Steve Rain

{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1975)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name = Steve Rain

|image =

|caption =

|position = Pitcher

|bats = Right

|throws = Right

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|6|2}}

|birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate = July 17

|debutyear = 1999

|debutteam = Chicago Cubs

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate = September 29

|finalyear = 2000

|finalteam = Chicago Cubs

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label = Games pitched

|stat1value = 53

|stat2label = Win–loss record

|stat2value = 3–5

|stat3label = Earned run average

|stat3value = 5.46

|stat4label = Strikeouts

|stat4value = 66

|teams=

• Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|1999}}–{{mlby|2000}})

}}

Steven Nicholas Rain (born June 2, 1975), is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from {{Baseball year|1999}}-{{Baseball year|2000}}. He played for the Chicago Cubs.

Rain was selected by the Cubs in the eleventh round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft from Walnut High School in Walnut, California.{{cite web |title=11th Round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=1993&draft_round=11&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en}} He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League to begin his professional career.{{cite web |title=Steve Rain Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=rain--001ste |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en}}

On July 8, 1999, Rain was named to the preliminary roster of the United States national baseball team for the 1999 Pan American Games.{{cite news |title=U.S. Picks Pan Am Baseball Roster |url=https://apnews.com/article/80a677afb6b7c759ee69bffc2fa5358d |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=Associated Press News |date=July 8, 1999}} However, Rain was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on July 17, 1999 along with pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to fill roster vacancies created by the demotion of catcher Sandy Martínez and injury to relief pitcher Matt Karchner.{{cite news |title=Baseball briefs |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/7/18/19456370/baseball-briefs |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=Deseret News |date=July 18, 1999 |language=en}} He made his debut that afternoon, pitching an inning in relief of Farnsworth against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field.{{cite web |title=Steve Rain Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rainst01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs Box Score, July 17, 1999 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199907170.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en}} Five days later he was returned to the minors after reliever Rod Beck returned from injury.{{cite news |title=TRANSACTIONS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/22/sports/transactions-722618.html |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=July 22, 1999}} He returned to the Major League roster on August 1 following an injury to reliever Rick Aguilera.{{cite news |title=Umpire's Wife Investigated |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-02-sp-61971-story.html |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 2, 1999}} He remained on the roster for the remainder of August.{{cite web |title=Steve Rain 1999 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=rainst01&t=p&year=1999 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en}}

On June 17, 2000, Rain was promoted to the Cubs in conjunction with the demotion of Karchner.{{cite news |title=TRANSACTIONS |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-06-17-0006170046-story.html |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=Hartford Courant |date=June 17, 2000}} He would appear in 37 games in relief for the Cubs over the course of the rest of the season. Following the season, the Cubs declined to offer him a contract and granted him free agency.{{cite news |title=SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20+ |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2000/12/20/SPORTS-TRANSACTIONS-FOR-WEDNESDAY-DECEMBER-20/2316977288400/ |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=UPI |date=December 20, 2000 |language=en}}

Rain was signed by the Kansas City Royals before the 2001 season but was released on February 20, 2001 after arriving late to a practice without notifying the team in advance.{{cite news |title=Steve Rain arrive en retard et il est congédié |url=https://www.rds.ca/baseball/steve-rain-arrive-en-retard-et-il-est-congedie-1.407478 |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=RDS.ca |publisher=Réseau des sports |date=February 20, 2021 |language=fr}} Rain spent the 2001 seasons in the farm systems of the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. In 2002, he played for the Pensacola Pelicans of the independent Southeastern League. In 2005, he pitched for the Surprise Fightin' Falcons of the independent Golden Baseball League. It would be his final season in professional baseball.