Former Dodgers Pitcher Passes Away

Few baseball players in New Mexico's history have competed in the state as a high schooler, a collegian, and a professional.

Former Dodgers pitcher Rod Nichols might be the only man who checks all three boxes.

Growing up in Albuquerque, he served as a ball boy for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate Albuquerque Dukes, whose players formed the nucleus of the pennant-winning teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

More news: Dodgers Fan Favorite Reveals Insane Story of How He Pooped His Pants Mid-Game Thats when I decided I wanted a career in professional baseball, said Nichols , who passed away on May 14 .

Although Nichols only spent one season in the Dodgers' organization, it afforded him the chance to go back to Albuquerque.

He started 21 games for the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes in 1993, and made another four appearances that season out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

More news: Series Based on Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara Gambling Scandal Takes Huge Step Forward A native of Burlington, Iowa, Nichols moved to New Mexico when he was around three years old .

He played baseball at Albuquerque's Highland High School before starring at UNM.

The Cleveland Indians selected Nichols in the fifth round of the 1985 draft, after his junior season with the Lobos.

Nichols saw action in parts of four minor league seasons (1985-88) while climbing Cleveland's organizational ladder.

He made his major league debut July 30, 1988, starting a game against the Minnesota Twins.

More news: Former NL West Outfielder Says Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Shouldn't Return to Pitching Nichols spent the majority of his major league career (1988-95) with the Indians.

In his first foray into free agency, the right-hander signed with the Dodgers on Jan.

15, 1993.

In his lone season in Los Angeles, Nichols went 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in a Dodger uniform.

He allowed nine hits, five runs (four earned), walked two batters both intentionally and struck out three across 6.1 innings.

He was designated for assignment in July 1993.

More news: 5 Dodgers Receive Rookie of the Year Votes in Early Experts Poll Nichols also made 21 starts at Albuquerque, going 8-5 with a 4.30 ERA.

A free agent after the season, Nichols signed with Kansas City for 1994, and with the Atlanta Braves the following year.

He made five appearances with Atlanta in 1995, the last of his seven major league seasons.

More news: Dodgers Manager Says Young Outfielder is 'Everyday Player' In 2000, Nichols took his first professional coaching job as a minor league pitching coach with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He spent another 12 seasons coaching at various minor league levels before he was named the Phillies' bullpen coach in 2013.

After three seasons in Philadelphia, Nichols returned to Iowa as the pitching coach of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, a job he held from 2016-19.

More news: Dodgers Broadcaster Joe Davis Wins Prestigious Award Nichols, a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame , is survived by his wife, Sharon, their three children, and one grandchild.

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