"The Yankees need help with their starting pitching, but many people initially questioned whether Jimmy Jones was the cure. After coming over from the Padres, Jones begins his Yankee career with just over two years of big league experience, and a 9-14 record with San Diego in 1988.
So why Jimmy Jones? Youth and strength. In the past, Yankee fortunes have been placed on the arms of veterans who seemingly didn't have anything left. So this year it's a new approach, giving a chance to some new and livelier arms. Jones is only 24 and can throw heat. Last year his innings pitched would have ranked him second on the Yankee staff. Imagine what that combination could mean to Yankee pennant hopes if this prospect can put it together.
Jones still has something to prove, and he wants to show this acquisition was indeed a great move for the Yankees."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"Jones spent the entire 1988 season in the Padres' starting rotation and went 9-14 in 29 starts with a 4.12 ERA and three complete games. He had 179 innings pitched and allowed 192 hits (including 14 homers) and 98 runs (82 earned) along with 44 walks [1.32 WHIP] and 92 strikeouts, and had a batting average against of .277.
After losing his first start of the year, Jimmy recorded his first win on April 14 against Los Angeles when he pitched 6.2 shutout innings (5H, 4BB, 3K) to gain credit for the Padres' 14-4 victory. It was his only start of the year where he did not allow a run. He followed that with a win in his next outing, April 22 against Houston, allowing one earned run in 6.2 innings pitched in San Diego's 3-1 victory. It was one of only two times all season Jimmy recorded victories in back-to-back appearances.
He lost each of his next three outings from April 27 through May 8, even though his ERA in those three games was 3.57 (7 ER, 17.2 IP) as the Padres scored a total of five runs. In the May 8 contest at Pittsburgh, Jimmy recorded his season high of seven strikeouts. He broke that losing streak with a 5-hit complete game against Montreal, a 7-1 Padre victory. That began a span of six starts from May 13 through June 9, when he went 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA (13 ER, 42 IP).
Jones had his second three-game losing streak, covering four starts from June 19-July 5, going 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA (19 ER, 22.1 IP). That streak began with his worst outing of the year, June 19 in the first game of a doubleheader at Los Angeles, when he allowed nine earned runs and 11 hits in four innings, including home runs to Franklin Stubbs and Kirk Gibson, in the Dodgers' 12-2 win; but in his last loss of that streak, July 5 against Pittsburgh, Jones matched his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs (solo homers by Tommy Gregg and Andy Van Slyke) in seven innings.
He ended the losing streak on July 19 by pitching his second complete game of the season, a 6-hit 6-2 win at Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader, giving up just one earned run in nine innings along with two walks and four strikeouts. He followed with a win in his next outing, July 24 at Chicago, going eight innings and allowing one run (earned) on four hits in the Padres' 2-1 victory. It was the only time all season Jimmy pitched 17 innings in consecutive starts and the second time all year that he won in back-to-back starts.
Jimmy pitched one other complete game, August 11 at Atlanta, allowing five hits and two runs (earned) in eight innings but was charged with the Padres' 2-1 loss. He was 8-10 with a 3.84 ERA on August 16 but from there finished the season by dropping four of his last five decisions (covering his last six starts of the year) from August 22 through September 20, with a 5.46 ERA (19 ER, 31.3 IP), to drop his final record to 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA.
He was acquired by the Yankees along with Lance McCullers and Stanley Jefferson on October 24, 1988 in exchange for Jack Clark and Pat Clements. He signed a contract for the 1989 season.
Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round (third player selected) of the free agent draft on June 7, 1982, Jones' first year in pro ball was a healthy one, going 4-6 in 14 starts for Walla Walla ('A' Northwest League) while fanning 78 in 77 innings pitched.
While pitching for Reno ('A' California League) in 1983, Jones was 7-5 with a 2.70 ERA in 17 starts when on July 3 he was forced to miss the remainder of the season due to tendinitis in his arm. Prior to the injury, he had pitched six complete games and a shutout. In 1984, Jones had a promising start at Beaumont (AA Texas League), posting wins in seven of nine decisions with a 2.10 ERA, but suffered a disabling injury for the second straight year on July 3, tearing ligaments in his right ankle while running in the outfield prior to a game in El Paso.
While pitching for Beaumont in 1985, he won seven games for the third straight year but also had his season cut short by injury for the third successive time. Jimmy was forced out of action on July 16 with an injury to his left knee. He was strongest in May, going 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
Jimmy started 1986 strongly at Las Vegas (AAA Pacific Coast League), tossing a 5-hit shutout over Portland in his AAA debut but struggled through June, posting a 3-7 record. He won six of his last nine decisions before being recalled by the Padres and made his major league debut on September 21 against Houston in the Astrodome. A Bob Knepper triple with two out in the third inning prevented Jones from tossing a no-hitter in his major league debut, as he retired the last 19 men he faced in beating the Astros 6-0 and becoming the first pitcher to throw a 1-hitter in his big league debut since Juan Marichal in 1960. His last start of the year came on October 1 against Los Angeles when Jones established a personal best that still stands with nine strikeouts in an 8-2 win.
He just missed making the Padres out of spring training in 1987, so he started the season at Las Vegas where he was 2-0 in four starts before being recalled to the majors for keeps on April 29. Jimmy initially was used both as a starter and a reliever before establishing himself as a starter after a superb relief performance on July 29. Filling in after the first inning for an injured Storm Davis, he threw eight innings of near-perfect relief, allowing only two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. It marked the longest relief appearance by a Padre since Dennis Kinney went 9.1 innings at Philadelphia on August 21, 1980.
He was inserted into the rotation for the rest of the year and went 7-4 with a 3.73 ERA in the second half, including a four-game winning streak. The highlight of that streak was a 2-hit shutout over Atlanta on August 10, with one walk and four strikeouts. He was in on two other shutouts, both of a combined nature, and had one other complete game, a 10-2 win over Houston on September 13.
Jimmy went 8-1 against Western Division teams but was just 1-6 against the East. His strikeout high was five on two occasions. He hit his first career home on July 30 at Cincinnati, a game-winning two-run homer off Guy Hoffman.
Jimmy attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, compiling a 14-3 record during his senior year. He is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. His hobbies are golf and hunting, his favorite spectator sport is football and his favorite ballpark is Wrigley Field. His favorite entertainer is Jimmy Stewart."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied modern major league record for fewest hits allowed, first major league game, nine innings- 1 (September 21, 1986).
Tied for Pacific Coast League in games started by pitchers- 27 (1986).
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Friday, June 30, 2017
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
1989 Profile: Mike Pagliarulo
"For Mike Pagliarulo, 1988 was supposed to be a different story. It was to be his arrival as one of the top third basemen in the league. But a pulled right hamstring in the second half of 1988 changed that script. Now Pags must seemingly prove himself again in 1989.
People forget the Yankee woes at the hot corner before Pags was called up in 1984. From his first full year in 1985, he has solidified the position. At the plate, his average has dipped, but his power numbers increased each year from 1985 to 1987. In the field he has been solid, drawing comparisons to Graig Nettles. Pags has accomplished all of this with a gutty determination, a strong work ethic and a style of play that has earned him the name 'Rambo' from his teammates.
'I know that I've produced here the last four years, even last year I was having my best year as far as run production before the injury,' he says. 'I'm a contributor and I'm good for this team.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"Pagliarulo began the 1989 season strongly but fell prey to injuries later in the season, cutting his power output from 32 home runs in 1987 to 15 in 1988, and batted only .216. He ranked fourth on the Yankees in home runs, fourth in RBIs (67) and second in strikeouts (104). With 101 career homers as a Yankee, he passed Clete Boyer (95) and moved into second place in career home runs by a Yankee third baseman, behind only Graig Nettles (250). In his four full seasons with the Yankees, Pagliarulo has averaged 23.5 homers and 71.8 RBIs.
He had just two games of three or more RBIs last year, the first coming on Opening Day, April 5 against Minnesota, when he had three as a result of a three-run homer off Frank Viola. The other came on April 30 against Texas when Mike had a career-high seven RBIs, hitting a grand slam off Mike Jeffcoat (his fourth career grand slam) and a three-run homer off Jeff Russell. It was also his eighth career two-homer game and his only such game in 1988.
Mike's first three home runs of the year were all off left-handers: Viola on Opening Day, Juan Nieves of Milwaukee on April 8 and Ted Higuera in Milwaukee on April 17. In his first 14 games through April 19, he hit .245 (his average would not reach that level for the rest of the year) with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
On June 4 at Baltimore he committed a throwing error on a ball hit by Cal Ripken with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th inning to allow three runs to score, giving the Orioles a comeback 7-6 win from a 6-4 deficit. From June 19-27 Pagliarulo had a nine-game hitting streak, the longest of his career, going 12-for-35 (.343) with a homer and four RBIs. His homer on June 27 was his first since May 31, having gone 96 at-bats in between without homering. His one stolen base of the year came on June 24 at Cleveland.
Mike left the game of July 6 with a sore right hamstring and missed eight of nine Yankee games through July 20, with the Yankees going 5-3 in the eight games he missed. He left the game of July 24, again suffering from a pulled right hamstring and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 25. At that point, Mike was hitting .225 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 86 games.
He missed 15 games on the DL until activated on August 11, with the Yankees going 7-8 in those contests. From that point through the end of the season he hit .195 in 39 games with 14 runs, six homers and 14 RBIs, and from August 17-September 4 went 51 at-bats without a RBI and 53 at-bats without a home run. Mike ended both streaks on September 5 against Cleveland with a solo homer off Tom Candiotti. His strikeout on September 16 was his 100th of the year, his third straight season of 100 or more strikeouts. Pagliarulo left the game of September 24 against Boston with a pulled right hamstring and missed the final eight games of the season with that injury, with the Yankees going 3-5 in those games.
For the season, Pagliarulo had 22 multiple-hit games, including three games of three hits (May 25 at California, June 19 at Cleveland and September 15 at Boston). Of his 15 home runs, four were solo shots, eight were two-run homers, two were three-run homers and one the April 30 grand slam. He had 20 doubles and a triple (April 23 against Toronto), and as a pinch hitter he was 0-for-9 and is 0-for-18 as a pinch hitter since his last pinch hit on September 1, 1986. Pagliarulo was 18-for-106 (.170) against lefties with five home runs (the last two coming off Mike Jeffcoat of Texas on April 30 and Bruce Hurst of Boston on September 23) and 20 RBIs. Nine of his 18 hits off lefties were for extra bases (five homers, three doubles and a triple). Against right-handers, he batted .231 with 10 home runs.
He underwent surgery on October 14 to relocate the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. He signed a contract for the 1989 season.
In 1987 Pagliarulo was one of the top power hitters in the American League. He hit 32 home runs, which tied him for ninth place in the American League in that category and led the Yankees. Mike ranked third on the club with 87 runs batted in, and his home run and RBI totals were both remain his career highs.
