| Charles Nagy | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Nagy in 2023 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1967-05-05)May 5, 1967 (age 58) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 1990, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 1, 2003, for the San Diego Padres | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 129–105 |
| Earned run average | 4.51 |
| Strikeouts | 1,242 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Medals | |
Charles Harrison Nagy (born May 5, 1967) is an American formerMajor League Baseball All-Star right-handedpitcher who played for 14 seasons in the major leagues from1990 to2003. He played for theCleveland Indians andSan Diego Padres. He served as thepitching coach for theArizona Diamondbacks from 2011 to 2013 and theLos Angeles Angels from 2016 to 2018.
Nagy was born on May 5, 1967, inBridgeport, Connecticut. He is ofHungarian ancestry.[1] Nagy attendedRoger Ludlowe High School inFairfield, Connecticut,[2] where he starred in baseball and football.
Nagy attended theUniversity of Connecticut. Playing for theHuskies, he ranked second and eighth all-time for strikeouts in a single season (113, 81)[3] and fifth for his career (194). His single-season marks for the Huskies (entering the 2011 season) include tied for third in complete games (8), tied for sixth in saves (4), and 17th in innings pitched (86+1⁄3).[4] He was the first Huskies player drafted in the first round[5] and the first to be named theBig East Pitcher of the Year, which he won twice (for the 1987 and 1988 seasons).[6]
In 1987, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theHarwich Mariners of theCape Cod Baseball League, and was playoff MVP of Harwich's league championship squad.[7][8]
Nagy was a member of theU.S. national team that competed in the1988 Summer Olympics as ademonstration sport. Nagy made 19 appearances for the U.S., going 3–1 with a 1.05 ERA and a team-leading six saves. He appeared in two games in the Olympics, pitching 2.0 innings and earning a save.[4] Team USA defeated defending championJapan to win the tournament andgold medal. However, since baseball was a demonstration sport, the medals did not count in the respective nations' medal totals.
Nagy was taken in the first round as the 17th overall pick by theCleveland Indians during the1988 Major League Baseball draft. He was selected as a compensation pick from theSan Francisco Giants for the signing ofBrett Butler. Nagy was the second of three first round picks selected by the Indians, sandwiched between shortstopMark Lewis and pitcherJeff Mutis. Being a successful college pitcher, Nagy skipped several levels and was assigned to theKinston Indians, the ClevelandHigh A affiliate in theCarolina League. He posted an 8–4 record and 1.51earned run average (ERA) with 99 strikeouts in95+1⁄3 innings over 13 starts. He was quickly promoted toCanton–Akron Indians, theDouble-A affiliate in theEastern League. Nagy finished with a 4–5 record and a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts. After the season,Baseball America rated him as the #27 prospect.
Nagy returned to the so-called "little Indians" for the start of the 1990 season, where he went 13–8 with a 2.52 ERA in 23 starts. He was soon called up to Cleveland, making his big league debut on June 29, 1990, a 7–2 loss to theCalifornia Angels. He would end with a 2-4 record and a 5.91 ERA in 9 starts. In 1991, he finished 10–5 with a 4.13 ERA, and tied for eighth in theAmerican League Rookie of the Year Award for 1991. On August 8, 1992, he threw a complete game one-hitter against theBaltimore Orioles, giving up just a single in the seventh inning, while allowing twowalks.
1992 was possibly Nagy's best year statistically as he finished the season with an impressive 2.96 ERA and a career high 252 innings pitched. He had ten complete games. His win-loss record was 17–10, including three shutouts. In theAll-Star Game, Nagy batted in the 8th inning because there were no position players remaining to pinch-hit. Nagy hit an infield single offDoug Jones while wearing aTexas Rangersbatting helmet.[9] He scored on a single byTravis Fryman.[10] Nagy was the 19th pitcher to get a hit in the All-Star Game, and is the only pitcher to record a hit in the All-Star Game in thedesignated hitter era.[11]
On May 15, 1993, Nagy left a game against theMilwaukee Brewers with a shoulder injury after pitching to just two batters. He was a miserable 2–6 at that point and underwent surgery for a tornlabrum on June 29, shutting him down for the 1993 season. He rebounded in1994 with a respectable 10–8 record with a 3.45 ERA during thestrike-shortened season.
During the1995 season, Nagy led the staff with a 16–6 and a 4.55 ERA, as the Indians returned to the World Series for the first time since1954. He pitched well in thedivision andleague championship series, giving up two earned runs in 15 innings, but surrendered five earned runs in seven innings in Game 3 of the1995 World Series. The next year, 1996, was among his best; he recorded a 17–5 record and a 3.41 ERA, and he finished fourth in ALCy Young Award voting.
In the1997 World Series, Nagy was the Game 3 starter. He gave up 5 earned runs in six innings. In Game 7, after a blown save by closerJosé Mesa, Nagy was brought in in the 10th inning. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Nagy gave up a bases-loaded single toÉdgar Rentería that appeared to graze off his outstretched glove to end the game and the series, pinning Nagy with the loss.
In 1999, Nagy batted twice in a game against Toronto, after a mistake with the initial lineup card cost the Indians their designated hitter.[12] As of 2021[update], he is one of only eight different pitchers to have batted more than once in a nine-inning game that used the designated hitter rule.[citation needed]
During this period from 1995 through 1999, Nagy was the workhorse of the Tribe pitching staff, amassing 15 or more wins each season, a feat only matched byGreg Maddux. However, Nagy was placed on thedisabled list (DL) on May 16, 2000, snapping a streak of 192 consecutive starts dating back to October 3, 1993. On May 19, 2000, he underwentarthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He returned to make three starts in September, but was shut down after three losses and persistent pain.[13] He would get just six more wins from 2001 through 2003.
Despite a solid spring training and not missing a turn in the spring rotation, Nagy started the2001 season on the disabled list, as the Indians felt he needed to build strength in his surgically repaired elbow.[14] He did not come off of the DL on June 1.[15]
Nagy's last season, 2003, was with theSan Diego Padres. He finished sixth on Cleveland's all-time strikeout leader list (1,235),[16] 10th in wins (129), and 11th in innings pitched (1,942+1⁄3).[17]
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Nagy was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in2004, and the Cleveland Indians Team Hall of Fame on August 11, 2007.
In 2009, Nagy was named the pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A team, theColumbus Clippers.[18]
On October 26, 2010, Nagy was named pitching coach of theArizona Diamondbacks.[19][20] He was fired by general managerKevin Towers on October 7, 2013 partly for refusing to instruct pitchers to hit players on opposing teams.[21] It was duly noted by journalists that the Diamondbacks pitchers actually hit 60 batters last season, while their batters were only hit 43 times.[22]
In February 2015, Nagy was hired again by the Cleveland Indians as Special Assistant to Player Development along withTravis Hafner andJohn McDonald.[23][24]
On November 2, 2015, Nagy was named the pitching coach of theLos Angeles Angels.[25] He was replaced after the 2018 season.[26]
Nagy and his wife have two daughters. They live outside ofSan Diego inRancho Santa Fe, California.[20]
Nagy established an endowed baseball scholarship at UConn with a gift of $100,000.[2]
| Preceded by | American LeagueAll-Star Game Starting Pitcher 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Los Angeles Angels Pitching Coach 2016–2018 | Succeeded by |
