Chester Raymond Nichols Jr. (February 22, 1931 – March 27, 1995) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player. A tall,
left-hander, he was a
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
over all or parts of nine seasons (, –, –) with the
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and
Milwaukee Braves
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...
,
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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
and
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
. In 1951, he was the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) champion as a 20-year-old
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
, and was the runner-up to
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...
for the league's
Rookie of the Year Award
A Rookie of the Year award or ROY is given by a number of sports leagues to the top-performing athlete in his or her first season within the league. Athletes competing for the first time in any given league are also known as "rookies".
Principal ...
. He was the son of former major league pitcher
Chet Nichols Sr., a right-hander who appeared in 44
games
A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
for three National League clubs between 1926 and 1932.
Career
Boston Braves
Nichols Jr. was born in
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...
, where he attended East High School. After spending the 1949 and 1950 seasons in the Braves'
farm system
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...
, he made Boston's
1951 roster out of
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
. He pitched exclusively in
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
through May 23, posting a 3.00 ERA. In his first
starting assignment, June 3 at
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today the site is home to Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. The stadium was home of the Boston Braves of the National League from 1915 to 1952, prior to the ...
against the Cincinnati Reds, he held a 2–1 lead into the
eighth inning when Cincinnati rallied for three
runs; Nichols was saddled with the 4–2 defeat, but he threw a
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
and earned a place in Boston's starting rotation. Six days later, Nichols threw another complete game, this time a six-
hit, 6–1 triumph over the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
. Nichols went on to work in 33 games, 19 as a starter, and compiled an 11–8
won–lost record. His 2.88 earned run average in 156
innings pitched
In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...
was five-one-hundredths of a point better than
Sal Maglie
Salvatore Anthony Maglie (April 26, 1917 – December 28, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and later, a scout and a pitching coach. He played from 1945 to 1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New ...
's 2.93, giving Nichols the National League's ERA title. He threw 12 total complete games, posted three
shutouts
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
, and earned two
saves out of the bullpen.
Milwaukee Braves
Nichols then missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons while serving in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
during the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. He returned to the Braves, now based in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, in , but his performance declined. His ERA swelled to 4.41 and he issued 65
bases on balls
A base on balls (BB), better known as a walk,
occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches during a plate appearance that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The bas ...
to only 55
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s in 122
innings pitched. The following season, , he lowered his ERA to 4.00, but still struggled with wildness, walking 67 men and striking out only 44 in 144 innings of work. After two lackluster performances in early , Nichols was demoted to the
minor leagues
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
.
Boston Red Sox
The Braves released him after the 1957 season, and Nichols spent all of 1958 out of the game working as a bank teller in his native Rhode Island,
[Nowlin, Bill, ''Chet Nichols.''](_blank)
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...
Biography Project before getting a successful tryout with the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
Red Sox, Boston's surviving MLB team, who signed him to a minor-league contract for 1959. Two strong seasons at the
Triple-A level resulted in Nichols' promotion to the Red Sox in September . He spent the full seasons of through with the Red Sox, largely as a left-handed relief specialist. In 1961, he put up a stellar 2.09 earned run average in 51
innings, with three saves.
Final season and retirement
Boston released him after the 1963 season, and Nichols caught on with the Reds for 1964, but he was released after three early-season relief appearances, ending his MLB career.
In the major leagues, Nichols compiled a 34–36 record in 189 appearances, 71 of them starts, with a 3.64 ERA. In 603
innings pitched, he allowed 600 hits and 280 bases on balls, with 266
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s. He threw 23 complete games and four shutouts, and earned ten saves out of the bullpen. He returned to the banking field after his playing days, rising into management positions, and in 1977 he played an integral role in helping Rhode Island businessman
Ben Mondor purchase the struggling
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 ...
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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
;
[ during his 33-year stewardship, Mondor turned the "PawSox" into a highly successful Triple-A franchise.
Nichols died of cancer at his ]Lincoln, Rhode Island
Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistica ...
, home at the age of 64.Chet Nichols; Pitcher, 64
/ref>
See also
*List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
Dozens of father-and-son combinations have played or managed in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The first was Jack Doscher, son of Herm Doscher, who made his debut in 1903.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son duo t ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Chet Jr.
1931 births
1995 deaths
Atlanta Crackers players
Austin Senators players
Boston Braves players
Boston Red Sox players
Cincinnati Reds players
Deaths from cancer in Rhode Island
Evansville Braves players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Braves players
20th-century American sportsmen
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
National League ERA champions
Sportspeople from Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Baseball players from Providence County, Rhode Island
Vancouver Mounties players
Wichita Braves players