His 32 home runs matched Graig Nettles for the second highest single-season total hit by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only by Nettles' club record of 37 home runs by a third baseman, set in 1977. Coupled with his 28 home runs in 1986, Pagliarulo and Nettles have the top four single-season home run totals by a Yankee third baseman.
Pagliarulo averaged one home run every 16.3 at-bats in 1987, the best mark among Yankee regulars and the second best ratio on the team, behind only Ron Kittle's ratio of one homer per 13.25 at-bats. He also led the team with 12 game-winning RBIs, which also set a new career high in that category.
In addition to career highs in homers, RBIs and game winning RBIs, Mike also established career highs in games (150), at-bats (522), runs (76), hits (122), doubles (26) and slugging percentage (.479). In addition to leading the Yankees in homers and game winning RBIs, he was second on the club in games played and doubles, third in RBIs, total bases (250) and slugging percentage (among Yankees with 200 or more at-bats), and fifth in hits and runs scored. He also led the Yankees with 111 strikeouts. Mike hit four home runs off left-handed pitchers: Joe Sambito (June 19 at Boston), Joel McKeon (July 10 against Chicago), Floyd Bannister (July 24 at Chicago) and Bill Wilkinson (August 18 at Seattle).
His first home run of the season, off Jack Morris of the Tigers in Yankee Stadium on April 20, broke a string of 143 at-bats since his previous home run (his last 99 at-bats of 1986 and his first 44 at-bats of 1987). On May 8 against Minnesota he hit his second career grand slam (off Jeff Reardon in the ninth inning) and, coupled with his earlier solo homer off Mark Portugal, he had his fourth career two-homer game. His total of five RBIs was his 1987 single game high and was at that point his career single-game high. Mike hit one other grand slam in '87, on September 4 against California off Kirk McCaskill (his 30th homer of the season). His four RBIs in that game was one of three four-RBI games he had last year in addition to his five-RBI game. Mike had four two-homer games and hit home runs in back-to-back games five times. He had 36 multi-hit games in 1987, including two three-hit games.
Mike started the 1987 season slowly, batting just .194 with six homers and 20 RBIs on May 30 after 44 games, but over his next 63 games, through August 11, he batted .285 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs to raise his overall average to .247, the highest point it would be all year following his eighth game of the season.
In 10 games from July 7-20, he batted .353 (12-for-34) with five home runs, nine RBIs and 13 runs scored, with nine of the 12 hits going for extra bases (five homers, four doubles). Included in that stretch was a seven-game hitting streak from July 10-20, Pagliarulo's longest hitting streak of the season, when he hit .391 (9-for-23) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and 10 runs scored.
In six games from August 15-21, seven of his nine hits were for extra bases (five home runs, two doubles) and he had nine RBIs in that span. His last home run came on September 8 at Boston off Al Nipper. Suffering from a sore right elbow, Mike did not hit a home run in his final 20 games of 1987 (covering 68 at-bats), his longest homerless stretch of the season. In those final 20 games he hit just .185 (12-for-65) with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) and seven RBIs to lower his batting average from .241 to his final .234 mark.
He played 147 games at third base, the most by a Yankee since Nettles played 159 games at third in 1978. Pagliarulo ranked fifth in fielding among AL third basemen playing 100 or more games, with a fielding percentage of .959, committing only 17 errors in 410 chances. He put together a stretch of 26 errorless games from July 3 through August 5. He made his first career appearance at first base on June 14 against Milwaukee.
[Because of] the sore right elbow which hampered his play in the final month of the season, Mike underwent arthroscopic surgery at NYU Medical Center, performed by Dr. John Bonamo on October 8, to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.
Mike blossomed into one of the top power hitters on the Yankees in 1986 as he hit 28 home runs, which tied him for 15th place in the American League in that category, and finished tied with Rickey Henderson for second place on the Yankees. His homer total was the fourth highest ever by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only Graig Nettles' 37 home runs in 1977, his 32 in 1976 and Mike's 32 in 1987.
He began the season slowly, hitting just .215 (13-for-61) at the end of April with three home runs and seven RBIs. His single off Juan Agosto on May 12 at Minnesota broke an 0-for-17 streak against left-handed pitchers since the start of the season. Mike hit two home runs for the second time in his career on May 23 against California, solo homers off Don Sutton and Ken Forsch, and matched his former single-game career high of four RBIs on May 25 against California.
On May 30 at Oakland, Mike was hit in the face by a Curt Young pitch in the seventh inning. It was feared at first that he might have suffered some broken bones and facial damage that might cause him to miss an extensive amount of games, but the injury proved to be a hairline fracture of his nose, coupled with lacerations on the bridge of his nose and a bruised right forearm. He missed only one game and returned to the lineup on June 1 at Oakland and proceeded to hit home runs in three successive games (June 1 off Tom Dozier of the A's, June 2 off T.R. Bryden at California and June 3 off Don Sutton at California), becoming the only Yankee to hit homers in three straight contests in 1986.
In the seven games from June 1 through June 8 following his May 29 victory, Mike hit .333 (8-for-24), with five of those eight hits home runs, and added nine RBIs. He had a season-high six-game hitting streak from June 6-11. He matched his single-game career high with four hits, all singles, on June 27 against Toronto.
On July 11 at Minnesota, he hit a three-run homer off Neal Heaton, his first homer of 1986 off a left-hander, and on July 18 against Chicago matched his single-game career high with four RBIs, including a three-run homer off Floyd Bannister, his second homer off a left-hander in 1986. In the 14 games from July 4 through July 21, he hit safely in 11, batting .396 (19-for-48) with seven home runs and 19 RBIs while raising his average from .253 to .275. Mike was hitting .262 with 21 homers and 49 RBIs at the All-Star break.
He went ten games, July 22 to August 1 (36 at-bats), without a home run or a RBI, then hit two solo homers off Ken Schrom on August 2 at Cleveland. He hit his last homer of the season on August 24 against Oakland off Dave Stewart, going his final 99 at-bats after that without a home run.
Pagliarulo suffered a pulled hamstring running out a triple in that game. At the time of his injury, he was hitting .257 with 28 home runs and 68 RBIs in 118 games. The injury limited him to four pinch-hit appearances (1-for-4) over the Yankees' next ten games (August 25-September 3). In the 31 games he played following that injury, he hit .156 with no homers, three RBIs and 31 strikeouts.
He finished fifth on the Yankees in doubles and RBIs, fourth in game-winning RBIs and slugging percentage (.464) and first in strikeouts. Pagliarulo averaged one home run per 18.0 times at bat, trailing only Dan Pasqua and Ron Kittle in that category. He hit .258 (88-for-341) against righties with 26 homers and 60 RBIs, and .196 (32-for-163) against lefties with two homers and 11 RBIs
Mike had 27 multiple-hit games, including a four-hit game and six three-hit games. He hit two home runs in the same game twice and homered in consecutive games five times, including the streak of three straight. He recorded his first career stolen base on June 1 at Oakland was 1-for-9 (.111) as a pinch hitter with a RBI.
He played 143 games at third base, and his fielding percentage of .953 ranked seventh among third basemen playing 100 or more games. He made two appearances at shortstop- July 2 against Detroit and August 17 at Kansas City.
Selected by the Yankees in the 6th Round of the June 1981 Free Agent Draft, Mike was signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira and batted .216 in 72 games at Oneonta with two homers in 245 at-bats. In 1982, he was named utility infielder on the South Atlantic All-Star team. He played a full season at AA Nashville in 1983 and led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage in 133 games with 433 total chances (98 putouts and 315 assists).
He made his major league debut on July 7, 1984 when called up from Columbus to replace the injured Toby Harrah. He hit his first big league home run on July 13 (second game) off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He hit his first grand slam on September 18 off Baltimore's Dennis Martinez.
Pagliarulo became New York's regular third baseman in 1985 and averaged one home run every 20 at-bats. He was hitting only .165 through June 9 with two home runs and 16 RBIs, then hit .263 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs through the remainder of the season.
He had his first career two-homer game on July 27 at Texas, hitting a pair of two-run homers good for four RBIs, and had a hitting streak of seven games from July 14-24. He went 4-for-6 on September 9 at Milwaukee, his first career four-hit game. Mike was sent to bat right-handed [by Billy Martin] against Mickey Mahler on September 18 at Detroit, striking out with runners on second and third, two out and the scored tied 2-2.
He played 134 games at third base in '85 and had the third fewest errors for a third baseman with at least 100 games. He hit .278 in 22 pinch-hitting appearances. He hit .254 in 126 games against right-handers, .151 in 12 games against southpaws. Mike's 62 RBIs ranked sixth on the club.
Mike graduated in 1978 from Medford (Mass.) High School, where he played baseball, basketball and ran track. In baseball he was All-State two years, MVP and captain. Mike played South Medford Little League, Medford Babe Ruth League and Medford American Legion baseball. He attended the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) and was a finance major. His father, Charles Pagliarulo , was an infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1958.
Very active in local charities, Mike has served as the chairman of the New York Yankees' 65 Roses Club since 1986, helping that organization in its fight against Cystic Fibrosis. He received the 1988 Joan Payson Award for community involvement by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Mike enjoys golf and going to Boston Celtics and Bruins games."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage, games (133), total chances (433), putouts (98) and assists (315) in 1983.
Led South Atlantic League third basemen in assists (278) in 1982.
Led New York-Penn League in intentional bases on balls received (8) and led third basemen in total chances (214) and in assists (159) in 1981.
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
People forget the Yankee woes at the hot corner before Pags was called up in 1984. From his first full year in 1985, he has solidified the position. At the plate, his average has dipped, but his power numbers increased each year from 1985 to 1987. In the field he has been solid, drawing comparisons to Graig Nettles. Pags has accomplished all of this with a gutty determination, a strong work ethic and a style of play that has earned him the name 'Rambo' from his teammates.
'I know that I've produced here the last four years, even last year I was having my best year as far as run production before the injury,' he says. 'I'm a contributor and I'm good for this team.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"Pagliarulo began the 1989 season strongly but fell prey to injuries later in the season, cutting his power output from 32 home runs in 1987 to 15 in 1988, and batted only .216. He ranked fourth on the Yankees in home runs, fourth in RBIs (67) and second in strikeouts (104). With 101 career homers as a Yankee, he passed Clete Boyer (95) and moved into second place in career home runs by a Yankee third baseman, behind only Graig Nettles (250). In his four full seasons with the Yankees, Pagliarulo has averaged 23.5 homers and 71.8 RBIs.
He had just two games of three or more RBIs last year, the first coming on Opening Day, April 5 against Minnesota, when he had three as a result of a three-run homer off Frank Viola. The other came on April 30 against Texas when Mike had a career-high seven RBIs, hitting a grand slam off Mike Jeffcoat (his fourth career grand slam) and a three-run homer off Jeff Russell. It was also his eighth career two-homer game and his only such game in 1988.
