Nick Blackburn

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2007-2012)

Nick Blackburn was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2007 to 2012 for the Minnesota Twins, a span of 6 seasons. Across 145 career appearances, he went 43-55 with a 4.85 ERA and 388 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 43–55
ERA 4.85
WHIP 1.47
SO 388
Pitcher PIV -13085.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 240 lb
Born
2/24/1982 in Ada, OK, USA
MLB Debut
2007-09-03
Last Game
2012-08-17

Full name: Robert Nicholas Blackburn

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Career Pitching Statistics

Nick Blackburn — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
43 55 145 137 5 0 0 818.2 1,003 441 117 202 388 4.85 -13085.3

Career ERA 4.85 vs. league average 4.19 across their career seasons — 15.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Nick Blackburn — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2007 MIN AL 0 2 6 0 0 0 0 11.2 19 10 2 8 7.71 4.47 (-72%) -40.2
2008 MIN AL 11 11 33 33 0 0 0 193.1 224 87 39 96 4.05 4.32 (+6%) -364.7
2009 MIN AL 11 11 33 33 3 0 0 205.2 240 92 41 98 4.03 4.32 (+7%) -228.2
2010 MIN AL 10 12 28 26 1 0 0 161.0 194 97 40 68 5.42 4.08 (-33%) -3997.0
2011 MIN AL 7 10 26 26 1 0 0 148.1 183 74 54 76 4.49 3.94 (-14%) -3324.3
2012 MIN AL 4 9 19 19 0 0 0 98.2 143 81 26 42 7.39 4.01 (-84%) -5130.9
Career · 6 seasons 43 55 145 137 5 0 0 818.2 1,003 441 202 388 4.85 — -13,085

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Nick Blackburn — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
145 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .083 .083 .083 .167 0

Career AVG .083 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 68.0% below league average.

Career OBP .083 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 74.6% below league average.

Career SLG .083 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — 79.7% below league average.

Career OPS .167 vs. league average .739 across their career seasons — 77.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Nick Blackburn — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2007 MIN AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 MIN AL 33 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
2009 MIN AL 33 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 MIN AL 28 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 MIN AL 26 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 MIN AL 19 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 145 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .083 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Nick Blackburn — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Nick Blackburn — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2009 ALDS1 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Nick Blackburn — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 1 0 5.2 3 1 2 3 1.59

Playoff Pitching by Year

Nick Blackburn — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2009 ALDS1 MIN 0 0 1 1 0 5.2 3 1 2 3 1.59

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (288 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Nick Blackburn — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home6900000—
Away75120100.083

Pitching — Home / Away

Nick Blackburn — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home69406.1455179962073.96
Away75406.05442611031785.79

Last 10 Games — Batting

Nick Blackburn — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2012-08-17 MINSEAL 000000000
2012-08-11 MINTBRL 000000000
2012-08-05 MINBOSL 000000000
2012-07-31 MINCHWL 000000000
2012-07-25 MINCHWL 000000000
2012-07-20 MINKCRW 000000000
2012-07-03 MINDETW 000000000
2012-06-27 MINCHWL 000000000
2012-06-22 MINCINW 200000001
2012-06-17 MINMILW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Nick Blackburn — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2012-08-17 MINSEA L 5.11155112
2012-08-11 MINTBR L 6.01144123
2012-08-05 MINBOS L 5.0944041
2012-07-31 MINCHW — 8.0522120
2012-07-25 MINCHW L 4.11088112
2012-07-20 MINKCR — 6.2711020
2012-07-03 MINDET — 4.0866112
2012-06-27 MINCHW L 5.0966032
2012-06-22 MINCIN W 5.0544222
2012-06-17 MINMIL — 6.0944231

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Nick Blackburn — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 145 137 70 114 5 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Nick Blackburn — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2007 MIN P 6 0 0 0 0 0
2008 MIN P 33 33 14 22 0 4
2009 MIN P 33 33 25 23 1 2
2010 MIN P 28 26 11 25 2 4
2011 MIN P 26 26 10 30 2 2
2012 MIN P 19 19 10 14 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Nick Blackburn — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 145

Salary History

Nick Blackburn's recorded salaries total $9,330,000 over 5 seasons, 2008 to 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Blackburn's career ran from 2007 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 2007.

Nick Blackburn — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2012 MIN AL $4,750,000
2011 MIN AL $3,000,000
2010 MIN AL $750,000
2009 MIN AL $440,000
2008 MIN AL $390,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $9,330,000

College History

Nick Blackburn — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Seminole State College Seminole OK 2001, 2002

Award Voting History

Nick Blackburn — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2008 Rookie of the Year AL 8th 1.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Nick Blackburn (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike Maroth
    50-67, 5.05 ERA
  2. 77
    Jeff Ballard
    41-53, 4.71 ERA
  3. 77
    Jae Weong Seo
    28-40, 4.60 ERA
  4. 76
    John Halama
    56-48, 4.65 ERA
  5. 74
    Mark Knudson
    24-29, 4.72 ERA
  6. 72
    Joe Mays
    48-70, 5.05 ERA

Nick Blackburn: the record in brief

September 3, 2007 and August 17, 2012 bracket Nick Blackburn's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Blackburn spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Minnesota Twins. Blackburn is listed as a pitcher at 240 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. Blackburn batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is February 24, 1982, in Ada, OK, USA. Blackburn's full given name, per the bio, is Robert Nicholas Blackburn.

Blackburn's career pitching line is 43 wins, 55 losses and a 4.85 ERA over 145 appearances. Also on Blackburn's record: 388 strikeouts. Against a 4.19 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.85 mark was 15.6% worse. 2008 brought Blackburn a season-high 11 wins. Blackburn struck out 98 batters in 2009, a career high. In 2009, one of the busiest seasons, Blackburn posted a 4.03 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.32.

Blackburn finished 8th in the 2008 Rookie of the Year voting, the best showing in the voting table.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nick Blackburn

What years did Nick Blackburn play?
Nick Blackburn played in Major League Baseball from 2007 to 2012.
Was Nick Blackburn a pitcher?
Yes. Nick Blackburn pitched in the major leagues, recording 43 wins and 388 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Nick Blackburn hit?
Nick Blackburn hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
What teams did Nick Blackburn play for?
Nick Blackburn played for one team, the Minnesota Twins (2007–2012).
What were Nick Blackburn's career stats?
In 145 games, Nick Blackburn went 43-55 with a 4.85 ERA, 388 strikeouts, and 818.2 innings pitched.
How much did Nick Blackburn earn in his career?
Nick Blackburn's recorded salaries total $9,330,000 over 5 seasons, 2008 to 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Blackburn's career ran from 2007 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 2007.
What was Nick Blackburn's salary?
Nick Blackburn's last recorded salary was $4,750,000, in 2012. His highest recorded salary was $4,750,000, in 2012, and his lowest was $390,000, in 2008. The Salary History table lists each season from 2008 to 2012.
What position did Nick Blackburn play?
Nick Blackburn played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Nick Blackburn and how much did he weigh?
Nick Blackburn was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 240 pounds.
What was Nick Blackburn's career ERA?
Nick Blackburn finished with a 4.85 career ERA, going 43-55 with 388 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Nick Blackburn have?
Nick Blackburn recorded 388 career strikeouts.
Is Nick Blackburn in the Hall of Fame?
No. Nick Blackburn has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.