Gene Nelson, baseball player, 1981-1993

Gene Nelson

Born: 12/3/1960 in Tampa, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1981-05-04 | Final Game: 1993-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 172 lbs

Full name: Wayland Eugene Nelson

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Biography

Gene Nelson was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1981 to 1993. Born in 1960, he made a name for himself in the Major Leagues with a competitive spirit and a reliable presence on the mound. Over the course of his career, Nelson recorded a win-loss record of 53-64, an earned run average (ERA) of 4.13, and accumulated 655 strikeouts. He also demonstrated his ability to close games effectively, notching 28 saves. Nelson's playing style was characterized by his versatility, often serving as both a starter and a reliever, which allowed him to adapt to the needs of his team during his tenure. He played in an era that saw significant changes in the game, including the rise of the designated hitter in the American League and an increasing emphasis on bullpen specialization. Despite facing challenges typical of the time, he remained a steady contributor to his teams, leaving a lasting impact on the franchises he represented. Nelson's journey through the Major Leagues showcases the resilience and skill required to compete at the highest level of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
53 64 493 68 6 1 28 1080.0 1061 496 117 418 655 4.13 0

Career ERA 4.13 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 6.3% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1981 NYY AL 3 1 8 7 0 0 0 39.3 40 21 23 16 4.81 3.58 (-34%) -
1982 SEA AL 6 9 22 19 2 1 0 122.7 133 63 60 71 4.62 3.86 (-20%) -2854.8
1983 SEA AL 0 3 10 5 1 0 0 32.0 38 28 21 11 7.88 3.87 (-103%) -2170.3
1984 CHW AL 3 5 20 9 2 0 1 74.7 72 37 17 36 4.46 3.81 (-17%) -
1985 CHW AL 10 10 46 18 1 0 2 145.7 144 69 67 101 4.26 3.89 (-9%) -
1986 CHW AL 6 6 54 1 0 0 6 114.7 118 49 41 70 3.85 3.97 (+3%) -
1987 OAK AL 6 5 54 6 0 0 3 123.7 120 54 35 94 3.93 4.29 (+8%) 2253.7
1988 OAK AL 9 6 54 1 0 0 3 111.7 93 38 38 67 3.06 3.73 (+18%) 44.0
1989 OAK AL 3 5 50 0 0 0 3 80.0 60 29 30 70 3.26 3.71 (+12%) 1392.5
1990 OAK AL 3 3 51 0 0 0 5 74.7 55 13 17 38 1.57 3.86 (+59%) 752.0
1991 OAK AL 1 5 44 0 0 0 0 48.7 60 37 23 23 6.84 3.91 (-75%) -3450.0
1992 OAK AL 3 1 28 2 0 0 0 51.7 68 37 22 23 6.45 3.75 (-72%) -891.4
1993 LAA AL 0 5 46 0 0 0 4 52.7 50 18 23 31 3.08 4.19 (+27%) -
1993 TEX AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 8.0 10 3 1 4 3.38 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
500 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.712 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1981 NYY AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 SEA AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 SEA AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 CHW AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 CHW AL 47 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CHW AL 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 OAK AL 55 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 OAK AL 57 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 OAK AL 51 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 OAK AL 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 OAK AL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 OAK AL 29 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 LAA AL 46 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 TEX AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 ALCS OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 ALCS OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1988 ALCS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1988 WS OAK 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 11 0 0 20.0 20 7 8 6 3.15

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1990 ALCS OAK 0 0 1 0 0 1.7 3 0 0 0 0.00
1990 WS OAK 0 0 2 0 0 5.0 3 0 2 0 0.00
1989 ALCS OAK 0 0 1 0 0 1.3 1 0 0 2 0.00
1989 WS OAK 0 0 2 0 0 1.0 4 6 2 1 54.00
1988 ALCS OAK 2 0 2 0 0 4.7 5 0 1 0 0.00
1988 WS OAK 0 0 3 0 0 6.3 4 1 3 3 1.42

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 493 68 80 127 7 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 NYA P 8 7 3 6 1 0
1982 SEA P 22 19 10 20 1 4
1983 SEA P 10 5 5 6 1 0
1984 CHA P 20 9 11 8 0 1
1985 CHA P 46 18 10 19 1 0
1986 CHA P 54 1 8 17 0 3
1987 OAK P 54 6 8 13 2 0
1988 OAK P 54 1 4 11 0 1
1989 OAK P 50 0 6 3 0 0
1990 OAK P 51 0 4 8 1 0
1991 OAK P 44 0 4 4 0 0
1992 OAK P 28 2 3 4 0 0
1993 CAL P 46 0 4 7 0 1
1993 TEX P 6 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 493
Designated Hitter 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-06-11

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1992 OAK AL $1,250,000
1991 OAK AL $1,100,000
1990 OAK AL $650,000
1989 OAK AL $615,000
1988 OAK AL $450,000
1987 OAK AL $365,000
1986 CHA AL $240,000
1985 CHA AL $110,000
Total Career Earnings $4,780,000