Mike's first three home runs of the year were all off left-handers: Viola on Opening Day, Juan Nieves of Milwaukee on April 8 and Ted Higuera in Milwaukee on April 17. In his first 14 games through April 19, he hit .245 (his average would not reach that level for the rest of the year) with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
On June 4 at Baltimore he committed a throwing error on a ball hit by Cal Ripken with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th inning to allow three runs to score, giving the Orioles a comeback 7-6 win from a 6-4 deficit. From June 19-27 Pagliarulo had a nine-game hitting streak, the longest of his career, going 12-for-35 (.343) with a homer and four RBIs. His homer on June 27 was his first since May 31, having gone 96 at-bats in between without homering. His one stolen base of the year came on June 24 at Cleveland.
Mike left the game of July 6 with a sore right hamstring and missed eight of nine Yankee games through July 20, with the Yankees going 5-3 in the eight games he missed. He left the game of July 24, again suffering from a pulled right hamstring and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 25. At that point, Mike was hitting .225 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 86 games.
He missed 15 games on the DL until activated on August 11, with the Yankees going 7-8 in those contests. From that point through the end of the season he hit .195 in 39 games with 14 runs, six homers and 14 RBIs, and from August 17-September 4 went 51 at-bats without a RBI and 53 at-bats without a home run. Mike ended both streaks on September 5 against Cleveland with a solo homer off Tom Candiotti. His strikeout on September 16 was his 100th of the year, his third straight season of 100 or more strikeouts. Pagliarulo left the game of September 24 against Boston with a pulled right hamstring and missed the final eight games of the season with that injury, with the Yankees going 3-5 in those games.
For the season, Pagliarulo had 22 multiple-hit games, including three games of three hits (May 25 at California, June 19 at Cleveland and September 15 at Boston). Of his 15 home runs, four were solo shots, eight were two-run homers, two were three-run homers and one the April 30 grand slam. He had 20 doubles and a triple (April 23 against Toronto), and as a pinch hitter he was 0-for-9 and is 0-for-18 as a pinch hitter since his last pinch hit on September 1, 1986. Pagliarulo was 18-for-106 (.170) against lefties with five home runs (the last two coming off Mike Jeffcoat of Texas on April 30 and Bruce Hurst of Boston on September 23) and 20 RBIs. Nine of his 18 hits off lefties were for extra bases (five homers, three doubles and a triple). Against right-handers, he batted .231 with 10 home runs.
He underwent surgery on October 14 to relocate the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. He signed a contract for the 1989 season.
In 1987 Pagliarulo was one of the top power hitters in the American League. He hit 32 home runs, which tied him for ninth place in the American League in that category and led the Yankees. Mike ranked third on the club with 87 runs batted in, and his home run and RBI totals were both remain his career highs.
His 32 home runs matched Graig Nettles for the second highest single-season total hit by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only by Nettles' club record of 37 home runs by a third baseman, set in 1977. Coupled with his 28 home runs in 1986, Pagliarulo and Nettles have the top four single-season home run totals by a Yankee third baseman.
Pagliarulo averaged one home run every 16.3 at-bats in 1987, the best mark among Yankee regulars and the second best ratio on the team, behind only Ron Kittle's ratio of one homer per 13.25 at-bats. He also led the team with 12 game-winning RBIs, which also set a new career high in that category.
In addition to career highs in homers, RBIs and game winning RBIs, Mike also established career highs in games (150), at-bats (522), runs (76), hits (122), doubles (26) and slugging percentage (.479). In addition to leading the Yankees in homers and game winning RBIs, he was second on the club in games played and doubles, third in RBIs, total bases (250) and slugging percentage (among Yankees with 200 or more at-bats), and fifth in hits and runs scored. He also led the Yankees with 111 strikeouts. Mike hit four home runs off left-handed pitchers: Joe Sambito (June 19 at Boston), Joel McKeon (July 10 against Chicago), Floyd Bannister (July 24 at Chicago) and Bill Wilkinson (August 18 at Seattle).
His first home run of the season, off Jack Morris of the Tigers in Yankee Stadium on April 20, broke a string of 143 at-bats since his previous home run (his last 99 at-bats of 1986 and his first 44 at-bats of 1987). On May 8 against Minnesota he hit his second career grand slam (off Jeff Reardon in the ninth inning) and, coupled with his earlier solo homer off Mark Portugal, he had his fourth career two-homer game. His total of five RBIs was his 1987 single game high and was at that point his career single-game high. Mike hit one other grand slam in '87, on September 4 against California off Kirk McCaskill (his 30th homer of the season). His four RBIs in that game was one of three four-RBI games he had last year in addition to his five-RBI game. Mike had four two-homer games and hit home runs in back-to-back games five times. He had 36 multi-hit games in 1987, including two three-hit games.
Mike started the 1987 season slowly, batting just .194 with six homers and 20 RBIs on May 30 after 44 games, but over his next 63 games, through August 11, he batted .285 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs to raise his overall average to .247, the highest point it would be all year following his eighth game of the season.
In 10 games from July 7-20, he batted .353 (12-for-34) with five home runs, nine RBIs and 13 runs scored, with nine of the 12 hits going for extra bases (five homers, four doubles). Included in that stretch was a seven-game hitting streak from July 10-20, Pagliarulo's longest hitting streak of the season, when he hit .391 (9-for-23) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and 10 runs scored.
In six games from August 15-21, seven of his nine hits were for extra bases (five home runs, two doubles) and he had nine RBIs in that span. His last home run came on September 8 at Boston off Al Nipper. Suffering from a sore right elbow, Mike did not hit a home run in his final 20 games of 1987 (covering 68 at-bats), his longest homerless stretch of the season. In those final 20 games he hit just .185 (12-for-65) with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) and seven RBIs to lower his batting average from .241 to his final .234 mark.
He played 147 games at third base, the most by a Yankee since Nettles played 159 games at third in 1978. Pagliarulo ranked fifth in fielding among AL third basemen playing 100 or more games, with a fielding percentage of .959, committing only 17 errors in 410 chances. He put together a stretch of 26 errorless games from July 3 through August 5. He made his first career appearance at first base on June 14 against Milwaukee.
[Because of] the sore right elbow which hampered his play in the final month of the season, Mike underwent arthroscopic surgery at NYU Medical Center, performed by Dr. John Bonamo on October 8, to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.
Mike blossomed into one of the top power hitters on the Yankees in 1986 as he hit 28 home runs, which tied him for 15th place in the American League in that category, and finished tied with Rickey Henderson for second place on the Yankees. His homer total was the fourth highest ever by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only Graig Nettles' 37 home runs in 1977, his 32 in 1976 and Mike's 32 in 1987.
He began the season slowly, hitting just .215 (13-for-61) at the end of April with three home runs and seven RBIs. His single off Juan Agosto on May 12 at Minnesota broke an 0-for-17 streak against left-handed pitchers since the start of the season. Mike hit two home runs for the second time in his career on May 23 against California, solo homers off Don Sutton and Ken Forsch, and matched his former single-game career high of four RBIs on May 25 against California.
On May 30 at Oakland, Mike was hit in the face by a Curt Young pitch in the seventh inning. It was feared at first that he might have suffered some broken bones and facial damage that might cause him to miss an extensive amount of games, but the injury proved to be a hairline fracture of his nose, coupled with lacerations on the bridge of his nose and a bruised right forearm. He missed only one game and returned to the lineup on June 1 at Oakland and proceeded to hit home runs in three successive games (June 1 off Tom Dozier of the A's, June 2 off T.R. Bryden at California and June 3 off Don Sutton at California), becoming the only Yankee to hit homers in three straight contests in 1986.
In the seven games from June 1 through June 8 following his May 29 victory, Mike hit .333 (8-for-24), with five of those eight hits home runs, and added nine RBIs. He had a season-high six-game hitting streak from June 6-11. He matched his single-game career high with four hits, all singles, on June 27 against Toronto.
On July 11 at Minnesota, he hit a three-run homer off Neal Heaton, his first homer of 1986 off a left-hander, and on July 18 against Chicago matched his single-game career high with four RBIs, including a three-run homer off Floyd Bannister, his second homer off a left-hander in 1986. In the 14 games from July 4 through July 21, he hit safely in 11, batting .396 (19-for-48) with seven home runs and 19 RBIs while raising his average from .253 to .275. Mike was hitting .262 with 21 homers and 49 RBIs at the All-Star break.
He went ten games, July 22 to August 1 (36 at-bats), without a home run or a RBI, then hit two solo homers off Ken Schrom on August 2 at Cleveland. He hit his last homer of the season on August 24 against Oakland off Dave Stewart, going his final 99 at-bats after that without a home run.
Pagliarulo suffered a pulled hamstring running out a triple in that game. At the time of his injury, he was hitting .257 with 28 home runs and 68 RBIs in 118 games. The injury limited him to four pinch-hit appearances (1-for-4) over the Yankees' next ten games (August 25-September 3). In the 31 games he played following that injury, he hit .156 with no homers, three RBIs and 31 strikeouts.
He finished fifth on the Yankees in doubles and RBIs, fourth in game-winning RBIs and slugging percentage (.464) and first in strikeouts. Pagliarulo averaged one home run per 18.0 times at bat, trailing only Dan Pasqua and Ron Kittle in that category. He hit .258 (88-for-341) against righties with 26 homers and 60 RBIs, and .196 (32-for-163) against lefties with two homers and 11 RBIs
Mike had 27 multiple-hit games, including a four-hit game and six three-hit games. He hit two home runs in the same game twice and homered in consecutive games five times, including the streak of three straight. He recorded his first career stolen base on June 1 at Oakland was 1-for-9 (.111) as a pinch hitter with a RBI.
He played 143 games at third base, and his fielding percentage of .953 ranked seventh among third basemen playing 100 or more games. He made two appearances at shortstop- July 2 against Detroit and August 17 at Kansas City.
Selected by the Yankees in the 6th Round of the June 1981 Free Agent Draft, Mike was signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira and batted .216 in 72 games at Oneonta with two homers in 245 at-bats. In 1982, he was named utility infielder on the South Atlantic All-Star team. He played a full season at AA Nashville in 1983 and led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage in 133 games with 433 total chances (98 putouts and 315 assists).
He made his major league debut on July 7, 1984 when called up from Columbus to replace the injured Toby Harrah. He hit his first big league home run on July 13 (second game) off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He hit his first grand slam on September 18 off Baltimore's Dennis Martinez.
Pagliarulo became New York's regular third baseman in 1985 and averaged one home run every 20 at-bats. He was hitting only .165 through June 9 with two home runs and 16 RBIs, then hit .263 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs through the remainder of the season.
He had his first career two-homer game on July 27 at Texas, hitting a pair of two-run homers good for four RBIs, and had a hitting streak of seven games from July 14-24. He went 4-for-6 on September 9 at Milwaukee, his first career four-hit game. Mike was sent to bat right-handed [by Billy Martin] against Mickey Mahler on September 18 at Detroit, striking out with runners on second and third, two out and the scored tied 2-2.
