Dustin Nippert

Dustin David Nippert (born May 6, 1981, in Wheeling, West Virginia) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball, and the Doosan Bears and KT Wiz of the KBO League. Nippert won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award in 2016. With eight seasons in the KBO, Nippert holds the record for the longest career of any foreign player.

Dustin Nippert
Nippert with the Doosan Bears
Free agent
Starting pitcher
Born: (1981-05-06) May 6, 1981
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: September 8, 2005, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
KBO: April 2, 2011, for the Doosan Bears
Last appearance
MLB: July 19, 2010, for the Texas Rangers
KBO: 2018, for the KT Wiz
MLB statistics
(through 2010 season)
Win–loss record14–16
Earned run average5.31
Strikeouts214
KBO statistics
(through 2018 season)
Win–loss record102–51
Earned run average3.59
Strikeouts1,082
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life and education

Nippert grew up in the small Ohio town of Beallsville, where he played baseball for Beallsville High School. He attended West Virginia University, where he played college baseball for the Mountaineers in 2002.[1]

Career
Nippert with the Doosan Bears.

Major League Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Nippert in the 15th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 8, 2005 with the same organization that drafted him. On March 28, 2008, he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Jose Marte.

On June 29, 2008, Nippert threw a seven-inning no-hitter for Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks against the Omaha Royals.

The 2009 season is best on record for Nippert in his major league career, when he compiled a 5-3 record with an ERA of 3.88 in 69.2 innings for the Rangers. During the next year, he was able to shake off a scary incident on July 19, 2010, when he was hit on the side of the head by a line drive hit by Austin Jackson against the Detroit Tigers. The ball was hit so hard that it ricocheted off of his head and past third base into left field. Nippert walked off the field smiling to a standing ovation in Detroit but was placed on the 15-day DL after the game.

Korea Baseball Organization

On March 3, 2011, Nippert signed with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization,[2] after an attempt to sign with a Japanese baseball team had failed.[3] Due to his solid performances in a Doosan uniform, the team's fans have christened him "Ninunim" (Korean: 니느님), with the name being a combination of his last name and the Korean word for God "Hanunim" (하느님).[4] In the 2015 KBO Post-season, he pitched 26⅔ scoreless innings during the Bears run to the fourth Korean Series championship in the team's history. On November 14, 2016, he won KBO League Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the fourth foreign player to be awarded in the 34-year history of the league.[5]

On January 23, 2017, Nippert re-signed with the Doosan Bears for another year, earning $2.1 million per year, which is the highest annual income ever of a foreign player in the Korean Baseball Organization.[6] Nippert pitched to a 14-8 record with a 4.06 ERA during the regular season, and started Game 1 of the 2017 Korean Series.[7]

On January 4, 2018, Nippert signed with the KT Wiz. The Doosan Bears had recommended he retire, but Nippert had a strong will to extend his active service. He signed a $1 million contract with the Wiz.[8] On June 29, 2018, with a victory against the NC Dinos, Nippert became the first foreign pitcher in the KBO league to win 100 games in his career.[9]

Personal life

Nippert is married to a South Korean woman, who is his second wife.[10][11] He was previously married to a U.S. woman for 10 years, until 2014.[12][13]

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See also

Further reading

References
  1. "West Virginia University Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on 2004-04-06. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  2. Axisa, Mike. "Dustin Nippert Signed With Team In Korea". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  3. "Dustin Nippert, the "Ace" on the mound". The INNERview. Episode 109. March 2014. Arirang TV. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  4. [프로야구]두산 니퍼트 "니느님? 그저 고마울 뿐" (in Korean). Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  5. Yoo Jee-ho (November 14, 2016). "American pitcher voted MVP of S. Korean baseball". english.yonhapnews.co.kr. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  6. Yoo Jee-ho (January 23, 2017). "Reigning S. Korean baseball MVP becomes highest-paid foreign player". english.yonhapnews.co.kr. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20171024000816
  8. http://www.topstarnews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=343520. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. {{cite news|url= http://www.spotvnews.co.kr/?mod=news&act=articleView&idxno=223197
  10. "Doosan Bears' Dustin Nippert to Wed Korean Woman". Chosun Ilbo. November 9, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  11. "두산 베어스 니퍼트의 '한국사랑' 인터뷰". SBS Sports. January 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  12. "MVP-winning pitcher upset with team official's bad-mouthing, seeks 'fair' deal". Yonhap News. South Korea: Yonhap. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  13. Nippert, Dustin (2007). "Arizona Diamondbacks - Dustin Nippert". MLB. Archived from the original on 2008-03-21. Carrie, I wanted to take the time to tell you what you mean to me and our family. In this world we live in everything is unstable, except for you. You are the one true constant thing that has always been there for me. Caden and I are very lucky to have a mom and wife like you in our lives. Having you by my side makes me a better person. If it wasn't for you who knows where I would be today. I love you with all my heart and wanted to wish you a very Happy Mothers Day!!! DustinCS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
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