Joel Ryan Hanrahan (born October 6, 1981) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Hanrahan was originally a starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB) before moving to the closer role for the Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Boston Red Sox.\n', '

Hanrahan was born in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. He attended Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Iowa. After graduating, he turned down a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Nebraska and entered the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. At that time, he was ranked as the 70th-best prospect in the nation by Baseball America. As profiled in The Des Moines Register, while in second grade in Gainesville, Florida, Hanrahan was asked by his teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up. After he responded with "a Major League ballplayer", the teacher suggested he work on a backup plan. "I think that\'s what every kid says in elementary school. Nobody ever believes it, but it\'s something I said, and that\'s what I tried to work for."\n', '

He married Kim Donovan in January 2012.\n', '

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