Blaine Neal (born April 6, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Neal played with the Florida Marlins (–), San Diego Padres (), Boston Red Sox (), and Colorado Rockies (2005) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. Life and career Neal was born in Marlton, New Jersey and grew up in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. He attended St. Rose of Lima school in Haddon Heights New Jersey. He attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, New Jersey and graduated in 1996. Although bothered by elbow problems throughout his high school career, Neal made a strong impression with a fastball that topped out at and an ERA of 0.92. Virginia Commonwealth University offered him a full scholarship to play baseball, but Neal signed with the Florida Marlins, who picked him in the fourth round of the 1996 MLB draft and gave him a $400,000 signing bonus. Neal later got married in 2003 to Kerissa Neal and had 3 kids Charlie, Casey, and Kaytlynn. Florida Marlins Neal spent the and seasons with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Marlins but managed just seventeen appearances over those two seasons as his elbow continued to bother him. The Marlins sent Neal to the Low-A Utica Blue Sox in and attempted to convert him into a first baseman: in 53 games Neal batted just .190. His elbow felt better, and after the season underwent arthroscopic surgery. The surgery apparently worked: assigned to the Single-A Kane County Cougars for the season, Neal went 4–2 with a 2.32 ERA and six saves. After playing in the California Fall League, Neal spent with the High-A Brevard County Manatees, where he posted a 2.15 ERA with 11 saves. The Marlins promoted Neal to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs for the where he continued to impress, recording 21 saves with an ERA of 2.36. In late August the Marlins recalled him to a spot on their expanded roster; Neal made his major league debut on September 3, 2001 in relief against the Chicago Cubs. Neal last 1 innings and gave up two runs on three hits. Neal made four appearances overall with an ERA of 11.82. Neal split the season between the Triple-A Calgary Cannons and the Marlins. In Calgary he worked as a closer and recorded 11 saves with a 2.90 ERA. Up with the Marlins he worked out of the bullpen, and finished