"Guetterman didn't fit into the Yanks' plans at the start of spring training but emerged as their most dependable pitcher.
He launched the year with 30 2/3 scoreless innings, a major league record for a reliever from the start of the season. He was not scored upon until his 20th appearance when California dented him for five runs in two innings. Guetterman recorded his first major league save on April 12 against Toronto and finished with 13 saves.
The key to his success is his ability to consistently throw strikes. His fine sinker enhances double play possibilities whenever he enters.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Seattle drafted Guetterman in the fourth round in 1981. The Yanks made a great deal when they acquired him from the Mariners with Clay Parker and Wade Taylor for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto prior to 1988. His value was significantly higher than his $137,500 salary in 1989."
-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1990 Edition
"Lee Guetterman will always remember The Streak. For the first 30 2/3 innings of his 1989 season, the straw-thin southpaw went unscored upon, and in the process set a major league record.
Before the season started, Guetterman stood little chance of making the team, never mind setting a record. But hard work and an impressive spring training set the tone for the rest of the year.
He emerged as a main force out of the bullpen, and will combine with newcomer Jeff Robinson this season to shape one of the league's most formidable middle-relief duos."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"The most consistent of Yankee relievers in 1989, Lee had an outstanding season. He was 5-5 with 13 saves and a 2.45 ERA over 70 games.
Lee started the season on fire, going 20 outings before allowing a run. On April 12 at Toronto he pitched one inning in a 5-3 Yankee win for his first major league save. He registered his second save in his second game two days later. Guetterman pitched 10 times in April, allowing 12 hits and no runs over 14.2 innings. He pitched nine more scoreless games (15 innings) in May with four more saves before allowing a run; on May 24 against the Angels, he pitched a scoreless inning before allowing a leadoff home run to Chilli Davis in the ninth inning to break his scoreless inning streak at 30.2. Guetterman pitched in 22 games through May and was 0-0 with seven saves and a 1.24 ERA.
He pitched in nine games in June and had a 4.15 ERA (13 IP, 6 ER). He earned his first win of the season on June 14 at Baltimore, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing four hits in a 2-1 Yankee win. Through June, Lee had a 2.01 ERA. He picked up a save on July 4 at Detroit with two scoreless innings, and through the break was 1-1 with 10 saves and a 2.05 ERA.
Lee had a rocky beginning after the break. On July 14 (second game) against Kansas City he allowed four runs on five hits over 0.1 innings, including a three-run homer to Danny Tartabull. On the next road trip, he pitched in five games and was 0-3 with a 14.73 ERA (3.2 IP, 6 ER), boosting his ERA from 2.61 to a season-worst 3.32. On July 30 against Toronto, Guetterman got back on track, pitching a season high 3.2 innings, allowing one hit and no runs and picking up the win.
He pitched in 16 games in August with a 1.31 ERA (20.2 IP, 3 ER), dropping his ERA from 3.14 to 2.70. Guetterman had a string of nine consecutive scoreless outings (10 IP) from August 8-23. In September, he had a 1.10 ERA (16.1 IP, 2 ER), with a span of eight straight scoreless outings (12 IP) from August 27-September 16. From August 8 through the end of the season, he compiled a 0.86 ERA (31.2 IP, 3 ER), dropping his ERA from 3.15 to a season-ending 2.45.
With 30.2 scoreless innings at the start of the season, Lee now holds the major league record for scoreless innings at the beginning of a season by a relief pitcher. It was also the longest scoreless innings streak by any pitcher since Harry 'The Cat' Brecheen started the 1948 season with 32.0 scoreless innings for the Cardinals.
Lee had a team low 2.45 ERA and a team high 70 appearances, the most by a Yankee pitcher since Dave Righetti pitched in 74 in 1986. He was fifth in the American League (10th in the majors) in games and his 103 innings were seventh among AL relievers. He had 13 saves in 14 opportunities.
