Editing Al Nipper

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1959)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name        = Al Nipper
| image       = Al Nipper (center) (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Nipper as a coach with the [[Omaha Storm Chasers]] in 2015
| position    = [[Pitcher]]
| bats        = Right
| throws      = Right
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1959|4|2}}
| birth_place = [[San Diego, California]], U.S.
| death_date  = 
|debutleague = MLB
| debutdate   = September 6
| debutyear   = 1983
| debutteam   = Boston Red Sox
|finalleague = MLB
| finaldate   = July 16
| finalyear   = 1990
| finalteam   = Cleveland Indians
|statleague = MLB
| stat1label  = [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
| stat1value  = 46–50
| stat2label  = [[Earned run average]]
| stat2value  = 4.52
| stat3label  = [[Strikeout]]s
| stat3value  = 381
| teams       = 
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{baseball year|1983}}–{{baseball year|1987}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{baseball year|1988}})
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{baseball year|1990}})
}}
'''Albert Samuel Nipper''' (born April 2, 1959) is an American former professional [[baseball]] player and [[coach (baseball)|coach]].  A [[right-handed]] [[pitcher]], he appeared in 144 [[Major League Baseball|Major League]] [[games pitched|games]] over seven seasons for the [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Chicago Cubs]] and [[Cleveland Indians]]. He was listed as {{convert|6|ft}} tall and {{convert|188|lb}}.

==Major League Baseball playing career==
Born in [[San Diego]], Nipper grew up in [[Missouri]], where he graduated from [[Hazelwood West High School (Hazelwood, Missouri)|Hazelwood West High School]] and [[Truman State University]] in [[Kirksville, Missouri|Kirkville]] (formerly Northeast Missouri State University). He was the Red Sox' eighth selection in the [[1980 Major League Baseball draft]].

Nipper pitched for the Red Sox from {{mlby|1983}} to {{mlby|1987}}. He was included with the league's top players in the ballot for Rookie of the Year in {{mlby|1984}}. But then a succession of injuries limited his success. He [[starting pitcher|started]] 26 games for the [[1986 Boston Red Sox season|1986 Red Sox]], posting a mediocre 10–12 [[win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] and 5.38 [[earned run average]] as Boston won the [[American League East Division]] title. He did not appear in the [[1986 American League Championship Series|ALCS]] against the [[California Angels]], but made two appearances on the mound for the Red Sox in the [[1986 World Series]] against the [[New York Mets]]. Nipper started Game 4 on October 22 at [[Fenway Park]] and held the Mets scoreless through three [[inning (baseball)|innings]], but in the fourth, he surrendered three [[run (baseball)|runs]], two on a [[home run]] by [[Gary Carter]]. Nipper righted himself after that inning and pitched through the sixth, but the three runs he allowed held up as the winning margin in a 6–2 New York victory.<ref>[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10220BOS1986.htm Retrosheet box score: 1986 World Series Game 4]</ref> Then, in the winner-take-all Game 7 at [[Shea Stadium]] October 27, Nipper was called upon in [[relief pitcher|relief]] as Boston's fifth pitcher of the contest. Entering in the eighth inning with the Mets leading 6–5, Nipper was ineffective. He retired only one batter and allowed three hits, including a lead-off home run to [[Darryl Strawberry]] and a run-scoring [[single (baseball)|single]] to opposing pitcher [[Jesse Orosco]], enabling the Mets to pad their lead to an insurmountable 8–5;<ref>[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10270NYN1986.htm Retrosheet box score: 1986 World Series Game 7]</ref> they won the world championship one inning later.

Nipper was traded to the Cubs in a deal for [[closer (baseball)|closer]] [[Lee Smith (baseball)|Lee Smith]] after the 1987 season. He pitched in 22 games, 12 as a starter, for the [[1988 Chicago Cubs season|Cubs in 1988]], then missed the entire 1989 season recovering from elbow and knee injuries. On June 27, 1988, Nipper recorded the only save of his MLB career, retiring the final out of the game to preserve a 2-1 Cubs victory over the Phillies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198806270.shtml|title=Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs Box Score, June 27, 1988}}</ref>

[[File:CLE1990H42NIPPER.jpg|thumb|left|200px|1990 Cleveland Indians #42 Al Nipper game worn home jersey]] He signed as a [[free agent]] with [[1990 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland in 1990]]; in a season spent mostly with the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Colorado Springs Sky Sox]], Nipper won his final two MLB games in mid-season.

