manager. "I'm like, 'Get your butt back over there,'" Nathan said with a chuckle. Gardenhire returned to his spot. "I've never ..."

Twins closer Joe Nathan hasn't gotten the chance to work much this season

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May 10

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"In situations like the one Joe Nathan was in Friday night, the closer never knows what will happen. Pitching for the first time in six days and in a non-save situation, Nathan hoped first that he would be sharp enough, and second that he wouldn't be too sharp — too sharp yields overthrowing, and overthrowing, of course, yields few positive results. Closers generally aren't thrilled to pitch when the game isn't in their hands, but if it means he can get in some work, Nathan said he'll take it. Nearly a month into the season, the right-hander has pitched 11 innings, putting him on pace for a career-low 57 this season. Of those 11 appearances, only six were save situations, and of those six, ..."

Pain-free Joe Nathan closes inning with changeup

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March 9

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Pitching in his first game since pulling out of the World Baseball Classic with a balky shoulder, Twins closer Joe Nathan never even thought about the sore A.C. joint that's kept him from games since Feb. 25. Instead, after his pain-free, dominant inning (two strikeouts and a groundout), his manager said Nathan wanted to talk about just one thing — the changeup he threw as his last pitch of the day. "He's just killing us with that changeup. He's got a good one," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire lamented. "He's throwing the ball, what, 92, 93 with a great breaking ball and, 'Did you see my changeup?' That's all he's going to say." Nathan faced the heart of Baltimore's lineup and retired Aubrey ..."

Joe Nathan becomes agent of change

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March 6

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Twins closer Joe Nathan has quite a secret life going. A big, hard-throwing right-hander, Nathan is best known for blowing away batters in the ninth inning. But the bullpen is his laboratory, and when few are watching he tinkers with unusual pitches. At least, they are unusual for him. For example, he spent several years experimenting quietly with a sinkerball. Nathan never threw it in a game, just over and over in the bullpen. He especially worked on it during spring training. Then last season — boom — he unveiled it against unsuspecting American League hitters. He recalled the quizzical looks he got from batters when the sinker came in hard like a fastball and then broke downward. ..."

Nathan throws pain-free in pen

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March 4

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Nathan throws pain-free in pen Twins closer Joe Nathan eased concerns about his right shoulder Tuesday, when he threw full-speed in a 25-pitch bullpen session without pain. "Today gave me a lot of confidence," said Nathan, who pulled out of the World Baseball Classic because of the injury. Nathan hopes to face hitters in batting practice Thursday and pitch Saturday against the Pirates. Crede tests his back Besides playing third base for the first time since signing with the Twins, Joe Crede smashed a two-run double to deep center field in the Twins' 3-2 exhibition victory over Puerto Rico. The first ball hit to Crede was a chopper down the line. Playing off the base, he dove, as the Twins ..."

Nathan feels fine after bullpen session

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March 3

MLB.com

"Twins closer Joe Nathan threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and reported afterward that his right shoulder felt great. Nathan had been expected to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic but pulled out on Sunday due to soreness in the AC joint, where the clavicle meets the acromion process of the scapula at the top of the shoulder. The plan now is to have Nathan throw batting practice on Thursday and to possibly pitch in the Twins' Grapefruit League contest against the Pirates on Saturday."

Shoulder keeps Nathan from WBC

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March 2

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"What Joe Nathan believed was normal offseason soreness has led to his exit from Team USA just days away from the start of the second World Baseball Classic because of a sore shoulder. Nathan, who pitched in the inaugural WBC in 2006, was shut down for three days after pitching in the exhibition season opener on Wednesday. He was well enough Sunday to throw in the bullpen for about 10 minutes on Sunday and could be well enough to pitch on Wednesday when the Twins play host to the Netherlands. Nathan said he felt discomfort during the offseason but thought it was normal after-season soreness. "I look back and there was probably a mild case in the offseason but I never really paid attenton to ..."

Shoulder keeps Nathan out of Classic

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March 1

MLB.com

"Twins closer Joe Nathan has pulled himself out of the World Baseball Classic. Nathan had been scheduled to pitch for Team USA in the event. But he's been experiencing some discomfort in the acromioclavicular joint of his right shoulder, better known as the AC joint. He informed reporters on Sunday morning that he decided the best thing to do was to stay in camp. "It wouldn't be fair for me to say I'm 100 percent and go play for Team USA when I'm not," Nathan said. "It wouldn't be fair for the Twins or Team USA. As hard as it is to have to watch this [event] and know I want to be there, at the same time I know this is the right decision to make sure I'm ready for April 6." Nathan said that ..."

Baseball has cleaned up its act, reliever Joe Nathan, other Minnesota Twins say

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February 16

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Joe Nathan is willing to forget about Alex Rodriguez's embrace of steroids. He would like to forget the whole subject, in fact. But forgiveness is going to take a little time. "The one thing I just hate is, if guys do get caught, I don't want people to think that if they fess up like a man, that it's OK now," the Twins' closer said of baseball's latest steroids scandal. "Well, that doesn't make it right." Rodriguez's admission last week that he took performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03 has drawn attention away, Nathan said, from the fact that baseball has, in his opinion, driven steroids out of the game. And Rodriguez's stated motivation, that he felt ..."