He prevented a club best 52 inherited runners from scoring. Guetterman entered the game with the bases loaded six times and four times left them full (15 of 18 runners stranded overall in such situations). He pitched at least three innings six times and allowed two runs on 11 hits over 19.1 innings (0.93 ERA) in such situations.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Guetterman was acquired by the Yankees in December 1987 from the Seattle Mariners along with Clay Parker and Wade Taylor in exchange for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto. He made two starts and 20 appearances in 1988, finishing with a record of 1-2 and a 4.65 ERA. In his 18 relief appearances Guetterman retired the first batter he faced 11 times (he was 7-for-11 retiring the first batter he faced when runners were on base) and prevented 12 of 16 inherited runners from scoring.
He came north with the Yankees at the beginning of the season, making his Yankee debut in a relief outing on April 8 against Milwaukee, giving up one run (a solo homer by Robin Yount, one of the two home runs he would give up all year) in one inning pitched. In his first stint with the Yankees, Lee made eight relief appearances without a decision with a 2.45 ERA (4 ER, 14.2 IP), with his last relief appearance coming on May 6 at Texas before being optioned to Columbus for the first time on May 13.
Lee made 16 starts with the Clippers, going 8-6 with a 2.88 ERA. He was named Yankee Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July, going 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA (6 G, 6 GS, 4 CG, 23 K [0.828 WHIP]).
He was recalled to New York on August 5. In the second game of a doubleheader that day against Minnesota, Lee made the first of two starts as a Yankee, losing 11-2 while allowing five runs on six hits in just three innings and giving up a solo homer to Greg Gagne, the second of the two home runs he allowed all year. After that start, he made five relief appearances, going 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA (9 ER, 11 IP) before being optioned on August 21. Included in those relief appearances was an outing on August 16 against California when he gave up six runs (earned) in just 1.1 innings in the Angels' 15-6 win.
Guetterman made two starts in his second tour with the Clippers, going 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA (3 ER, 14.1 IP). Overall in his two stints at Columbus, he posted a combined record of 9-6 in 18 games (all starts) with a 2.76 ERA and a .237 batting average against while averaging just one homer every 53.1 innings pitched. Guetterman finished sixth in the International League in ERA.
He was recalled a second time by the Yankees on September 5. On September 24 against Boston, Lee pitched a scoreless inning of relief and was credited with his only win of the year in the Yankees' 5-4 victory. It was his first major league win since October 3, 1987, when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners. In his next appearance, September 28 at Baltimore, he made his second start of the year and was charged with the Yankees' 2-0 loss, giving up seven hits and two runs (earned) with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched. Lee made one outing after that, a relief appearance on October 1 at Detroit, when he registered his only blown save of the year, going one inning while giving up four hits and one run (earned), allowing a runner inherited from Tommy John and runner of his own to score and letting the Tigers tie the game 5-5. Guetterman received a no-decision in Detroit's eventual 6-5 win. He has three career complete games, with his last coming on July 2, 1987 in Seattle against Detroit in a 5-2 Mariner win.
He was originally selected by the Mariners in the fourth round (second selection) of the June 1981 free agent draft (with a choice from California as compensation for the signing of Juan Beniquez). In his first professional season, Guetterman ranked fifth in the [short-season] class-A Northwest League with a 2.68 ERA at Bellingham and posted a record of 6-4. In his first season at Bakersfield (Class-A California League) in 1982, he was 7-11 in 26 starts with a 4.44 ERA. His 3.22 ERA at Bakersfield in 1983 ranked him 10th in the league (and second among left-handers) and he finished with a 12-6 record in 25 starts.
Lee spent the 1984 season at AA Chattanooga, where he went 11-7 with a 3.38 ERA. He was recalled to Seattle after the minor league season on September 7 and made his major league debut on September 12 in relief against Texas in the Mariners' 8-1 loss, receiving a no-decision. He made two more relief outings for the Mariners that month.
