Major League Baseball

Nathan returns to Minnesota with Texas Rangers

Published Apr. 14, 2012 5:00 a.m. ET

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Joe Nathan signed his contract with the Texas Rangers way back in November. He reported to spring training with them in February and started the regular season as the closer for the two-time defending American League champions.

The transition from Twins leader to Rangers newcomer wasn't complete until he arrived in the Twin Cities on Thursday night and checked into a hotel room instead of driving to his home in the Minneapolis suburbs.

''This is when it really hits you,'' Nathan said from his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Target Field. ''This was such a huge part of my life, this place. It kind of becomes a reality that it's over here.''

Nathan became a star here. He set records here. He started a family here. He loved it here, and even though he has moved on to a much better team with much higher expectations that gives the 37-year-old a more realistic shot at winning his first World Series, it's clear he still misses Minnesota.

''When we landed, I definitely had the feeling that I missed this place,'' he said. ''I miss being here, miss the guys, miss the fans. But I'm excited about being with this club, excited about being with the Rangers. I look forward to being here for the next three days. I look forward to being around these fans.''

After throwing five times in six days, including a warmup, before the day off on Thursday, Nathan was given one more day of rest in the Rangers' 4-1 win over the Twins on Friday night.

Nathan was an unheralded reliever with the San Francisco Giants when he was thrown into the trade package that was sent to Minnesota for catcher A.J. Pierzynski in 2003. The deal also netted the Twins Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser, two starters who projected as much better prospects than that lanky Nathan.

The former college shortstop who didn't start pitching until he was in the minor leagues turned out to be the real gem in that lopsided transaction. The Twins converted Nathan into a closer, and it didn't take long for him to turn into one of the most dominant stoppers in the game. He saved 44 games in his first season in Minnesota, made four All-Star teams and set the franchise record with 260 saves in his seven seasons.

He emerged as a pillar in the clubhouse, and his fidgety demeanor and trademark lip-flapping exhale of a deep breath before big pitches on the mound became synonymous with the team's scrappy success through the last decade.

''He did it for us a long time, took the ball and gave us everything he had,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ''Great clubhouse guy, great presence in the community. Everything we like to see out of a baseball player, handled himself very well. Plus, he was pretty good when he got the ball in the ninth, too.''

Nathan saved a career-high 47 games in 2009. But his career took a turn the following spring when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and missed the 2010 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2011, but struggled in the early going and needed to be sent down for another rehab stint before reasserting himself as the team's closer in the final three months of the season.

He went 11 for 12 in save situations after returning from his rehab assignment, restoring the faith of executives across the league that the 36-year-old still had something left in the tank.

That's what the Rangers were banking on when they signed him to a two-year, $14.5 million contract in the offseason. They planned to convert Neftali Feliz into a starter and needed a veteran presence on the back end of the bullpen to solidify a group that has won the AL pennant the last two seasons before flaming out in the World Series.

It's been a bit of a shaky start for Nathan in Texas. He has two saves, but is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in four appearances. He gave up three runs in the ninth inning against Seattle on Wednesday and Michael Adams closed out their victory on Thursday. But Rangers manager Ron Washington said he is not concerned with the early struggles.

''We knew he wasn't going to be perfect,'' Washington said with a shrug.

No matter how long he stays with the Rangers, Nathan will always be keeping an eye on the Twins. Before the Twins moved out of the Metrodome, Nathan took some dirt from the mound and put it in a baggie as a keepsake. He did the same thing when Target Field opened. The dirt still has a special place at his home.

''I'm going to keep that,'' Nathan said. ''That's mine. It's going to be mine forever.''

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Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

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