Norm Charlton

Who is Norm Charlton?

Norman Wood Charlton III, nicknamed "The Sheriff", is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Charlton holds three degrees from Rice University.

The left-handed Charlton was best known as being part of the infamous "Nasty Boys" relief pitching corps for the 1990 Reds team who won the World Series. Randy Myers and Rob Dibble were the other two members. The Boys were renowned for their clutch, shutdown performances, particularly during the playoff run; their blazing fastballs; and their bruising beanballs. Charlton is also famous in Cincinnati for plowing over Mike Scioscia to score a run in a nationally televised Sunday night game.

Charlton was also a key member of the two most beloved Mariner teams. During the 1995 "Refuse to Lose" team that was the first Mariner team to reach the playoffs, he was the team's closer after a midseason trade. As a member of the 2001 team that won an MLB record 116 games, he was a lefty specialist, fleshing out a bullpen which also featured Japanese closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, Jeff Nelson, and fellow lefty Arthur Rhodes.