He was assigned to Calgary from spring training in 1985 and spent the entire season there. He recorded a 5-8 record with a 5.79 ERA. 18 of his 20 appearances were starts and he tossed two complete games. Lee spent most of the 1986 season with the Mariners, going 0-4 with a 7.34 ERA in 41 games (four starts). He made his first major league start on June 7 (second game) at Texas, going the distance in the Mariners' 3-2 loss. He finished third on the club in appearances and also was 1-0 in Calgary in four starts with a 5.59 ERA.
He was the third leading winner on the Mariner staff in 1987 with a record of 11-4 in 25 games (17 starts) and posted a 3.81 earned run average, the best ERA among the club's starters. His winning percentage of .733 tied for first in the major leagues (among pitchers with 15 or more decisions) with Toronto's John Cerutti and Montreal's Dennis Martinez, who also were 11-4.
He was not on the Mariners' 40-man winter roster and did not attend major league spring training in 1987, and opened the season at Calgary, Seattle's AAA affiliate. He was purchased by the Mariners on May 21 when Edwin Nunez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. At that point, Lee was 5-1 at Calgary with a save in 16 appearances (two starts) with a 2.86 ERA.
Lee won his first appearance after his recall to Seattle, a relief outing on May 27 against the Yankees in New York, pitching two hitless innings and giving up one run, and was credited with Seattle's 6-5 victory. He was moved into the rotation after that, and in his first five starts, from May 31 to June 21, he went 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Lee concluded that streak on June 21 at Cleveland, pitching a 3-hit shutout against the Indians in the Mariners' 5-0 victory; it was his first major league shutout and his second big league complete game.
At that point, his overall record was 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six appearances (five starts), and his five-game winning streak was the longest by a Mariner in '87. After having his streak stopped in Kansas City on June 27 (losing 6-0 on a Bret Saberhagen 3-hitter), Guetterman pitched his second complete game of the season in his next start, on July 2 against Detroit, recording a season-high five strikeouts in Seattle's 5-2 victory. That started a three-game winning streak in three consecutive starts to raise his first-half record to 8-1 in 10 games (nine starts) with a 3.36 ERA.
In his first six starts after the All-Star break through August 15, however, Lee went 1-3 with a 6.29 ERA (24.1 IP, 17 ER) and was moved back to the bullpen. He made seven appearances in relief after that without a decision or a save with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP, 2 ER) before being moved back into the rotation. Lee finished the season by making two starts and winning both. Overall in 17 games started he was 10-3 with a 4.05 ERA.
Lee graduated from Oceanside (California) High School in 1977, where he earned All-County honors as a first baseman. He graduated from Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg, Virginia where one of his teammates was Sid Bream of the Pirates, and also pitched for La Romana (Dominican Republic) in winter ball.
His favorite team growing up was the San Diego Padres, his favorite ballpark is Texas Stadium and his most memorable moment in sports was 'throwing a 3-hit shutout against Cleveland on Father's Day' in 1987. His favorite entertainer is Bill Cosby."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Monday, April 23, 2018
Sunday, April 15, 2018
1990 Profile: Rick Cerone
"The friendly confines of Yankee Stadium serve as the perfect backdrop for a Rick Cerone welcome home party. The 36-year-old catcher and three-time Yankee started his first stint in Pinstripes in 1980 and returned for one season in 1987.
No team can be successful without a quality backup. Cerone filled that role admirably for the Boston Red Sox the past two seasons, catching 84 and 102 games, respectively.
The seasoned veteran has participated in three American League Championship Series and one World Series, and his experience in the trenches will no doubt aid the Yankees and their younger players down the stretch."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"Rick is making his third tour of duty with the Yankees. He spent the 1989 season with the Red Sox, appearing in 102 games and hitting .243 with four home runs and 48 RBIs.
He made eight starts in April and hit .348 (8-for-23) with seven RBIs. He had his only three-hit game of the season on April 15 against Baltimore. From May 3-9, Rick hit in four straight games (5-for-11), bringing his average up to .333. Included in that streak was his first homer of '89 on May 3 at Chicago. He made nine starts for the month of May, batting .233 (7-for-30) with a homer and five RBI, bringing his season average down to .283.