He played 134 games at third base in '85 and had the third fewest errors for a third baseman with at least 100 games. He hit .278 in 22 pinch-hitting appearances. He hit .254 in 126 games against right-handers, .151 in 12 games against southpaws. Mike's 62 RBIs ranked sixth on the club.
Mike graduated in 1978 from Medford (Mass.) High School, where he played baseball, basketball and ran track. In baseball he was All-State two years, MVP and captain. Mike played South Medford Little League, Medford Babe Ruth League and Medford American Legion baseball. He attended the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) and was a finance major. His father, Charles Pagliarulo , was an infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1958.
Very active in local charities, Mike has served as the chairman of the New York Yankees' 65 Roses Club since 1986, helping that organization in its fight against Cystic Fibrosis. He received the 1988 Joan Payson Award for community involvement by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Mike enjoys golf and going to Boston Celtics and Bruins games."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage, games (133), total chances (433), putouts (98) and assists (315) in 1983.
Led South Atlantic League third basemen in assists (278) in 1982.
Led New York-Penn League in intentional bases on balls received (8) and led third basemen in total chances (214) and in assists (159) in 1981.
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Saturday, June 10, 2017
1989 Profile: Don Slaught
"He came, he saw, he did quite well. Now veteran catcher Don Slaught has solidified himself as a Yankee starter while providing stability at the catching position.
His six-plus years in the bigs have been plagued by injuries, but when the Yankees got him in a trade with the Rangers before the start of the 1988 season, he came to play. His performance prompted the release of Rick Cerone and the benching of Joel Skinner. Sluggo responded by turning an incredible start into one of his finest years as a pro, recording the second highest numbers of his career in average, doubles, homers and RBI. A groin injury hampered what might have been an even brighter season, but Slaught made his point.
'I wanted to show these people that I could play, and to prove to them that they made a good trade,' Slaught says.
Skinner will again be fighting for the starting catching job, and the Yankees added veteran Jamie Quirk for insurance. But with a strong year at the plate and improved defense behind it, Sluggo has served notice that he's the man to beat for the job in 1989."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"Slaught had one of the best seasons of his career offensively in 1988, batting at or above .300 for most of the year. He recorded the second highest figures of his career in batting average (.283), doubles (25), home runs (9) and RBIs (43).
He began the season hitting safely in his first 12 games, April 9-22. Slaught tied the longest hitting streak of his career, having hit safely in 12 straight in 1983, going 19-for-45 (.422) in that span with eight runs, four doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs.
Slaught started that streak (and the season) by going 2-for-3 on April 9 against Milwaukee and followed that with a 4-for-4 performance (including two doubles) in his next contest, April 10 against Milwaukee, his first of two four-hit games in 1988 and fifth of his career. He went 2-for-4 in his next game, April 11 at Toronto, and had a string of seven hits in seven consecutive at-bats, starting with his final at-bat on April 9 through his first two at-bats on April 11. Don hit home runs in consecutive games in Milwaukee, on April 15 (a solo shot off Chuck Crim) and April 16 (a solo blast off Chris Bosio). He hit his third home run in that hitting streak on April 22 against Toronto, a solo homer off Tom Henke.
He hit a solo round-tripper on April 26 off Charlie Liebrandt in Yankee Stadium in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie and help lead the Yankees to a 5-4 victory. His RBI on May 3 at Chicago (in his 21st game covering 67 at-bats) was his 16th of the year, matching his entire RBI total for the 1987 season, which covered 95 games and 237 at-bats.
Don left the May 14 game against California with a pulled left groin muscle and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 15 due to that injury. At the time he was batting .378 (37-for-98) with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 30 games (hitting safely in 22) and in the American League ranked second in batting, ninth in RBIs, fourth in doubles (12), third in on-base percentage (.446), third in slugging percentage (.653) and third in extra-base hits (17). On May 31 Don was transferred to the 21-day DL and was activated from that list on June 20, missing 32 games while on the DL.
He went 2-for-4 in his first game back, June 22 at Detroit, and hit safely in 24 of his first 32 games after being activated, batting .289 (33-for-114). On August 11 at Yankee Stadium, he committed a throwing error in the 11th inning on a steal of second base by Jesse Barfield, allowing Barfield to score what proved to be the winning run in a 6-5 Toronto win. Slaught had his batting average over .300 as late as August 31 (his 77th game) when he was hitting .302.
On September 5 against Cleveland he hit his first triple since September 13, 1987, and on September 10 had his second four-hit game of the year (and sixth of his career) against Detroit, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, his second double driving in the tying and winning runs in a six-run inning. He followed with a 0-for-26 streak covering six games before a single on September 21 against Baltimore. Later in that contest, Slaught hit a dramatic game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning off Mark Thurmond to give the Yankees a 3-2 win. It was his ninth home run of the season, and the last seven homers of those nine were hit in New York.
Slaught started that September 21 game as the designated hitter, his only start as a DH in 1988 and his first DH start since September 3, 1987. Beginning with that game, he finished the year with a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-22 (.455) with two hits in four of the six games to raise his average from .271 to his final .283 mark. Don left the September 28 game at Baltimore with a sprained left ankle and knee after tagging Ken Gerhart out at home plate in the 8th inning and did not play the rest of the season.
[During the season] he batted .333 (2-for-6) as a pinch hitter, with both of his hits being doubles. Don caught 12 of 72 runners attempting to steal (17%), with no passed balls, and had a .979 fielding percentage, committing 11 errors in 531 total chances. The Yankees were 45-42 in games he started at catcher.
He signed a two-year contract in November 1988. The contract runs through the 1990 season.
Slaught was acquired from the Texas Rangers in November 1987 in exchange for a player to be named later. Pitcher Brad Arnsberg was sent to Texas later that month to complete the trade. In his third and final season with the Rangers in '87, Slaught batted .224 in 95 games with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 16 runs batted in.
He was batting .268 through 19 games in April including a six-game hitting streak from April 23-29, his longest of the season, hitting .400 (6-for-15) in that streak with a double and a home run. Don was thrown out at the plate twice on April 26 against Boston, on an attempted squeeze in the 10th inning and on an attempted sacrifice fly in the 12th. He hit just .185 in May to lower his average to .223, including a season low of .205 on May 6. Don had his only game-winning RBI of the year on May 13 against the Yankees at New York.
Don abandoned the face guard on his helmet on July 24 for the first time in 1987. He sprained his left knee running the bases during batting practice on August 2 and did not make a plate appearance after that until August 9. On September 15 against the Oakland A's in Arlington he hit two solo home runs off Curt Young, the first two-home run game of his career and the first ever by a Ranger catcher. Don batted .286 in September to raise his average from .212 at the beginning of the month to .226 at the end of the month.
He tied a Texas Ranger club record with four passed balls on May 6; for the season he had 20 passed balls (of which 17 occurred when Charlie Hough was pitching) and was part of the Texas Rangers catching staff that set a single-season major league record of 73 passed balls, mainly due to Hough. Slaught threw out 16 of 80 runners attempting to steal (20%) and had a fielding percentage of .985 (seven errors in 475 total chances).
Slaught began his professional career by batting .261 with Ft. Myers in 1980. He started the 1981 season at Jacksonville before earning a promotion to Omaha in July. He was lost for the season with a broken leg on August 15. He started the 1982 season in Omaha and was disabled from April 21 until May 15 with a strained left knee. Don joined Kansas City on July 6 after John Wathan broke his ankle, and started the next 11 games and 28 of the next 31 before Wathan returned. He recorded singles in his first two major league at-bats off Boston's John Tudor. He was sidelined for the season on September 21 after tearing a tendon in his left thumb in a home plate collision with California's Ricky Adams.
In 1983 Don split the Royals' catching chores with Wathan. He was disabled from May 15-30 after he split the skin under the middle finger of his right hand, and also missed nine games from June 28-July 12 with a deep right thigh bruise. Don hit .342 in 22 games in September, including a career high 12-game hitting streak. He was Kansas City's regular catcher in 1984 and led the club with 27 doubles. He hit .346 in a two-month stretch from June 18-August 18, and in the ALCS against Detroit led Kansas City regulars with a .364 (4-for-11) average.
Don was acquired by Texas from Kansas City in January of 1985 in a four-team trade with the Mets and Milwaukee. His .280 batting average was third best among all AL catchers who appeared in 100 games. He appeared in just one game from July 6 through August 25 because of a pulled hamstring muscle; upon his return he batted .322 in his last 34 games.
Despite being plagued by injuries much of 1986, he set a Ranger club record for homers by a catcher with 13 (the previous club mark was 10 by Jim Sundberg in 1980 and 1982). His 13 homers were also a career high, as were his 46 RBIs. Don had a .996 fielding percentage in 91 games, the third best percentage of any AL catcher who appeared in 90 games.
He had a .368 average in his first 18 games with six homers and 18 RBIs and drove in a career-high five runs on May 15 at Detroit. Don sustained a broken nose and left cheekbone when he was hit by Boston's Oil Can Boyd in the fourth inning on May 17 at Fenway Park. At that point, he was hitting .293 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games.
Don did not experience any vision problems. He underwent reconstructive surgery to fix the fractures on May 26 at Arlington Memorial Hospital. After nearly a month of therapy, he was assigned to Oklahoma City on medical rehabilitation on July 1; he played in three games for the 89ers, going 4-for-12 with a RBI. After missing a total of 44 games, Don was reactivated by Texas on July 4th and caught that night.
Upon his return he wore a plexiglass facemask while batting and continued to wear the mask through games of August 26 before discarding it. He hit .252 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 65 games after his return to the lineup, including a .280 mark in his first 25 games back.
Slaught was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the June 1980 free agent draft after an outstanding four-year career at UCLA. He was UCLA's captain and an All-PAC 10 selection in both his junior and senior years. He was selected to the second team All-America squad by the Sporting News in 1980 and was an Academic All-American in 1979. Don graduated from UCLA in 1983 with a B.S. degree in economics. His teammates at UCLA included Dave Schmidt, Matt Young, Tim Leary and Mike Gallego.
He lettered three times in baseball and twice as a quarterback in football at Rolling Hills High School in Palos Verdes, CA, where he graduated in 1976. Don's hobbies are golf and tennis and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, his favorite player was Johnny Bench and his favorite ballpark is Royals Stadium."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
His six-plus years in the bigs have been plagued by injuries, but when the Yankees got him in a trade with the Rangers before the start of the 1988 season, he came to play. His performance prompted the release of Rick Cerone and the benching of Joel Skinner. Sluggo responded by turning an incredible start into one of his finest years as a pro, recording the second highest numbers of his career in average, doubles, homers and RBI. A groin injury hampered what might have been an even brighter season, but Slaught made his point.
'I wanted to show these people that I could play, and to prove to them that they made a good trade,' Slaught says.
Skinner will again be fighting for the starting catching job, and the Yankees added veteran Jamie Quirk for insurance. But with a strong year at the plate and improved defense behind it, Sluggo has served notice that he's the man to beat for the job in 1989."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"Slaught had one of the best seasons of his career offensively in 1988, batting at or above .300 for most of the year. He recorded the second highest figures of his career in batting average (.283), doubles (25), home runs (9) and RBIs (43).