Ugly outing for Minnesota Twins, Joe Nathan in 3-2 loss to Oakland

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August 31

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Joe Nathan and Brendan Harris huddled together in the Twins' silent clubhouse Saturday night, quietly dissecting the disastrous final play of the Twins' stunning 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Their conclusion: tough, tough play. And we should have made it. Nathan scooped up Ryan Sweeney's ninth-inning bunt, whirled and slung the baseball to Harris, intending to force out Bobby Crosby at third base. The throw was a little wide and a little low — my fault, said Nathan. Harris was leaning the wrong way, trying to find the bag with his feet, and had to reach across his body for the ball, which glanced off his glove — my fault, said Harris. By the time anyone could retrieve the errant ..."

Nathan proving he belongs in the same sentence with Rivera

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August 17

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"The closer, praised by the great Mariano Rivera for his calm demeanor and his stable nature on the mound, tugs at his jersey. His head twitches, fast and slight, to the side. Then, in a move as reliable as a Joe Nathan converted save, he takes a deep breath, puffs his cheeks out and exhales mightily, his lips flapping from the force. Nathan knows of this habit, the "horse blow," he calls it. He can hear fans mimicking it as he warms up in the bullpen, but he's unaware of it on the mound. The place he most often sees it is at home, when his 3-year-old son, Cole, hears something he doesn't want to and suddenly looks like his father about to deliver a strikeout pitch. Nathan's quirks are a ..."

Twins' closer Nathan behind the eight ball

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August 7

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Twins closer Joe Nathan doesn't particularly like the eighth inning, and on Tuesday night, the eighth didn't particularly like him, either. "I think everyone here is willing to do whatever is necessary to get a win," Nathan said after his first eighth-inning appearance of the season, and just his third blown save. "But we all prefer the way we were going" earlier in the season. He means, before the bullpen wore down and began surrendering runs, and leads, on the road. Only twice all season had Nathan entered an inning after it had already begun; perhaps by coincidence, both resulted in blown saves, accounting for two of Nathan's three. In his other 46 outings, he took the mound to open the ..."

Nathan starring in own field of dreams

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July 15

New York Daily News

"Before he became an elite closer, Minnesota's Joe Nathan had long since gotten to know Yankee Stadium well. On many mornings during his childhood, Nathan, who grew up in upstate Middletown, would crawl out of bed, jump into the family car with his father, or tag along with his friends and their father, and make the long trek to the Bronx to watch the Yankees play."

Twins hit nail on the head by keeping Nathan

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July 11

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Jim Souhan

"The Twins broke a three-game losing streak Thursday by beating Detroit 7-6. It's no surprise Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer played important roles. While the major league landscape is cratered with fallen stars, the Twins decided to invest long-term in three All-Star-caliber players, and all three -- Nathan, Morneau and Mauer -- earned All-Star berths. While signing Morneau and Mauer required little imagination, the Twins faced a difficult decision with Nathan."

Twins' three best all going to New York

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July 7

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Joe Mauer was the people's choice. Justin Morneau was the players' choice. Joe Nathan was the manager's choice. The Twins were thrilled that their three most deserving players were named to the American League All-Star team Sunday. It didn't matter how they were going to the July 15 midsummer's classic at New York's Yankee Stadium, as long as they made it and were able to represent a club that has been one of the surprises in baseball. "There's a lot of guys in here who contributed," Morneau said. "So everyone was happy when we got to send three guys to the game.""

Joe Nathan a long shot for all-star berth

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June 24

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Joe Nathan can't say enough about his all-star experience — what a thrill it was to be chosen, what a rush it was to stand on the mound and what a kick it was to invite his family, friends, and even grandparents to be a part of it. "Everything about the entire experience is just awesome," Nathan said. Well, except for one thing: Getting there. Nathan is one of three Twins with a realistic shot at being selected to attend the July 15 festivities at Yankee Stadium. Joe Mauer, in fact, now leads all American League catchers in fan balloting, having passed Boston's Jason Varitek by 44,775 votes with eight voting days left. Justin Morneau trails Boston's Kevin Youkilis by about a ..."

Nathan continues to deliver at the end

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June 22

Minneapolis Star Tribune

columnist Sid Hartman

"There were a lot of media members over the offseason who were convinced that because the Twins were going to have a young, inexperienced starting rotation in 2008, that it would be silly to give closer Joe Nathan a huge contract, because he wouldn't have too many games to close. Well, even though veteran starters Johan Santana and Carlos Silva are gone, Nathan has more saves this year through 75 games that he had at this point last year. Through 75 games last year, Nathan was 3-1 with 14 saves in 16 opportunities and had a 2.43 ERA. This year, Nathan has no record but is 18-for-20 in save opportunities. His ERA is excellent -- 1.52."

Twins closer Joe Nathan getting his work in non-save situations

May 25

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Joe Nathan ended April on pace to save 54 games this season, but he has had only one save in the past two weeks. There is no difference, the Twins' closer said, in how he is pitching, or even how often. "It's a misconception that if I'm not getting saves, I must not be pitching," said Nathan, and he's right — he pitched 11 innings in April and has eight innings in May, with a week to go. It's just that the Twins have had only five save situations all month, third fewest in baseball. That has forced manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson to face a recurring dilemma: when to use the closer if there's nothing to close."

Joe Nathan: A closer's path to closure

May 25

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Joe Nathan was summoned to a meeting at the San Francisco Giants minor league complex at Scottsdale, Ariz., late in spring training 1996. He was told that to realize his dream of a major league career he would need to switch positions -- moving from shortstop to pitcher. Nathan became so emotional that he admits to shedding tears. After composing himself, he walked out of the office and out of professional baseball for a full year. Despite being selected as a shortstop-pitcher in the sixth round of the 1995 draft out of NCAA Division III Stony Brook (N.Y.) a year earlier, Nathan balked at what he heard that day from Jack Hiatt, then Giants director of player development, and Keith ..."