Cerone made 14 starts in June, hitting .271 (13-for-48) for the month with four multi-hit games. A 2-for-4 game on June 22 and a 0-for-3 game on June 23 left his average at .302, the last time it would be over .300 for the season. From June 30-July 8, he hit in six straight (.353, 6-for-17), tying his season best, and was hitting .287 with a home run and 19 RBIs at the break. Rick's longest hitless stead came just after the break; a 0-for-15 slump from July 16-19 dropped his average from .288 to .263. He immediately followed with his second six-game hit streak from July 19-27 (.333, 8-for-24). Overall he made 17 starts in July, hitting .254 with 10 RBIs for the month.
August was Rick's busiest month as he made 22 starts, hitting .238 with two home runs and 12 RBIs, with six two-hit games. He hit safely in his first three games of September but hit .140 (6-for-43) the rest of the month. Overall he made 15 starts in September and drove in nine runs.
For the season Cerone made 85 starts, hitting .248 in that capacity, with the club going 42-43 in his starts. He hit .303 at home and .177 on the road. He hit .338 (25-for-74) with 37 RBIs with runners in scoring position and hit .429 (3-for-7) as a pinch hitter.
Rick made 10 errors in 629 total chances, a .984 fielding percentage, and threw out 28 of 100 runners attempting to steal. Over the past three seasons he has thrown out 31% of runners attempting to steal.
He signed a two-year contract with the Yankees in December 1989. The contract extends through the 1991 season.
In 1988, Cerone was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox on April 14 after being released by the Yankees in spring training. He had a fast start but his average declined throughout the season.
He went 4-for-5 in his first start on April 17 against Texas and hit safely in his first four starts (.563, 9-for-16). In nine April starts, Cerone hit .424 (14-for-33) including 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored on April 30. He had a season high six-game hitting streak from May 17-23 (.478, 11-for-23). He hit .307 in 21 May games and .286 in 13 June games.
Rick's production fell off to .235 in 15 July games; his average dropped below .300 for the first time on July 27 (his 57th game) and then for good on August 10. He started only 12 games after August 10, hitting .160 in eight games in August and .129 in 17 games in September-October. In 84 games overall, Rick finished with a. 269 average with 69 games started at catcher and one as the designated hitter.
For the second straight season, he led American League catchers in fielding percentage (1.000, 0 errors in 499 chances over 83 games). His last error had been on July 4, 1987 and he had gone 147 games as a catcher without an error. Cerone had seven passed balls and threw out 12 of 58 (21%) base stealers. He threw out 35 of 132 (27%) over the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
Cerone hit three home runs, all at Fenway, the last one on July 15. He hit .313 in 49 games before the All-Star break and .204 in 35 games after the break. He had five three-hit games and a four-hit game and hit .230 (17-for-74) with 20 RBIs with men in scoring position. At Fenway, Rick hit .308 in 47 games and on the road hit .220 in 37 games.
He made five starts during Boston's 12-game July winning streak and nine starts during the 24-game Fenway winning streak.
In 1974 Cerone was Cleveland's number one selection in the June free agent draft. In 1975, his first year of professional ball, he was called up to the Indians on August 15 after just 46 games with Oklahoma City. Rick appeared in seven games for the Indians, getting his first big league hit off Kansas City's Paul Splittorff on August 22. He started the 1976 season at Toledo, was called up to the Indians after an injury to Alan Ashby and appeared in seven games. He was the International League's All-Star catcher while with Toledo.
Traded to the Blue Jays in December 1976, Rick was the starting catcher in Toronto's first game but broke his thumb five days into the season. He was optioned to Charleston to get back into shape, and upon his return to Toronto homered off Nellie Briles. He threw out Mitchell Page to end his consecutive stolen base streak at 26. 1978 was Rick's first full season in the majors: he hit .302 in August and threw out Ron LeFlore to end his consecutive stolen base streak at 27.