He began the season hitting safely in his first 12 games, April 9-22. Slaught tied the longest hitting streak of his career, having hit safely in 12 straight in 1983, going 19-for-45 (.422) in that span with eight runs, four doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs.
Slaught started that streak (and the season) by going 2-for-3 on April 9 against Milwaukee and followed that with a 4-for-4 performance (including two doubles) in his next contest, April 10 against Milwaukee, his first of two four-hit games in 1988 and fifth of his career. He went 2-for-4 in his next game, April 11 at Toronto, and had a string of seven hits in seven consecutive at-bats, starting with his final at-bat on April 9 through his first two at-bats on April 11. Don hit home runs in consecutive games in Milwaukee, on April 15 (a solo shot off Chuck Crim) and April 16 (a solo blast off Chris Bosio). He hit his third home run in that hitting streak on April 22 against Toronto, a solo homer off Tom Henke.
He hit a solo round-tripper on April 26 off Charlie Liebrandt in Yankee Stadium in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie and help lead the Yankees to a 5-4 victory. His RBI on May 3 at Chicago (in his 21st game covering 67 at-bats) was his 16th of the year, matching his entire RBI total for the 1987 season, which covered 95 games and 237 at-bats.
Don left the May 14 game against California with a pulled left groin muscle and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 15 due to that injury. At the time he was batting .378 (37-for-98) with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 30 games (hitting safely in 22) and in the American League ranked second in batting, ninth in RBIs, fourth in doubles (12), third in on-base percentage (.446), third in slugging percentage (.653) and third in extra-base hits (17). On May 31 Don was transferred to the 21-day DL and was activated from that list on June 20, missing 32 games while on the DL.
He went 2-for-4 in his first game back, June 22 at Detroit, and hit safely in 24 of his first 32 games after being activated, batting .289 (33-for-114). On August 11 at Yankee Stadium, he committed a throwing error in the 11th inning on a steal of second base by Jesse Barfield, allowing Barfield to score what proved to be the winning run in a 6-5 Toronto win. Slaught had his batting average over .300 as late as August 31 (his 77th game) when he was hitting .302.
On September 5 against Cleveland he hit his first triple since September 13, 1987, and on September 10 had his second four-hit game of the year (and sixth of his career) against Detroit, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, his second double driving in the tying and winning runs in a six-run inning. He followed with a 0-for-26 streak covering six games before a single on September 21 against Baltimore. Later in that contest, Slaught hit a dramatic game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning off Mark Thurmond to give the Yankees a 3-2 win. It was his ninth home run of the season, and the last seven homers of those nine were hit in New York.
Slaught started that September 21 game as the designated hitter, his only start as a DH in 1988 and his first DH start since September 3, 1987. Beginning with that game, he finished the year with a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-22 (.455) with two hits in four of the six games to raise his average from .271 to his final .283 mark. Don left the September 28 game at Baltimore with a sprained left ankle and knee after tagging Ken Gerhart out at home plate in the 8th inning and did not play the rest of the season.
[During the season] he batted .333 (2-for-6) as a pinch hitter, with both of his hits being doubles. Don caught 12 of 72 runners attempting to steal (17%), with no passed balls, and had a .979 fielding percentage, committing 11 errors in 531 total chances. The Yankees were 45-42 in games he started at catcher.
He signed a two-year contract in November 1988. The contract runs through the 1990 season.
Slaught was acquired from the Texas Rangers in November 1987 in exchange for a player to be named later. Pitcher Brad Arnsberg was sent to Texas later that month to complete the trade. In his third and final season with the Rangers in '87, Slaught batted .224 in 95 games with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 16 runs batted in.
He was batting .268 through 19 games in April including a six-game hitting streak from April 23-29, his longest of the season, hitting .400 (6-for-15) in that streak with a double and a home run. Don was thrown out at the plate twice on April 26 against Boston, on an attempted squeeze in the 10th inning and on an attempted sacrifice fly in the 12th. He hit just .185 in May to lower his average to .223, including a season low of .205 on May 6. Don had his only game-winning RBI of the year on May 13 against the Yankees at New York.
Don abandoned the face guard on his helmet on July 24 for the first time in 1987. He sprained his left knee running the bases during batting practice on August 2 and did not make a plate appearance after that until August 9. On September 15 against the Oakland A's in Arlington he hit two solo home runs off Curt Young, the first two-home run game of his career and the first ever by a Ranger catcher. Don batted .286 in September to raise his average from .212 at the beginning of the month to .226 at the end of the month.
He tied a Texas Ranger club record with four passed balls on May 6; for the season he had 20 passed balls (of which 17 occurred when Charlie Hough was pitching) and was part of the Texas Rangers catching staff that set a single-season major league record of 73 passed balls, mainly due to Hough. Slaught threw out 16 of 80 runners attempting to steal (20%) and had a fielding percentage of .985 (seven errors in 475 total chances).
Slaught began his professional career by batting .261 with Ft. Myers in 1980. He started the 1981 season at Jacksonville before earning a promotion to Omaha in July. He was lost for the season with a broken leg on August 15. He started the 1982 season in Omaha and was disabled from April 21 until May 15 with a strained left knee. Don joined Kansas City on July 6 after John Wathan broke his ankle, and started the next 11 games and 28 of the next 31 before Wathan returned. He recorded singles in his first two major league at-bats off Boston's John Tudor. He was sidelined for the season on September 21 after tearing a tendon in his left thumb in a home plate collision with California's Ricky Adams.
In 1983 Don split the Royals' catching chores with Wathan. He was disabled from May 15-30 after he split the skin under the middle finger of his right hand, and also missed nine games from June 28-July 12 with a deep right thigh bruise. Don hit .342 in 22 games in September, including a career high 12-game hitting streak. He was Kansas City's regular catcher in 1984 and led the club with 27 doubles. He hit .346 in a two-month stretch from June 18-August 18, and in the ALCS against Detroit led Kansas City regulars with a .364 (4-for-11) average.
Don was acquired by Texas from Kansas City in January of 1985 in a four-team trade with the Mets and Milwaukee. His .280 batting average was third best among all AL catchers who appeared in 100 games. He appeared in just one game from July 6 through August 25 because of a pulled hamstring muscle; upon his return he batted .322 in his last 34 games.
Despite being plagued by injuries much of 1986, he set a Ranger club record for homers by a catcher with 13 (the previous club mark was 10 by Jim Sundberg in 1980 and 1982). His 13 homers were also a career high, as were his 46 RBIs. Don had a .996 fielding percentage in 91 games, the third best percentage of any AL catcher who appeared in 90 games.
He had a .368 average in his first 18 games with six homers and 18 RBIs and drove in a career-high five runs on May 15 at Detroit. Don sustained a broken nose and left cheekbone when he was hit by Boston's Oil Can Boyd in the fourth inning on May 17 at Fenway Park. At that point, he was hitting .293 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games.
Don did not experience any vision problems. He underwent reconstructive surgery to fix the fractures on May 26 at Arlington Memorial Hospital. After nearly a month of therapy, he was assigned to Oklahoma City on medical rehabilitation on July 1; he played in three games for the 89ers, going 4-for-12 with a RBI. After missing a total of 44 games, Don was reactivated by Texas on July 4th and caught that night.
Upon his return he wore a plexiglass facemask while batting and continued to wear the mask through games of August 26 before discarding it. He hit .252 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 65 games after his return to the lineup, including a .280 mark in his first 25 games back.
Slaught was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the June 1980 free agent draft after an outstanding four-year career at UCLA. He was UCLA's captain and an All-PAC 10 selection in both his junior and senior years. He was selected to the second team All-America squad by the Sporting News in 1980 and was an Academic All-American in 1979. Don graduated from UCLA in 1983 with a B.S. degree in economics. His teammates at UCLA included Dave Schmidt, Matt Young, Tim Leary and Mike Gallego.
He lettered three times in baseball and twice as a quarterback in football at Rolling Hills High School in Palos Verdes, CA, where he graduated in 1976. Don's hobbies are golf and tennis and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, his favorite player was Johnny Bench and his favorite ballpark is Royals Stadium."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Sunday, June 4, 2017
1989 Profile: Tommy John
"After more than 24 years of major league baseball, Tommy John sees no end in sight. The left-hander, who produced a 9-8 record and 4.49 ERA last season, is back in Pinstripes attempting to add to his 286 career wins and 4,645 innings pitched. John proved his durability in 1988 by pitching 171 innings, second highest total on the team.
There is little John has not seen or accomplished on a baseball diamond. His experience on the mound is invaluable to the other members of the staff. Each pitcher can benefit from his battles over the past three decades.
'There's something out there you can learn all the time,' John says. 'You might not be able to put it in with what you do, but somebody out there might have an idea or two, or three.'
Cynics claim the 45-year-old John should leave the game in the hands of the younger generation, but with 300 career wins in sight, and a body and mind still young at heart, TJ goes on."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"The veteran left-hander finished with a record of 9-8 with a 4.49 ERA in 176.1 innings in 1988. Tommy ranked fourth on the Yankees in wins, first in games started (32), second in innings pitched and third in strikeouts (81). The 81 strikeouts is the highest single season total since he recorded 111 in 1979.
Tommy left five games with leads only to wind up with no-decisions and also left two games with the score tied, getting no-decision in both. He did not give up a run through seven innings in two of those no-decisions as well as in two wins. The Yankees won 19 of T.J.'s 32 starts. He allowed just 11 home runs all season and just six homers in his last 26 games (133 IP).
The briefness of his first start, April 10 at Milwaukee, led to the first of his three relief appearances, on April 11 at Toronto. T.J. was involved in one combined shutout, on June 3 at Baltimore, going 7.2 scoreless innings before Cecilio Guante finished up in the 4-0 Yankee victory.
T.J. went through a period, June 8-15, in which he made four appearances in eight days (a start on 6/8, relief on 6/10, a start on June 12 and relief on 6/15). During that span, New York went 1-3 with T.J. going 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 10.1 innings. Included was a 4.1 inning relief stint on June 10 against Baltimore- the longest of 60 relief outings in his career; he made that appearance after an early KO in his June 8 start against Boston, losing 4-3 while allowing four runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings. In the June 12 start against Baltimore, Tommy allowed two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings. His last relief outing of '88 was the final game of that period, tossing 0.1 innings on June 15 at Boston.
On June 20 at Detroit, Tommy gave up just one run in eight innings but left trailing 1-0 and got a no-decision after the Yankees tied the game before losing 2-1. He put together a three-game winning streak, his longest of the year, from June 25-July 5, going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. After his July 27 start, Tommy was 8-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 23 games (20 starts). After that, he made 12 starts, going 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA (63 IP), raising his overall ERA to 4.49. He had a three-game losing streak covering six starts from August 2-28, going 0-3 with a 6.82 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Tommy was supposed to start on September 17 in Boston but missed that turn with an intestinal virus. It was the only start he missed all season due to any type of illness or injury, and until then he was the only regular Yankee starter not to miss a turn in 1988 due to illness or injury.
