Background and career
Darren Christopher Oliver (born October 6, 1970) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is a second generation major league player, as his father Bob Oliver played in the major leagues for nine seasons between 1967 and 1975.
Oliver is the son of former infielder Bob Oliver. Darren played baseball and basketball at Rio Linda High School in Rio Linda, California.
Oliver made his major league debut on September 1, 1993, at the age of 22 at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. In 1996, Oliver became a starter for the Rangers and won 14 games. Oliver is the first pitcher ever to pitch in interleague play. He was the starting pitcher in the Texas Rangers' 4–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on June 12, 1997, at The Ballpark in Arlington. From 1993 to 1998, Oliver pitched for the Rangers. On July 31, 1998, the Rangers traded Oliver, Fernando Tatís, and a player to be named later (Mark Little) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre. He pitched for St. Louis until 1999, returning to the Rangers for the next two years. As a Cardinal, he was also the starting and winning pitcher in the game where Mark McGwire hit his record-tying 61st home run on September 7, 1998. In 2002, Oliver pitched for the Boston Red Sox, initially as a starter, before being sent to the bullpen before his outright release. In 2003, Oliver won 13 games for the Colorado Rockies. In 2004, Oliver pitched for the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros. After 2004, he became a free agent. In 2004, Oliver was one of four African-American starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. In 2005, the Rockies brought him to their spring training camp, but released him. Oliver missed the entire season.
After the 2005 season, Oliver signed with the New York Mets as a reliever. Oliver proved to be very useful in the Mets' bullpen, going 4–1 with a 3.44 ERA in 45 games and 81 innings. He made a six-inning relief appearance in Game 3 of the 2006 NLCS. Despite not giving up a run, the Mets lost the game and were down 2–1 in the series. He was mentioned as a potential starter for Game 7; the Mets instead tapped Óliver Pérez as the starter.
Oliver became a free agent at the end of the 2006 season. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, joining Nolan Ryan as the only two players to play for all four original MLB expansion teams (Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Angels, Mets and Astros). Both Darren and his father, Bob, were also one-time teammates of Ryan: Bob from 1972–74, and Darren in 1993, Ryan's final major league season. In 2009, Oliver posted a 5–1 record with a 2.71 ERA. Steve Bisheff of the Los Angeles Times called Oliver the "Postseason's Hidden Hero", commenting "The most underrated of all the Angels was their most consistent pitcher in the playoffs." He said the Angels should re-sign him for 2010 despite his age at 39, adding "The Angels would be crazy not to re-sign him." However, the Angels did not offer Oliver salary arbitration and they did not agree on terms for his contract.
On December 22, 2009, Oliver signed a one-year $3.5 million contract to return to the Texas Rangers, with a vesting option for 2011 based on the number of games pitched. It was his third stint with the Rangers. On September 15, his 2011 option vested. On April 22, 2010, Oliver recorded his third career save with the Rangers, which set a record for the longest amount of time between saves for a single team at 15 years and 271 days. In 2011, Oliver finished 5–5 with a 2.29 ERA. He was the sixth-oldest player in the American League.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
