Bob Nilsson

Robert "Bob" Nilsson was the oldest of the four Nilsson brothers and one of the greatest relievers in the history of Australian baseball leagues. Bob's brother Dave Nilsson was the first Australian All-Star in MLB, his brother Gary Nilsson played in the minors and Ron Nilsson also played in Australia for one year. Bob's son Jay Nilsson began his minor league career in 2006.

Bob Nilsson was the first Australian of the modern era to sign a professional contract with a MLB team, inking a deal with the Cincinnati Reds in 1978. He never made it to the US minor leagues, though.

Playing history

When the Australian Baseball League was founded in 1989–1990, Bob was one of the early stars. He hit .315/.351/.575 for the Gold Coast Dolphins while going 3–4 with 2 saves and a 1.11 ERA. He was named to the ABL All-Star team as the top relief pitcher.

In 1990–1991, Nilsson went 7–0 with 7 saves and a minuscule 0.27 ERA for the Daikyo Dolphins. He saved more than twice as many games as the runners-up, who included Tim Worrell. He again would have easily led the ABL in ERA had he qualified. He also tied for third in victories. He was named to his second straight All-Star team.