Nelson Figueroa (born May 18, 1974) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and current

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

in the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Mets, and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. Figueroa also played for the

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. He featured a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

topping out at 91 mph,

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, and a splitter. He has also worked as a post-game studio analyst for

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

broadcasts.

Early career

Figueroa attended

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

from 1992 to 1995, where he pitched for three years and earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies. In 1994, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fi ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star. He was drafted 833rd overall by the

in the 30th round of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

. The Mets traded Figueroa with outfielder

Bernard Gilkey Otis Bernard Gilkey (born September 24, 1966) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. ...

to the

in 1998 for

Jorge Fábregas Jorge Fábregas ( , ; born March 13, 1970) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played for eight teams during a nine-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career. Career Fábregas an alumnus of the University of Miami. In 1989, he ...

Willie Blair William Allen Blair (born December 18, 1965) is an American former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball and current pitching coach for the West Michigan Whitecaps. Playing career Blair played baseball for Morehead State University bef ...

and cash considerations. Figueroa made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks during the 2000 season, becoming the first Brandeis University alumnus to reach the major leagues. Figueroa started in three games that year and compiled an 0–1 record and a 7.47 ERA. On July 26, 2000, Figueroa was traded with

Vicente Padilla Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball pitcher. Padilla played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and ...

Travis Lee Travis Reynolds Lee (born May 26, 1975) is an American former professional first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. Amateur career Lee graduated from Capital High School in Olympia, Washington in 1993, where he also p ...

, and

Omar Daal Omar Jesús Daal Cordero (born March 1, 1972) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 11 seasons (–). He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona ...

to the

for

Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is a commentator for conservative media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance ...

. Figueroa spent the rest of the 2000 season pitching for the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

(AAA), compiling a record of 4–3 and an ERA of 3.78.

Milwaukee Brewers

In 2001, Figueroa tossed 89 innings for the Phillies and finished the season with a 4–5 record and 3.94 ERA. The right-hander was claimed off waivers on October 11, 2002, by the

. Figueroa spent one season in Milwaukee where he regressed to a 1–7 record and 5.03 ERA.

Pittsburgh Pirates

He then signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

on January 6, 2003. Figueroa spent most of the 2003 season pitching for the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pirates. He was promoted late in the season and went 2–1 with a 3.31 ERA for Pittsburgh. After a brief stint with the Pirates in 2004, Figueroa spent 2005 rehabilitating a torn rotator cuff that he had played with during the previous season. He signed a minor-league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

early in 2006 and spent the season pitching for the Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, where he posted a 4.38 ERA in 76 innings of work.

Foreign leagues

In 2007, he signed with

Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded baseball team from the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. Figueroa went to

in September 2007 as a late season addition to the

Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

of the

(CPBL). He started 4 games for the Lions, won them all, had 8 walks and 21 strikeouts in 30 innings, had an

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

of 3.00, and helped the Lions secure the wild-card spot in the playoff series. In the first round best-of-five series against Macoto Cobras, Figueroa started for the Lions in the first game. He pitched for 8 innings, gave up only 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs while striking out 8 hitters. The Lions won the game with a score of 9–4 with Figueroa the winning pitcher, and advanced to the championship series by sweeping the Cobras in three games. In the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

Taiwan Series Taiwan Series () is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). It is usually played in late October or early November, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the ''CPBL Seasonal Championship Series'' () ...

CPBL championship series against the

La New Bears LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

, Figueroa started in three games, the first, fourth, and seventh games, and won them all. He was selected as the series MVP and now holds the record in the Taiwan Series history as the starting pitcher with the most games won. In the 2009 Venezuelan Winter league round robin, he pitched for Cardenales de Lara (Lara's Cardinals) and pitched a no hit no run for nine innings but the game was still 0–0, he came again in the 10th and gave up a hit, ending the streak. Cardenales won in 10 innings, 1–0. Figueroa was the winning pitcher.

Return to MLB

New York Mets

Nelson Figueroa on April 19, 2009 (cropped)

In his return to Major League Baseball on April 11, 2008, Figueroa had his first start with the New York Mets. He pitched 6 innings, allowed 2 hits, walked two and struck out 6, getting credit for the victory with the Mets going on to win 4-2. In attendance was his family, who cheered him on from Mets closer

Billy Wagner William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Houston Astros (1995–2003), Philadelphia Phil ...

's suite. On May 13, 2008, he along with reliever

Jorge Sosa Jorge Bolivar Sosa (born April 28, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and ...

was designated for assignment to make room for activated reliever

Matt Wise Matthew John Wise (born November 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2000 and 2008. He became the bullpen coach for th ...