T.J. is the oldest active player in the majors at 45, turning 46 on May 22. He has an overall career mark of 286-224 (.561 winning percentage), a 3.31 ERA in 4.446.2 innings and 46 career shutouts. His 286 wins ties him with Robin Roberts for 20th on the all-time list (Lefty Grove and Early Wynn are next, tied for 18th with 300) and ranks first among active pitchers.
He ranks 26th on the all-time shutout list, tied with Bob Feller, Addie Joss and Doc White, and is third among active pitchers in that category, trailing Bert Blyleven and Nolan Ryan (both with 55). T.J. ranks third among active pitchers with 2,227 strikeouts (behind Ryan and Blyleven), and with 690 games started is tied for fifth with Gaylord Perry and is first among active pitchers.
The 1989 campaign is Tommy's 26th major league season, tying him with Deacon McGuire (1884-88, 1890-1908, 1910, 1912) for the most major league seasons played. He is breaking the modern era record of 25, which he shared with Eddie Collins (1906-30) and Jim Kaat (1959-83). Tommy has now been to 28 spring training camps, first attending camp with Cleveland in 1962.
Tommy signed a one-year contract on February 13, 1989.
T.J. defied time and nature in 1987 and compiled a 13-6 mark with a 4.03 ERA. The Yankees won 22 of the 33 games he started, including nine of his first ten. He was removed from four starts without allowing a run through six innings (including three when he went seven innings), with New York going 4-0 and Tommy going 2-0.
He got a no-decision in his April 19 start against Kansas City, tossing seven scoreless, 4-hit innings. In his next start on April 26 at Cleveland, he allowed just one ball hit out of the infield in seven innings, allowing no runs and winning 14-2. The following outing, May 2 at Minnesota, Tommy threw two addition scoreless innings and extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 16 before yielding a third inning run in that start. In his first 10 games through June 5, he was 6-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 56.2 innings, and through June 15 Tommy's record was 7-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 69.2 innings in 12 starts.
In back-to-back starts against Boston on June 20 at Fenway and on June 26 in New York, T.J. combined to allow 14 earned runs in six innings. On July 20 at Minnesota, he notched his first complete game of '87 and his first complete game win since tossing a shutout against Boston on July 8, 1984 while with California. Through July 30 (20 games), he was 10-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 116.1 innings.
Tommy threw his 46th career shutout and seventh career 2-hitter on August 8 at Detroit, winning 7-0 (his first shutout since that July 1984 game against Boston). His shutout tied him with Jack Powell and Doc White for 26th on the all-time shutout list, and with Al Downing for 20th place on the all-time Yankee shutout list with 12. It was the low-hit complete game of 1987 for the Yankees. Tommy's last previous 2-hitter came as a Yankee on June 6, 1980 at Seattle. Four of his seven career 2-hitters have come as a Yankee.
His shortest outing of '87 came on August 19 at Seattle, lasting just one inning due to a stomach disorder (Charles Hudson came on to throw eight scoreless relief innings). From August 14 to October 2, T.J. went 2-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 55 innings in 11 starts, with the Yankees going 6-5; those five losses came in consecutive starts by T.J. from September 6 through September 27. He stopped that skein on October 2 by winning his last start of the year, a 7-hit, 3-1 complete game win over Baltimore. Tommy pitched at least six innings in 16 of his last 23 starts.
T.J.'s .684 winning percentage in 1987 ranked fifth in the American League among pitchers with at least 15 decisions. His 33 starts led the Yankees, while his 13 wins were second to Rick Rhoden's 16. His 33 starts were the most he's made since 1983 when he pitched in 34 games (all starts) for California. His 13 wins were his most since he won 14 in 1982. His 187.2 innings pitched also led the Yankee staff and was his highest total since he pitched 234.2 innings in 1983.
His total of 22 wins in 1987-88 is the second highest victory total among Yankee pitchers over the last two years, surpassed only by Rick Rhoden's 28 wins, and T.J.'s .611 winning percentage (22-14) is the second best among Yankee starters in that span, surpassed only by John Candelaria's .650 (13-7).
T.J. made his first career appearance [with Cleveland] on September 6, 1963, a relief stint at Washington, and his first career start came on September 14 at Los Angeles, losing the 4-3 decision. He notched his first career win on May 3, 1964, a 6-0 shutout over Baltimore.
In 1965 Tommy recorded the first of his 16 double-figure-win seasons, going 14-7 [with the Chicago White Sox], and recorded all three of his American League saves. He tied for the AL lead with six shutouts in 1966, and recorded the first victory by an AL pitcher at Anaheim Stadium, beating the Angels 3-1 on April 19. He tied for the AL lead with five shutouts in 1967, and in 1968 went 10-5 with a 1.98 ERA until suffering a broken collarbone in a fight with Detroit's Dick McAuliffe in early August.
T.J. led the White Sox staff with a 3.26 ERA in 1969 and averaged seven innings per start. His total of 271 innings pitched in 1970 still remains his second highest single season total, and he matched his career high of 138 strikeouts. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after his third straight sub-.500 year in 1971.
In 1972, Tommy lost just two games in 23 starts made after May 17, while winning eight. He damaged his left elbow in a collision at home plate on September 23 against San Francisco and underwent surgery for the removal of bone chips five days later. He led NL pitchers with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (56 total chances) in '72 and recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on June 25 against Atlanta. With a 16-7 mark in 1973, T.J. led the N.L. with a .696 won-lost percentage, winning his last five decisions. He recorded his 100th career win on June 8 against the Mets at Shea. His 3.10 ERA led the Dodger staff.
Tommy was 13-3 in 1974 and was the top winner in the National League when he ruptured a ligament in his left elbow on July 17 while pitching against Montreal. His .813 won-lost percentage stood up as the best in the league in '74 despite not pitching again.
At first, it was thought the condition would improve with rest, but surgery was eventually prescribed. The operation was performed on September 25 as a tendon from his right forearm was removed and used in the reconstruction of his left elbow. The operation, performed by Dr. Frank Jobe, was the first of its kind on an athlete, and Jobe told Tommy he would never pitch again.
Following surgery, Tommy spent the entire 1975 season on the disabled list. He used that time undergoing therapy, running and exercising his newly reconstructed left elbow.
T.J. made one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history in 1976, earning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors from the Sporting News. He also won the Fred Hutchinson Award given annually to the player who best exemplifies the competitive instincts, character and desire of Fred Hutchinson. His 3.09 ERA was sixth best in the league. His best outings came on July 23, throwing a 4-hitter against San Diego, and on September 14, shutting out the Reds.
One of five 20-game winners in the National League in 1977, Tommy was one of four NL pitchers to win eight straight, June 18- August 3. He was NL Player of the Week, August 8-14, hurling a 2-hitter over the Reds and a 4-hitter (one of three he threw in '77) over Atlanta, and on August 8 hit his first homer since May 19, 1968 off Cincinnati's Paul Moskau. His 2.78 ERA was fifth in the NL and he finished second to Steve Carlton in the Cy Young Award voting. Tommy won 14 of his last 17 decisions and won the NLCS clincher in rain over Philadelphia.
In 1978 T.J. was 4-0, 1.80 ERA in April and 3-1, 1.95 ERA in July. He had three relief outings with a win and a save, allowing no runs. He threw a 4-hit shutout over Philadelphia in the second game of the NLCS and beat the Yankees in the World Series opener, 11-5.
[With the Yankees] in 1979 Tommy won at least 20 games (21) for the second time in his career, finishing second in the American League in wins to Mike Flanagan, and his 2.96 ERA was second in the league to teammate Ron Guidry's 2.78. He was tied for fourth with 36 games started, tied for second with 17 complete games, second with 276.1 innings pitched, tied for sixth with three shutouts and sixth with a .692 won-lost percentage. His nine homers allowed were the fewest among AL starters.
Tommy won his first nine decisions of '79 and 10 of his first 11. He was the American League's first ever Pitcher of the Month in April, going 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Tommy made his only relief appearance of the year on May 1 at California. He recorded four straight complete game wins from May 5-20, and his best game of the year was a 2-0, 2-hit shutout over Boston on May 20. T.J. was AL Player of the Week, May 14-20, with a 2-0, 1.50 mark.
He was named the left-handed starter on the UPI All-Star team. He became only the eighth pitcher to win 20 games in both leagues; the others were Jerry Koosman, Andy Messersmith, Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, Joe McGinnity, Jesse Tannehill and Al Orth.
His 22 wins in 1980 are a career high. That year he led the AL with six shutouts, was tied for second with Mike Norris in wins, tied for fourth in both starts (36) and complete games (16), fifth in innings pitched (265), tied for fifth with a .710 won-lost percentage and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting behind Steve Stone, Norris, and Rich Gossage.
Tommy won his 200th career game, a 2-hit shutout at Seattle on June 6, and threw three shutouts in three starts against Chicago. He won five of his last seven decisions and seven of his last ten. He was named to his fourth All-Star team and was voted by the players to the Sporting News All-Star squad as the left-handed pitcher. At 43-18, Tommy was the winningest pitcher in the majors for the '79 and '80 seasons.
His 2.64 ERA in 1981 was fourth best in the AL, yet the Yankees scored just 12 runs in his eight losses. He cut his left index finger on a razor on June 5 and was placed on the DL. He was reactivated on August 9 for the second half [after the strike]. On August 13, his son Travis fell from a third-floor window and was critically injured.
Tommy pitched five consecutive complete games from September 3 to September 25 and won Game 2 of the World Series against his former Dodger teammates. He was the winningest pitcher from 1979-81 with a 52-36 record.
T.J. began the 1982 season with the Yankees and was 10-10 with a 3.60 ERA before the August 31 trade that sent him to California. With New York, he threw shutouts against both the Angels on April 28 and Blue Jays on May 25 and won four of his last five decisions as a Yankee. Tommy threw his eighth career 3-hitter on August 29 at Toronto; two of his eight career 3-hitters have come as a Yankee. He made seven starts with California, going 4-2, and pitched a complete game 8-3 victory against Milwaukee in Game 1 of the ALCS.
In 1983, Tommy led the Angel staff in starts and innings pitched. He suffered his first losing season since 1971, yet nine of his 13 defeats came in games in which the Angels scored two or fewer runs. He was 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA at home, 3-7 with a 7.13 ERA on the road. Tommy made his 600th major league appearance on July 15 at Baltimore.
In 1984 he held opponents to three or fewer runs in his first 11 starts, pitching to a 3-3, 2.48 mark. He had four complete games by the All-Star break, including a 4-0 shutout over Boston on July 8- career shutout No. 45- and recorded career win No. 250- a 2-hitter against Oakland on May 1. Tommy struck out Yankee Omar Moreno on May 18 to record career strikeout No. 2000. He dropped five of seven decisions in the second half before shifting to the bullpen, and on September 5 made his first relief appearance since July 31, 1982.
