Portrait of John Wetteland

Birthday profile

John Wetteland

John Wetteland, American baseball player and coach

Born
August 21, 1966
Age in 2026
60
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1966

About John Wetteland

John Karl Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. A relief pitcher, Wetteland specialized as a closer, recording 330 saves during his career. In the 1996 season, Wetteland had a streak of 24 straight appearances in which he recorded a save, the most in MLB history, breaking the record of 19 set by Lee Smith the season before. With the Yankees, he won the 1996 World Series over the Atlanta Braves and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award for saving four games in the series. After his playing career, he served as a coach for the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners. In 2019, Wetteland was arrested and indicted on charges of sexually abusing a child under the age of 14. These charges were later dismissed. == Playing career == Wetteland attended Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California. The New York Mets selected him in the 12th round of the 1984 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign, feeling he was not ready for a professional career.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

John Wetteland timeline

  1. After struggling with his first five starts in 1990, Wetteland asked to become a relief pitcher.
  2. In the 1996 season, Wetteland had a streak of 24 straight appearances in which he recorded a save, the most in MLB history, breaking the record of 19 set by Lee Smith the season before.
  3. With the Yankees, he won the 1996 World Series over the Atlanta Braves and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award for saving four games in the series.

The world when John Wetteland was born

John Wetteland was born in 1966. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1966

  • #1 song"The Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler
  • Top movieA Man for All Seasons
  • Top TV showBonanza
  • Best-selling bookIn Cold Blood – Truman Capote

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentEngland wins the FIFA World Cup at Wembley
  • Top headlineCultural Revolution begins in China
  • Technology milestoneStar Trek premieres, inspiring future technologists
  • Defining fadBatman TV show craze
  • Notable inventionElectronic fuel injection
  • World population3.41 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderLyndon B. Johnson
  • Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population196.6M

1966 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in John Wetteland's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19662026
Gas$0.32$3.45/gal
Average home$14,200$435,000
Average income$9,400$67,500
Minimum wage$1.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.09$11.95
Postage stamp$0.05$0.73
Population196.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Baseball Reference. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.