. He was eventually sent outright to the minors. Figueroa was brought back to the Mets on August 27, spending September as a member of the Mets'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

. On December 3, he was re-signed by the New York Mets to a minor league contract. Nelson was called up on April 19, 2009, to start against the Brewers in place of injured

Mike Pelfrey Michael Alan Pelfrey (born January 14, 1984) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He is the pitching coach at Wichita State University. He played college baseball at Wichita State University from 2003 to ...

, and was designated for assignment following the game. On April 25, 2009, he re-signed with the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. On October 4, 2009, the last day of the 2009 MLB regular season, Figueroa tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven batters for the first complete game and shutout (4–0) of his major league baseball career. It was also the first complete game shutout ever thrown by a Mets pitcher at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

. He had a two-run triple against the Cardinals on August 5, 2009. He became the first pitcher to hit a triple since

Orlando Hernández Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965), nicknamed "El Duque" (Spanish for "The Duke"), is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Yan ...

in 2006.

Philadelphia Phillies

On April 7, 2010, the Phillies claimed Figueroa off waivers for use in the role of long reliever. On May 31, the Phillies designated him for assignment, and he accepted outright assignment to Triple-A

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

. On June 24, he was called up when

Chad Durbin Chad Griffin Durbin (born December 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Detroit Tigers of the American League (AL), and the Ari ...

was placed on the DL, and was then designated for assignment again in July.

Houston Astros

Figueroa was claimed by the Astros on July 21, 2010. He made 26 appearances for Houston in parts of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. His final MLB appearance was with the Astros on May 9, 2011. He was designated for assignment by the Astros that day, then released on August 18.

Late career

On August 23, 2011, Figueroa signed a minor league contract with the

and was assigned to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

. Figueroa signed a minor league contract with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

on January 19, 2012. He was released by the Blue Jays on March 31, 2012. He signed a minor league contract with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

on April 17, 2012. He was released on July 19. On July 24, he signed a minor league contract with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

and was assigned to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

where he was the winning pitcher in each of the team's clinching games on the way to winning its first Governors' Cup in 28 years. Figueroa signed a minor league contract with the

on December 21, 2012. He was released on April 26, 2013. Figueroa again signed with Taiwan's

in mid-2013.

Post-playing career

On February 16, 2015, SNY announced that Figueroa would replace

Bob Ojeda Robert Michael Ojeda (born December 17, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher from to , most notably as a member ...

as the pre/post-game analyst for their Mets broadcasts. On June 1, 2019, SNY announced that it had fired Figueroa. On March 3, 2022, Figueroa was announced as the new pitching coach for the

Staten Island FerryHawks The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner leag ...

of the

. On August 9, with the FerryHawks unexpectedly playing a doubleheader, Figueroa pitched the first game, throwing 119 pitches through all seven innings of the contest at age 48.

International career

Figueroa pitched for the Puerto Rican national team in the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike ...

, where the team won a silver medal. Following the conclusion of the tournament, which was won by Dominican Republic upon beating Puerto Rico in the final, Figueroa was named to the All-WBC team. During the second game played against the United States, Figueroa was the starting pitcher at age 38 and allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings. Until this win, his best game had been a four-hit shutout for the Mets on the final day of the 2009 season. Puerto Rico won the game, 4–3, and eliminated the United States with the result.

Personal life

Figueroa is married and spends the off-season in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and New Jersey. He has one daughter named Renee. He is a graduate of Lincoln High School, Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 for the Gifted and Talented, and Public School 188, the Michael E. Berdy School in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

.Crouse. Karen
"Seeking a Spot, a Mets Pitcher Has to Be Creative "
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', March 4, 2008. Accessed September 22, 2009. "Figueroa, a Brooklyn native, went to Abraham Lincoln High School, as did the former Met Lee Mazzilli." He is also an artist who helped design patriotic t-shirts for Major League Baseball in the aftermath of

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

.Handy man to have around the dugout, Figueroa loves to tinker
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 26, 2002 by Drew Olsen The shirts were sold to raise money for charity. He has a skill with electronics that former manager

Jerry Royster Jeron Kennis Royster (born October 18, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball player and coach. He was a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and the New York Yankees. He was ...

called "just amazing."

References

External links

, o
Baseball Almanac
at Astros Daily
Nelson Figueroa
at Ultimate Mets Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Nelson 1974 births Living people Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) alumni Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Baseball coaches from New York (state) Binghamton Mets players Brandeis Judges baseball players Brandeis University alumni Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Capital City Bombers players Dorados de Chihuahua players Houston Astros players Indianapolis Indians players Kingsport Mets players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Sportspeople from Brooklyn Baseball players from New York City Tucson Sidewinders players Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players Uni-President Lions players Wareham Gatemen players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players