T.J. began the 1985 season in the Angel starting rotation but was both starting and relieving after his first four starts. He was 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA as a starter, 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in relief; his Angel wins came on April 28, starting at Seattle, and on May 11 in relief at Milwaukee.
He was released by the Angels on June 19, was signed by Modesto (the Class-A California League affiliate of Oakland) on July 12, and was 0-0 with a 5.73 ERA at Modesto. Tommy was then assigned to Madison (of the Class-A Midwest League), another A's affiliate, and appeared in one game, going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He was signed to a major league contract by the A's on July 26.
Tommy made his first [major league] appearance since June 5, and first start since June 2, on July 26 at Milwaukee, notching his first of two wins with Oakland. The other win came in Oakland on August 27 against New York, throwing seven scoreless innings while giving up only three hits. After that, he went on to lose his final five starts (21 earned runs, 20.2 innings pitched, 9.14 ERA).
Tommy came to New York's 1986 spring camp as a non-roster invitee and appeared in three games, starting once. His spring numbers were 0-0, 2.00 ERA in nine innings pitched, two runs, nine hits, two walks and eight strikeouts [1.22 WHIP].
The veteran southpaw was signed as a free agent on May 2 and made his first regular season appearance with the Yankees that day, pitching 2.1 innings in relief against Texas and allowing one run. It was his first appearance in a Yankee uniform since August 29, 1982 at Toronto, his final outing prior to the August 31 trade that sent him to California, and his first game as a Yankee at Yankee Stadium since August 24, 1982.
T.J. appeared in eight games, posting a 3-1, 3.62 mark before suffering a strained left Achilles tendon, forcing him on to the 21-disabled list on June 12. While on the DL, Tommy was assigned to Ft. Lauderdale under the guidelines of baseball's injury rehabilitation program on July 25, remaining there through August 7. While in Florida he appeared in three games, going 2-0, 0.00 ERA including a shutout.
He was activated from the disabled list on August 8, and won his next two starts in impressive fashion, combining for no runs in 7.2 innings pitched on August 8 against Kansas City and in 7.1 innings pitched against Cleveland on August 13. Tommy suffered a bruised left instep after being hit by a comebacker off the bat of Seattle's Alvin Davis in his August 19 start; x-rays were eventually taken, the results of which were negative. He tossed his first complete game in over two years on August 30 at Seattle, losing the 1-0 decision.
Tommy's season came to an end when he suffered a fractured left thumb when he fell off the bullpen pitching mound in Oakland on September 3. Although he announced on July 24 that he would become the pitching coach at the University of North Carolina, he resigned the position on November 21, a month after assuming his duties.
Tommy grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received 35 scholarship offers upon graduation from Gerstmeyer High School, where he played both basketball and baseball. He attended Indiana State, and following the 1979 season was given the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest award given by the school. An avid golfer, he has hosted the Tommy John Celebrity Invitational Golf Classic for the past 11 years, with proceeds directed to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles for cancer research. Tommy also works with the International Save-A-Child group and the March of Dimes.
Tommy enjoys reading and World War II history, and his favorite spectator sports are golf, pro and college basketball, hockey and basketball. The Chicago Cubs were his favorite team as a youngster and his favorite players were Hank Sauer and Whitey Ford. His toughest opponents have been Joe Morgan, Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente and Billy Williams, and his favorite ballpark is Yankee Stadium. Tommy John, Sr. helped his career the most.
T.J. has worn #25 for 25 years. His favorite entertainers are Don Rickles and Willie Nelson. His favorite restaurant is Chanteclair in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He has authored two books, 'The Tommy John Story' and, with his wife Sally, 'The Sally and Tommy John Story.' The latter book recounts qualities of love and caring and how their Christian faith helped sustain them through near tragedy when their son Travis (age 3 at the time) fell 27 feet from an apartment window on August 13, 1981, and survived a 14-day coma and a one-month hospital stay. Travis is fine today."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied for American League lead in shutouts (5), 1966.
Tied for American League lead in shutouts (6), 1967.
Led American League in shutouts (6), 1980.
Named left-handed pitcher on the Sportings News American League All-Star team, 1980.
Tied American League record for most hit batsmen, nine-inning game (4), June 15, 1968.
Named National League Comeback Player of the Year, 1976.
Winner of Fred Hutchinson Award, 1976.
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
There is little John has not seen or accomplished on a baseball diamond. His experience on the mound is invaluable to the other members of the staff. Each pitcher can benefit from his battles over the past three decades.
'There's something out there you can learn all the time,' John says. 'You might not be able to put it in with what you do, but somebody out there might have an idea or two, or three.'
Cynics claim the 45-year-old John should leave the game in the hands of the younger generation, but with 300 career wins in sight, and a body and mind still young at heart, TJ goes on."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"The veteran left-hander finished with a record of 9-8 with a 4.49 ERA in 176.1 innings in 1988. Tommy ranked fourth on the Yankees in wins, first in games started (32), second in innings pitched and third in strikeouts (81). The 81 strikeouts is the highest single season total since he recorded 111 in 1979.
Tommy left five games with leads only to wind up with no-decisions and also left two games with the score tied, getting no-decision in both. He did not give up a run through seven innings in two of those no-decisions as well as in two wins. The Yankees won 19 of T.J.'s 32 starts. He allowed just 11 home runs all season and just six homers in his last 26 games (133 IP).
The briefness of his first start, April 10 at Milwaukee, led to the first of his three relief appearances, on April 11 at Toronto. T.J. was involved in one combined shutout, on June 3 at Baltimore, going 7.2 scoreless innings before Cecilio Guante finished up in the 4-0 Yankee victory.
T.J. went through a period, June 8-15, in which he made four appearances in eight days (a start on 6/8, relief on 6/10, a start on June 12 and relief on 6/15). During that span, New York went 1-3 with T.J. going 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 10.1 innings. Included was a 4.1 inning relief stint on June 10 against Baltimore- the longest of 60 relief outings in his career; he made that appearance after an early KO in his June 8 start against Boston, losing 4-3 while allowing four runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings. In the June 12 start against Baltimore, Tommy allowed two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings. His last relief outing of '88 was the final game of that period, tossing 0.1 innings on June 15 at Boston.
On June 20 at Detroit, Tommy gave up just one run in eight innings but left trailing 1-0 and got a no-decision after the Yankees tied the game before losing 2-1. He put together a three-game winning streak, his longest of the year, from June 25-July 5, going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. After his July 27 start, Tommy was 8-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 23 games (20 starts). After that, he made 12 starts, going 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA (63 IP), raising his overall ERA to 4.49. He had a three-game losing streak covering six starts from August 2-28, going 0-3 with a 6.82 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Tommy was supposed to start on September 17 in Boston but missed that turn with an intestinal virus. It was the only start he missed all season due to any type of illness or injury, and until then he was the only regular Yankee starter not to miss a turn in 1988 due to illness or injury.
T.J. is the oldest active player in the majors at 45, turning 46 on May 22. He has an overall career mark of 286-224 (.561 winning percentage), a 3.31 ERA in 4.446.2 innings and 46 career shutouts. His 286 wins ties him with Robin Roberts for 20th on the all-time list (Lefty Grove and Early Wynn are next, tied for 18th with 300) and ranks first among active pitchers.
He ranks 26th on the all-time shutout list, tied with Bob Feller, Addie Joss and Doc White, and is third among active pitchers in that category, trailing Bert Blyleven and Nolan Ryan (both with 55). T.J. ranks third among active pitchers with 2,227 strikeouts (behind Ryan and Blyleven), and with 690 games started is tied for fifth with Gaylord Perry and is first among active pitchers.
The 1989 campaign is Tommy's 26th major league season, tying him with Deacon McGuire (1884-88, 1890-1908, 1910, 1912) for the most major league seasons played. He is breaking the modern era record of 25, which he shared with Eddie Collins (1906-30) and Jim Kaat (1959-83). Tommy has now been to 28 spring training camps, first attending camp with Cleveland in 1962.
Tommy signed a one-year contract on February 13, 1989.
T.J. defied time and nature in 1987 and compiled a 13-6 mark with a 4.03 ERA. The Yankees won 22 of the 33 games he started, including nine of his first ten. He was removed from four starts without allowing a run through six innings (including three when he went seven innings), with New York going 4-0 and Tommy going 2-0.
He got a no-decision in his April 19 start against Kansas City, tossing seven scoreless, 4-hit innings. In his next start on April 26 at Cleveland, he allowed just one ball hit out of the infield in seven innings, allowing no runs and winning 14-2. The following outing, May 2 at Minnesota, Tommy threw two addition scoreless innings and extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 16 before yielding a third inning run in that start. In his first 10 games through June 5, he was 6-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 56.2 innings, and through June 15 Tommy's record was 7-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 69.2 innings in 12 starts.
In back-to-back starts against Boston on June 20 at Fenway and on June 26 in New York, T.J. combined to allow 14 earned runs in six innings. On July 20 at Minnesota, he notched his first complete game of '87 and his first complete game win since tossing a shutout against Boston on July 8, 1984 while with California. Through July 30 (20 games), he was 10-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 116.1 innings.
Tommy threw his 46th career shutout and seventh career 2-hitter on August 8 at Detroit, winning 7-0 (his first shutout since that July 1984 game against Boston). His shutout tied him with Jack Powell and Doc White for 26th on the all-time shutout list, and with Al Downing for 20th place on the all-time Yankee shutout list with 12. It was the low-hit complete game of 1987 for the Yankees. Tommy's last previous 2-hitter came as a Yankee on June 6, 1980 at Seattle. Four of his seven career 2-hitters have come as a Yankee.
His shortest outing of '87 came on August 19 at Seattle, lasting just one inning due to a stomach disorder (Charles Hudson came on to throw eight scoreless relief innings). From August 14 to October 2, T.J. went 2-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 55 innings in 11 starts, with the Yankees going 6-5; those five losses came in consecutive starts by T.J. from September 6 through September 27. He stopped that skein on October 2 by winning his last start of the year, a 7-hit, 3-1 complete game win over Baltimore. Tommy pitched at least six innings in 16 of his last 23 starts.
T.J.'s .684 winning percentage in 1987 ranked fifth in the American League among pitchers with at least 15 decisions. His 33 starts led the Yankees, while his 13 wins were second to Rick Rhoden's 16. His 33 starts were the most he's made since 1983 when he pitched in 34 games (all starts) for California. His 13 wins were his most since he won 14 in 1982. His 187.2 innings pitched also led the Yankee staff and was his highest total since he pitched 234.2 innings in 1983.
His total of 22 wins in 1987-88 is the second highest victory total among Yankee pitchers over the last two years, surpassed only by Rick Rhoden's 28 wins, and T.J.'s .611 winning percentage (22-14) is the second best among Yankee starters in that span, surpassed only by John Candelaria's .650 (13-7).
T.J. made his first career appearance [with Cleveland] on September 6, 1963, a relief stint at Washington, and his first career start came on September 14 at Los Angeles, losing the 4-3 decision. He notched his first career win on May 3, 1964, a 6-0 shutout over Baltimore.
