 Robb Nen
Robert Allen Nen (born November 28, 1969 in San Pedro, California) is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, more specifically a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen.
Nen is best known for his years with the San Francisco Giants (1998-2002). He also played with the Texas Rangers (1993) and Florida Marlins (1993-97); in 1997, he won a World Series championship with the Marlins. After the 2002 season, Nen injured his throwing arm and has not played since.
Nen was known for an unusual delivery in which he tapped his toe on the ground before releasing the ball. His signature pitch, a slider, was nicknamed "The Terminator." It looked like a fastball until it broke straight down at the plate at a velocity of up to 92 mph. In addition to the slider, Nen had a fastball that reached the upper 90s. A splitter rounded up Nen's pitching arsenal.
Nen has 314 career saves with the Marlins (1993-1997; 108 saves) and Giants (1998-2002; 206 saves). His is 14th overall in career saves in the major leagues.
Nen wore number 31 as his jersey number throughout his career.
On November 18, 1997, Nen was traded to the Giants for Mike Villano, Joe Fontenot and Mick Pageler. Nen was expected to fill in the closer role, a role recently vacated by Rod Beck, who left via free agency to the Chicago Cubs. If Beck had set the bar high for a San Fransisco closer (199 saves in his 7-year tenure with the Giants), Nen would raise the bar. His first year yielded 40 saves with a 1.52 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 88.7 IP. As a Giant, Nen was selected to three All-Star Games (1998, 1999, 2002) and finished 4th in voting for the 2000 National League Cy Young Award and 12th in the NL MVP voting (the award went to teammate Jeff Kent), both high honors for a closer.
On February 20, 2005, Nen formally announced his retirement.
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