He then signed a [[minor league baseball|minor league]] contract with his hometown [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in 1991, but was not called up from Triple-A. It was his final season as a pitcher.

In his 144 total major league regular-season [[games played]] (124 as a starting pitcher), he finished with a career record of 46–50 and a 4.52 earned run average in 797<small>{{fraction|2|3}}</small> [[innings pitched]], with 381&nbsp;[[strikeouts]] and 21 [[complete game]]s. He allowed 846 hits and 303 [[bases on balls]].  In his only postseason action, in the 1986 World Series, Nipper posted an 0–1 (7.11) record, allowing five runs, ten hits and two bases on balls in two games and 6<small>{{fraction|1|3}}</small> innings of work.

==Coaching career==

After his pitching career, Nipper became a major and minor league [[coach (baseball)|pitching coach]] and [[scout (sports)|scout]]. He returned to the Red Sox in 1992 and served in a succession of coaching roles at the minor league level (1992 through mid-1995, and 1997) and as pitching coach on the big league staff under [[Kevin Kennedy (baseball)|Kevin Kennedy]] from mid-1995 through mid-1996. He became the roving minor league pitching instructor for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], serving for three years (1998–2000), then joined the [[Kansas City Royals]] as MLB pitching coach in 2001 and 2002. Returning to the Red Sox as pitching coach of [[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] [[Sarasota Red Sox|Sarasota]] (2003–04) and then minor league pitching coordinator (2005), he was promoted to MLB [[bullpen]] coach in 2006, although he spent much of that season as the Red Sox' interim pitching coach because of the surgery-induced absence of [[Dave Wallace (baseball)|Dave Wallace]].  Then, from 2007 to 2011, he was a special assignment scout for the Red Sox, specializing in evaluating pitchers.<ref>''2011 Boston Red Sox Media Guide'', page 453</ref>

In 2012–13, Nipper was the minor league pitching coordinator of the [[Detroit Tigers]]<ref>[http://www.detnews.com/article/20110919/SPORTS0104/109190387/1361/Tigers-name-Dave-Owen--Al-Nipper-to-key-minor-league-positions The Detroit News]</ref> and he spent 2014 as pitching coach of the Triple-A [[Toledo Mud Hens]] in the Tigers' [[farm system|system]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.toledofreepress.com/tag/larry-parrish/ |title=Toledo Free Press 2013-9-18 |access-date=2013-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022043441/http://www.toledofreepress.com/tag/larry-parrish/ |archive-date=2013-10-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/12/detroit_tigers_announce_minor-.html Mlive.com]</ref> In {{baseball year|2015}}, he returned to the Royals' organization as the pitching coach of the [[Omaha Storm Chasers]], their [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] affiliate.<ref>[https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-106028788 milb.com]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=n/nippeal01|brm=nipper001alb}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[coach (baseball)|pitching coach]] | before=[[John Cumberland]] | years=1995–1996 | after= [[Sammy Ellis]]}}  
{{succession box | title=[[Kansas City Royals]] [[coach (baseball)|pitching coach]] | before=[[Brent Strom]] | years=2001–2002 | after= [[John Cumberland]]}} 
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[coach (baseball)|bullpen coach]] | before=[[Bill Haselman]] | years=2006 | after= [[Gary Tuck]]}}  
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nipper, Al}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Baseball coaches from California]]
[[Category:Baseball players from San Diego]]
[[Category:Baseball coaches from Missouri]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox scouts]]
[[Category:Bristol Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Royals coaches]]
[[Category:Louisville Redbirds players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball bullpen coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitching coaches]]
[[Category:New Britain Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from St. Louis County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Truman Bulldogs baseball players]]
[[Category:Winter Haven Red Sox players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]