In 1979 he was hitting just .219 at the All-Star break, but hit .261 after the break to finish at .239. He had a 10-game hitting streak from August 14-27. Cerone tied for second on the club with six game-winning RBIs, was third with 27 doubles and four triples, and his 61 RBIs were fourth on the club.
In 1980, Cerone responded to a pressure-filled first year as a Yankee by having the best season of his career and being named to the UPI and Sporting News American League All-Star teams. He finished seventh in the voting for AL MVP and led the Yankees in games played with 147, all as a catcher and all but one starting. Defensively, Cerone started the first 54 games before resting and easily led the league by throwing out 47% (47 of 99) of potential base stealers.
He finished second on the club to Reggie Jackson with 85 RBI and hit .315 with runners in scoring position. Cerone had six RBIs on May 26, including his first career grand slam; all six RBIs came after the batter in front of him was intentionally walked. For the season he was 6-for-11 with 14 RBIs after the batter in front of him was intentionally walked.
Rick's 1981 production was off slightly from his 1980 season, mainly because of injury. He broke his right thumb on a foul tip in Texas on April 18, missing 32 games. Rick was activated from the DL on May 24, and the next day began a 12-game hitting streak, the second longest of the season by a Yankee. On September 12 at the Stadium, he broke up Boston pitcher Bob Ojeda's bid for a no-hitter with a pinch-hit leadoff double in the ninth inning. In the Division Series against Milwaukee, he topped the Yankees with five RBIs.
In 1982, for a second consecutive season, Rick suffered a major injury, breaking his left thumb on a tag play at home plate in California on May 11. He spent two months on the disabled list, missing 53 games, and his production at the plate was off due to his injury, but he hit .319 (19-for-47) with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 13 games. Cerone appeared in almost half the Yankees' games in 1983. His three-run homer was the difference in the Yankees' 8-7 win at Minnesota on May 7. Platooned most of the year with Butch Wynegar, he had an eight-game hitting streak from July 29 to August 14.
Between injuries and platooning in 1984, Rick played in his fewest games since 1977. His first hit of the year was a three-run home run against Kansas City on April 5. He spent time on the DL from May 7 through July 5 with a strained right elbow and was assigned to Columbus on June 29 under the MLB Rehabilitation Program. After rejoining the Yankees he suffered an abrasion on his right hand during a fight in California on September 2, and a stiff neck later the same month. Rick was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher in December of 1984.
Rick hit .341 in his last 11 spring training games for Atlanta in 1985, clinching the job as starting catcher for Atlanta. He was hitting .438 on April 22 but had dropped to .297 on May 7. He hit two homers in his first 30 at-bats with the Braves; he had only two homers in his last 236 at-bats for the Yankees in '83 and '84. Rick had the second four-hit game of his career against the Reds on April 15.
He started 76 games at catcher compared to Bruce Benedict's 78. He strained the posterior deltoid muscle in his right shoulder while batting on June 5. Despite his shoulder injury, Rick threw out 18 of 48 runners attempting to steal.
He reported to Atlanta's spring facility in West Palm Beach in 1986 but was traded to the Brewers along with two minor leaguers for veteran catcher Ted Simmons on March 5. Cerone played in just 68 games for Milwaukee, used mainly as a backup to catchers Charlie Moore and Bill Schroeder. Although appearing in his second fewest games since reaching the major leagues to stay, his .259 batting average was second only to his career best of .277 in 1980. One of five catchers who threw out Rickey Henderson attempting to steal, 1986 was the first season since 1983 he did not spend any time on the disabled list. Cerone homered in back-to-back games on May 16 and 18 against Minnesota, had three RBIs against Kansas City on August 23 and had his longest hitting streak of the year in the five games he played from September 1 to September 23.
In 1987 Cerone returned to New York where he played from 1980-84 when he signed as a free agent on February 13. He played in 113 games in 1987 (including 85 starts at catcher) and hit .243 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.
He made one error in 577 total chances and led American League catchers in fielding percentage (.998). He made his first and only career appearance at first base on July 3 against Texas (first game) as a defensive replacement for Don Mattingly. Rick started 23 of New York's last 29 games.
