Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944 in San Diego, California) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and left-handed batter who played for the Minnesota Twins (1967-69), Cleveland Indians (1970-72), New York Yankees (1973-83), San Diego Padres (1984-86), Atlanta Braves (1987) and Montreal Expos (1988). Nettles, known as Puff to fans and teammates, was one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, and despite his low career batting average, he was an excellent offensive contributor, setting an American League record for career home runs by a third baseman. As a part of four pennant-winning Yankee teams, Nettles enjoyed his best season in 1977. He won the Gold Glove Award and hit career highs in home runs (37) and runs batted in (107) to lead the Yankees to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nettles' best individual performance came in the field, during Game 3 of the 1978 Series against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. With the Dodgers leading two games to none, Nettles made several plays at the hot corner to stop potential run-scoring hits, and helping the Yankees gain a key win in the series. New York went on to win the next three contests and clinch the world championship.
In his 22-season career, Nettles hit .248 with 390 home runs and 1314 RBI in 2700 games. He had a career fielding average of .964, exceptional for the hot corner. After retiring at age 43, Nettles coached for the Yankees (1991) and Padres (1995).