In 1965 Tommy recorded the first of his 16 double-figure-win seasons, going 14-7 [with the Chicago White Sox], and recorded all three of his American League saves. He tied for the AL lead with six shutouts in 1966, and recorded the first victory by an AL pitcher at Anaheim Stadium, beating the Angels 3-1 on April 19. He tied for the AL lead with five shutouts in 1967, and in 1968 went 10-5 with a 1.98 ERA until suffering a broken collarbone in a fight with Detroit's Dick McAuliffe in early August.
T.J. led the White Sox staff with a 3.26 ERA in 1969 and averaged seven innings per start. His total of 271 innings pitched in 1970 still remains his second highest single season total, and he matched his career high of 138 strikeouts. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after his third straight sub-.500 year in 1971.
In 1972, Tommy lost just two games in 23 starts made after May 17, while winning eight. He damaged his left elbow in a collision at home plate on September 23 against San Francisco and underwent surgery for the removal of bone chips five days later. He led NL pitchers with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (56 total chances) in '72 and recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on June 25 against Atlanta. With a 16-7 mark in 1973, T.J. led the N.L. with a .696 won-lost percentage, winning his last five decisions. He recorded his 100th career win on June 8 against the Mets at Shea. His 3.10 ERA led the Dodger staff.
Tommy was 13-3 in 1974 and was the top winner in the National League when he ruptured a ligament in his left elbow on July 17 while pitching against Montreal. His .813 won-lost percentage stood up as the best in the league in '74 despite not pitching again.
At first, it was thought the condition would improve with rest, but surgery was eventually prescribed. The operation was performed on September 25 as a tendon from his right forearm was removed and used in the reconstruction of his left elbow. The operation, performed by Dr. Frank Jobe, was the first of its kind on an athlete, and Jobe told Tommy he would never pitch again.
Following surgery, Tommy spent the entire 1975 season on the disabled list. He used that time undergoing therapy, running and exercising his newly reconstructed left elbow.
T.J. made one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history in 1976, earning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors from the Sporting News. He also won the Fred Hutchinson Award given annually to the player who best exemplifies the competitive instincts, character and desire of Fred Hutchinson. His 3.09 ERA was sixth best in the league. His best outings came on July 23, throwing a 4-hitter against San Diego, and on September 14, shutting out the Reds.
One of five 20-game winners in the National League in 1977, Tommy was one of four NL pitchers to win eight straight, June 18- August 3. He was NL Player of the Week, August 8-14, hurling a 2-hitter over the Reds and a 4-hitter (one of three he threw in '77) over Atlanta, and on August 8 hit his first homer since May 19, 1968 off Cincinnati's Paul Moskau. His 2.78 ERA was fifth in the NL and he finished second to Steve Carlton in the Cy Young Award voting. Tommy won 14 of his last 17 decisions and won the NLCS clincher in rain over Philadelphia.
In 1978 T.J. was 4-0, 1.80 ERA in April and 3-1, 1.95 ERA in July. He had three relief outings with a win and a save, allowing no runs. He threw a 4-hit shutout over Philadelphia in the second game of the NLCS and beat the Yankees in the World Series opener, 11-5.
[With the Yankees] in 1979 Tommy won at least 20 games (21) for the second time in his career, finishing second in the American League in wins to Mike Flanagan, and his 2.96 ERA was second in the league to teammate Ron Guidry's 2.78. He was tied for fourth with 36 games started, tied for second with 17 complete games, second with 276.1 innings pitched, tied for sixth with three shutouts and sixth with a .692 won-lost percentage. His nine homers allowed were the fewest among AL starters.
Tommy won his first nine decisions of '79 and 10 of his first 11. He was the American League's first ever Pitcher of the Month in April, going 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Tommy made his only relief appearance of the year on May 1 at California. He recorded four straight complete game wins from May 5-20, and his best game of the year was a 2-0, 2-hit shutout over Boston on May 20. T.J. was AL Player of the Week, May 14-20, with a 2-0, 1.50 mark.
He was named the left-handed starter on the UPI All-Star team. He became only the eighth pitcher to win 20 games in both leagues; the others were Jerry Koosman, Andy Messersmith, Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, Joe McGinnity, Jesse Tannehill and Al Orth.
His 22 wins in 1980 are a career high. That year he led the AL with six shutouts, was tied for second with Mike Norris in wins, tied for fourth in both starts (36) and complete games (16), fifth in innings pitched (265), tied for fifth with a .710 won-lost percentage and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting behind Steve Stone, Norris, and Rich Gossage.
Tommy won his 200th career game, a 2-hit shutout at Seattle on June 6, and threw three shutouts in three starts against Chicago. He won five of his last seven decisions and seven of his last ten. He was named to his fourth All-Star team and was voted by the players to the Sporting News All-Star squad as the left-handed pitcher. At 43-18, Tommy was the winningest pitcher in the majors for the '79 and '80 seasons.
His 2.64 ERA in 1981 was fourth best in the AL, yet the Yankees scored just 12 runs in his eight losses. He cut his left index finger on a razor on June 5 and was placed on the DL. He was reactivated on August 9 for the second half [after the strike]. On August 13, his son Travis fell from a third-floor window and was critically injured.
Tommy pitched five consecutive complete games from September 3 to September 25 and won Game 2 of the World Series against his former Dodger teammates. He was the winningest pitcher from 1979-81 with a 52-36 record.
T.J. began the 1982 season with the Yankees and was 10-10 with a 3.60 ERA before the August 31 trade that sent him to California. With New York, he threw shutouts against both the Angels on April 28 and Blue Jays on May 25 and won four of his last five decisions as a Yankee. Tommy threw his eighth career 3-hitter on August 29 at Toronto; two of his eight career 3-hitters have come as a Yankee. He made seven starts with California, going 4-2, and pitched a complete game 8-3 victory against Milwaukee in Game 1 of the ALCS.
In 1983, Tommy led the Angel staff in starts and innings pitched. He suffered his first losing season since 1971, yet nine of his 13 defeats came in games in which the Angels scored two or fewer runs. He was 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA at home, 3-7 with a 7.13 ERA on the road. Tommy made his 600th major league appearance on July 15 at Baltimore.
In 1984 he held opponents to three or fewer runs in his first 11 starts, pitching to a 3-3, 2.48 mark. He had four complete games by the All-Star break, including a 4-0 shutout over Boston on July 8- career shutout No. 45- and recorded career win No. 250- a 2-hitter against Oakland on May 1. Tommy struck out Yankee Omar Moreno on May 18 to record career strikeout No. 2000. He dropped five of seven decisions in the second half before shifting to the bullpen, and on September 5 made his first relief appearance since July 31, 1982.
T.J. began the 1985 season in the Angel starting rotation but was both starting and relieving after his first four starts. He was 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA as a starter, 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in relief; his Angel wins came on April 28, starting at Seattle, and on May 11 in relief at Milwaukee.
He was released by the Angels on June 19, was signed by Modesto (the Class-A California League affiliate of Oakland) on July 12, and was 0-0 with a 5.73 ERA at Modesto. Tommy was then assigned to Madison (of the Class-A Midwest League), another A's affiliate, and appeared in one game, going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He was signed to a major league contract by the A's on July 26.
Tommy made his first [major league] appearance since June 5, and first start since June 2, on July 26 at Milwaukee, notching his first of two wins with Oakland. The other win came in Oakland on August 27 against New York, throwing seven scoreless innings while giving up only three hits. After that, he went on to lose his final five starts (21 earned runs, 20.2 innings pitched, 9.14 ERA).
Tommy came to New York's 1986 spring camp as a non-roster invitee and appeared in three games, starting once. His spring numbers were 0-0, 2.00 ERA in nine innings pitched, two runs, nine hits, two walks and eight strikeouts [1.22 WHIP].
The veteran southpaw was signed as a free agent on May 2 and made his first regular season appearance with the Yankees that day, pitching 2.1 innings in relief against Texas and allowing one run. It was his first appearance in a Yankee uniform since August 29, 1982 at Toronto, his final outing prior to the August 31 trade that sent him to California, and his first game as a Yankee at Yankee Stadium since August 24, 1982.
T.J. appeared in eight games, posting a 3-1, 3.62 mark before suffering a strained left Achilles tendon, forcing him on to the 21-disabled list on June 12. While on the DL, Tommy was assigned to Ft. Lauderdale under the guidelines of baseball's injury rehabilitation program on July 25, remaining there through August 7. While in Florida he appeared in three games, going 2-0, 0.00 ERA including a shutout.
He was activated from the disabled list on August 8, and won his next two starts in impressive fashion, combining for no runs in 7.2 innings pitched on August 8 against Kansas City and in 7.1 innings pitched against Cleveland on August 13. Tommy suffered a bruised left instep after being hit by a comebacker off the bat of Seattle's Alvin Davis in his August 19 start; x-rays were eventually taken, the results of which were negative. He tossed his first complete game in over two years on August 30 at Seattle, losing the 1-0 decision.
Tommy's season came to an end when he suffered a fractured left thumb when he fell off the bullpen pitching mound in Oakland on September 3. Although he announced on July 24 that he would become the pitching coach at the University of North Carolina, he resigned the position on November 21, a month after assuming his duties.
Tommy grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received 35 scholarship offers upon graduation from Gerstmeyer High School, where he played both basketball and baseball. He attended Indiana State, and following the 1979 season was given the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest award given by the school. An avid golfer, he has hosted the Tommy John Celebrity Invitational Golf Classic for the past 11 years, with proceeds directed to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles for cancer research. Tommy also works with the International Save-A-Child group and the March of Dimes.
Tommy enjoys reading and World War II history, and his favorite spectator sports are golf, pro and college basketball, hockey and basketball. The Chicago Cubs were his favorite team as a youngster and his favorite players were Hank Sauer and Whitey Ford. His toughest opponents have been Joe Morgan, Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente and Billy Williams, and his favorite ballpark is Yankee Stadium. Tommy John, Sr. helped his career the most.
T.J. has worn #25 for 25 years. His favorite entertainers are Don Rickles and Willie Nelson. His favorite restaurant is Chanteclair in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He has authored two books, 'The Tommy John Story' and, with his wife Sally, 'The Sally and Tommy John Story.' The latter book recounts qualities of love and caring and how their Christian faith helped sustain them through near tragedy when their son Travis (age 3 at the time) fell 27 feet from an apartment window on August 13, 1981, and survived a 14-day coma and a one-month hospital stay. Travis is fine today."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied for American League lead in shutouts (5), 1966.
Tied for American League lead in shutouts (6), 1967.
Led American League in shutouts (6), 1980.
Named left-handed pitcher on the Sportings News American League All-Star team, 1980.
Tied American League record for most hit batsmen, nine-inning game (4), June 15, 1968.
Named National League Comeback Player of the Year, 1976.
Winner of Fred Hutchinson Award, 1976.
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
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