Ivan Nova
| Iván Nova | |||
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Nova with the New York Yankees
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| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 46 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: January 12, 1987 San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 13, 2010, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 58–41 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.30 | ||
| Strikeouts | 595 | ||
| WHIP | 1.36 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Iván Manuel Nova Guance (born January 12, 1987) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees.
Nova grew up poor in the Dominican Republic, where he started playing baseball at a young age. An unheralded prospect, the Yankees signed Nova as an international free agent in 2004. After pitching in minor league baseball through the 2008 season, the San Diego Padres selected Nova from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. The Padres opted not to carry Nova on their 25-man roster, however, and returned him to the Yankees.
Nova enjoyed a breakout season in the minors for the Yankees in 2009. He reached MLB with the Yankees in 2010. Nova established himself as a key member of the Yankees' starting rotation during the 2011 season. After struggling in 2012, Nova reemerged in 2013, winning the American League Pitcher of the Month Award for August 2013.
Nova was raised in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. His father, Manuel, managed a restaurant on the beach. To make ends meet, Nova and his four siblings slept in the same bed and often worked in their father's restaurant.
"I really didn't want to sign with Boston. My father and I were both Yankee fans."
Nova rooted for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball and the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League as a child. He played baseball as a shortstop and outfielder, but was not highly regarded as a prospect. He went unnoticed by scouts until he experienced a growth spurt at the age of 15. Local scouts asked Nova to pitch in a game against older players, and he continued to train as a pitcher.
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