What years did Rod Nichols play?

Rod Nichols played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1995.

Was Rod Nichols a pitcher?

Yes. Rod Nichols pitched in the major leagues, recording 11 wins and 214 strikeouts.

What teams did Rod Nichols play for?

Rod Nichols played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1988–1992), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1993), and the Atlanta Braves (1995).

What were Rod Nichols's career stats?

In 100 games, Rod Nichols went 11-31 with a 4.43 ERA, 214 strikeouts, 412.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves.

What was Rod Nichols's salary?

Rod Nichols's last recorded salary was $350,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $350,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $73,500, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1989 to 1993.

What position did Rod Nichols play?

Rod Nichols played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Rod Nichols and how much did he weigh?

Rod Nichols was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.

What was Rod Nichols's career ERA?

Rod Nichols finished with a 4.43 career ERA, going 11-31 with 214 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Rod Nichols have?

Rod Nichols recorded 214 career strikeouts.

Is Rod Nichols in the Hall of Fame?

No. Rod Nichols has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rod Nichols

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1988-1995)

Rod Nichols was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1995 for the Cleveland Guardians, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 8 seasons. Across 100 career appearances, he went 11-31 with a 4.43 ERA and 214 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 October 15, 2026

W–L 11–31

ERA 4.43

WHIP 1.41

SO 214

Pitcher PIV -1522.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 190 lb
Born: 12/29/1964 in Burlington, IA, USA
Died: 5/14/2025 in Helena, MT, USA
MLB Debut: 1988-07-30
Last Game: 1995-08-29

Full name: Rodney Lea Nichols

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Rod Nichols — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
11	31	100	48	6	1	1	412.2	460	203	42	121	214	4.43	-1522.8

Career ERA 4.43 vs. league average 3.94 across their career seasons — 12.3% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rod Nichols — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1988	CLE	AL	1	7	11	10	3	0	0	69.1	73	39	23	31	5.06	3.73 (-36%)	-277.9
1989	CLE	AL	4	6	15	11	0	0	0	71.2	81	35	24	42	4.40	3.71 (-18%)	-1077.4
1990	CLE	AL	0	3	4	2	0	0	0	16.0	24	14	6	3	7.88	3.86 (-104%)	-1653.8
1991	CLE	AL	2	11	31	16	3	1	1	137.1	145	54	30	76	3.54	3.91 (+10%)	2852.3
1992	CLE	AL	4	3	30	9	0	0	0	105.1	114	53	31	56	4.53	3.75 (-21%)	-1365.9
1993	LAN	NL	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	6.1	9	4	2	3	5.68	—	0.0
1995	ATL	NL	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	6.2	14	4	5	3	5.40	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			11	31	100	48	6	1	1	412.2	460	203	121	214	4.43	—	-1,523

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

Rod Nichols — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
100	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rod Nichols — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1988	CLE	AL	11	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	CLE	AL	15	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	CLE	AL	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	CLE	AL	31	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	CLE	AL	30	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	LAN	NL	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	ATL	NL	5	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			100	—	—	—	—	—	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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (200 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rod Nichols — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	52	0	0	0	0	0	—
Away	48	0	0	0	0	0	—

Pitching — Home / Away

Rod Nichols — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	52	226.2	255	110	69	117	4.37
Away	48	186.0	205	93	52	97	4.50

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rod Nichols — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1995-08-29	ATL	HOU	—	2.0	2	2	2	1	0	1
1995-08-16	ATL	MIA	—	2.0	4	1	1	1	1	0
1995-08-12	ATL	COL	—	0.2	5	7	0	1	1	2
1995-08-09	ATL	CIN	—	1.0	2	0	0	1	1	0
1995-08-06	ATL	WSN	—	1.0	1	1	1	1	0	0
1993-07-10	LAD	NYN	—	3.0	1	0	0	0	2	0
1993-07-08	LAD	NYN	L	1.0	3	3	3	1	0	1
1993-07-07	LAD	PHI	—	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0
1993-06-16	LAD	COL	—	2.0	4	2	1	1	1	0
1992-10-02	CLE	BAL	W	4.2	5	2	2	1	2	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rod Nichols — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	100	48	24	53	3	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rod Nichols — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1988	CLE	P	11	10	5	9	1	0
1989	CLE	P	15	11	4	8	0	2
1990	CLE	P	4	2	0	4	0	0
1991	CLE	P	31	16	10	14	1	1
1992	CLE	P	30	9	4	14	0	0
1993	LAN	P	4	0	1	2	0	1
1995	ATL	P	5	0	0	2	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rod Nichols — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	100

Salary History

Rod Nichols's recorded salaries total $911,000 over 5 seasons, 1989 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Nichols's career ran from 1988 to 1995. No salary is recorded for 1988 and 1995.

Rod Nichols — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1993	LAN	NL	$350,000
1992	CLE	AL	$250,000
1991	CLE	AL	$125,000
1990	CLE	AL	$112,500
1989	CLE	AL	$73,500
Total recorded salary (partial)			$911,000

College History

Rod Nichols — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
University of New Mexico	Albuquerque	NM	1983, 1984, 1985

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rod Nichols (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Rod Nichols: the record in brief

Rod Nichols's major league career runs from a debut on July 30, 1988 to a final game on August 29, 1995. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1988 to 1992), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1993), and the Atlanta Braves (1995). Listed as a pitcher, Nichols both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6'2" and 190 pounds. Nichols was born on December 29, 1964, in Burlington, IA, USA. Nichols's death is recorded on May 14, 2025, in Helena, MT, USA. Rod Nichols was the playing name; the full given name is Rodney Lea.

Nichols pitched in 100 games, starting 48, and finished with a 11-31 record and 4.43 ERA. Also on Nichols's record: 214 strikeouts. Against a 3.94 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.43 mark was 12.3% worse. The strikeout high was 76 in 1991. 1991 was Nichols's sharpest full season, a 3.54 ERA against the league's 3.91.

Nichols appears at one position only: pitcher, in 100 games. On the mound, Nichols's fielding totals are 24 putouts, 53 assists and 3 errors.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rod Nichols

What years did Rod Nichols play?: Rod Nichols played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1995.
Was Rod Nichols a pitcher?: Yes. Rod Nichols pitched in the major leagues, recording 11 wins and 214 strikeouts.
What teams did Rod Nichols play for?: Rod Nichols played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1988–1992), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1993), and the Atlanta Braves (1995).
What were Rod Nichols's career stats?: In 100 games, Rod Nichols went 11-31 with a 4.43 ERA, 214 strikeouts, 412.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
How much did Rod Nichols earn in his career?: Rod Nichols's recorded salaries total $911,000 over 5 seasons, 1989 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Nichols's career ran from 1988 to 1995. No salary is recorded for 1988 and 1995.
What was Rod Nichols's salary?: Rod Nichols's last recorded salary was $350,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $350,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $73,500, in 1989. The Salary History table lists each season from 1989 to 1993.
What position did Rod Nichols play?: Rod Nichols played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rod Nichols and how much did he weigh?: Rod Nichols was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Rod Nichols's career ERA?: Rod Nichols finished with a 4.43 career ERA, going 11-31 with 214 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rod Nichols have?: Rod Nichols recorded 214 career strikeouts.
Is Rod Nichols in the Hall of Fame?: No. Rod Nichols has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.