Gene Nelson

Wayland Eugene Nelson II (born December 3, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1981 to 1993. He was a setup man for the Oakland Athletics team that won the 1989 World Series and three American League pennants.

Playing career Nelson graduated from Pasco High School in Dade City, Florida in 1978. The Texas Rangers selected him in the 30th round of the 1978 MLB draft. Texas traded him to the New York Yankees in October 1979 as one of the players to be named later in a trade that July that sent Oscar Gamble to the Yankees for Mickey Rivers. Nelson was the Yankees minor league pitcher of the year in 1980 with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees, with a 20–3 win–loss record and 1.97 ERA.

Nelson made his MLB debut with the Yankees in May 1981, pitching in 8 eight games for New York. He was the second-youngest player in the AL that year. He was named the AL Player of the Week in June 1982 after throwing a shutout against the Rangers and beating the Kansas City Royals. Nelson spent most of the 1983 season in the minors, Nelson pitched a career-high innings in 1985, starting 18 games and finishing 11, with a 10–10 record.

Nelson had a rough first month with Oakland, with a 7.11 ERA in 8 games, then settled into a key relief role for manager Tony La Russa, helping the A's win three AL pennants winning seasons from 1988 to 1990, frequently setting up Dennis Eckersley for his saves. Nelson had a 1.57 ERA in 1990 and a 9–6 record in 1988. After seeing his performance slip in, Oakland released him in August 1992. He finished his career in 1993 with a 3.12 ERA while pitching for the California Angels and Texas .

Personal life Nelson is married and has three children.