Minnesota native Nick Anderson looks back at wild 2020 season with Tampa Rays

Twin Cities resident and Brainerd high school graduate Nick Anderson had an interesting 2020 season for the Tampa Rays, earning first team All-MLB reliever honors for his dominance in the regular season.

Anderson posted a 0.55 ERA and recorded six saves in 19 regular-season appearances for the Rays, with 26 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. He didn’t allow an earned run until Sept. 16 against the Nationals.

But in the playoffs with a tight schedule and called upon often, Anderson struggled. In 10 postseason appearances, Anderson worked 14 2/3 innings, seven times asked to go more than an inning, faced 61 batters and struck out nine, allowing 16 hits, four walks and nine earned runs. He gave up at least one run in his last seven outings, the longest such streak in history.

Anderson was on the mound in Game 6 of the World Series when the Dodgers scored to the go-ahead run and went on to win it all.

We caught up with Anderson to talk about how crazy the season was.

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Anderson was home briefly to see his family, and was nice enough to come into the KSTP studios for our conversation.

Anderson, 30, has been training this winter in Florida, getting ready for whenever spring training starts.