Rodney Lea Nichols (December 29, 1964 – May 14, 2025) was an American professional baseball

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, ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) from 1988 to 1995 with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. Nichols was a three-year letterman at

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. He also played one season in Japan for the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai ...

in 1997. After retiring from playing, Nichols worked as a minor league pitching coach for the

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word re ...

(2002–2004),

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 S ...

(2005–2006),

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Exp ...

(2007), and

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

(2008–12). In 2013, he was named the bullpen coach for the

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

. Nichols returned to the minors in 2016 to serve as the pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs Triple-A Iowa affiliate. He retired after the 2019 season. Nichols was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Nichols died on May 14, 2025, at the age of 60.

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1964 births 2025 deaths Albuquerque Dukes players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Iowa Batavia Trojans players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Kinston Indians players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers New Mexico Lobos baseball players Omaha Royals players Philadelphia Phillies coaches Richmond Braves players Waterloo Indians players Williamsport Bills players Minor league baseball coaches 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub