Guide Note:Nate Robertson is a Major League Baseball player pitching for the Detroit Tigers. He was originally signed out of high school by the Chicago White Sox but elected to attend Wichita State University, where he pitched for four years. In 1997 he appeared in one game for Taem USA and gained the victory after allowing just one run in three innings. After his junior year he was again selected by the Chicago White Sox but did not sign. In 1999 he was drafted in the fifth round by the Florida Marlins. In 2002 he pitched the entire season for the Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern League before being called up by the Florida Marlins. He made his Major League Baseball debut on September 7th, 2002 losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The final five appearances of the season came as a relief pitcher. Moving to the Detroit Tigers organization in 2003 in a trade for Mark Redman he spent the majority of the season playing for the Toledo Mud Hens. He made his first appearance of the season for the Detroit Tigers on August 18 striking out a career high eight batters against the Texas Rangers. He was named pitcher of the month for the Detroit Tigers in August. Spent the entire 2004 season in the Major Leagues leading the Detroit Tigers with 12 victories, the most by any left handed pitcher on the team in a season since 1997. In 2005 he made 32 starts and pitched 162 innings but also lead the entire league in losses with 16. He also began wearing corrective lenses to correct a lazy eye. In 2006 he invented a new rallying method in a June game against the New York Yankees. While wearing a microphone for television, he started stuffing his mouth with League Chew in attempts to get the team to score. The team did score and although they ended up losing the game, "Gum Time" has caught on as a rallying cry among the fans and the team. On October 10, 2006 he won his first postseason game, defeating the Oakland Athletics helping the team to their first league pennant since 1984. The 2007 season marked his fourth with the Detroit Tigers, finishing the year with 30 starts, 9 wins and 119 strikeouts. Early in 2008 he signed a three year contract extension with the team.
Fast Facts:
- Born: September 3, 1977 in Wichita, Kansas
- Full name: Nahtan Daniel Robertson
- Position: Pitcher
- Bats: Right
- Throws: Left
- College: Wichita State University
- Major League Debut: September 7, 2002
- Career Record: 42 wins, 55 losses
- Career Earned Run Average: 4.63