Rick made his first career pitching appearance on July 19 at Texas in a game the Yankees lost 20-3. He pitched one inning in that game, giving up no runs and no hits and retiring all three batters he faced He made the second appearance on the mound in New York's 15-4 loss at Detroit on August 9, facing four batters(1 IP, 1 BB) pitching the final inning.
He hit .213 in 56 games before the All-Star break and .266 in 57 games after the break. He had an eight-game hitting streak from August 5-12 (313, 10-for-32) and had 13 multi-hit games, including a three-hit game at Fenway on September 7.
Cerone is a 1976 graduate of Seton Hall University where he made Academic All-American in baseball in 1974 and 1975 and was also on the fencing team. He twice helped the Pirates to a berth in the College World Series, hit .410 in his senior year and set school records in homers, RBIs and total bases. Rick played on the Pan-American team in 1974 and the USA World Team in 1973.
He graduated from Essex Catholic High School (NJ) in 1972 where he was an All-State athlete in baseball, football and fencing. Rick enjoys golf, racquetball and photography."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Named catcher on the Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1980.
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
No team can be successful without a quality backup. Cerone filled that role admirably for the Boston Red Sox the past two seasons, catching 84 and 102 games, respectively.
The seasoned veteran has participated in three American League Championship Series and one World Series, and his experience in the trenches will no doubt aid the Yankees and their younger players down the stretch."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"Rick is making his third tour of duty with the Yankees. He spent the 1989 season with the Red Sox, appearing in 102 games and hitting .243 with four home runs and 48 RBIs.
He made eight starts in April and hit .348 (8-for-23) with seven RBIs. He had his only three-hit game of the season on April 15 against Baltimore. From May 3-9, Rick hit in four straight games (5-for-11), bringing his average up to .333. Included in that streak was his first homer of '89 on May 3 at Chicago. He made nine starts for the month of May, batting .233 (7-for-30) with a homer and five RBI, bringing his season average down to .283.
Cerone made 14 starts in June, hitting .271 (13-for-48) for the month with four multi-hit games. A 2-for-4 game on June 22 and a 0-for-3 game on June 23 left his average at .302, the last time it would be over .300 for the season. From June 30-July 8, he hit in six straight (.353, 6-for-17), tying his season best, and was hitting .287 with a home run and 19 RBIs at the break. Rick's longest hitless stead came just after the break; a 0-for-15 slump from July 16-19 dropped his average from .288 to .263. He immediately followed with his second six-game hit streak from July 19-27 (.333, 8-for-24). Overall he made 17 starts in July, hitting .254 with 10 RBIs for the month.
August was Rick's busiest month as he made 22 starts, hitting .238 with two home runs and 12 RBIs, with six two-hit games. He hit safely in his first three games of September but hit .140 (6-for-43) the rest of the month. Overall he made 15 starts in September and drove in nine runs.
For the season Cerone made 85 starts, hitting .248 in that capacity, with the club going 42-43 in his starts. He hit .303 at home and .177 on the road. He hit .338 (25-for-74) with 37 RBIs with runners in scoring position and hit .429 (3-for-7) as a pinch hitter.
Rick made 10 errors in 629 total chances, a .984 fielding percentage, and threw out 28 of 100 runners attempting to steal. Over the past three seasons he has thrown out 31% of runners attempting to steal.
He signed a two-year contract with the Yankees in December 1989. The contract extends through the 1991 season.
In 1988, Cerone was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox on April 14 after being released by the Yankees in spring training. He had a fast start but his average declined throughout the season.
He went 4-for-5 in his first start on April 17 against Texas and hit safely in his first four starts (.563, 9-for-16). In nine April starts, Cerone hit .424 (14-for-33) including 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored on April 30. He had a season high six-game hitting streak from May 17-23 (.478, 11-for-23). He hit .307 in 21 May games and .286 in 13 June games.
Rick's production fell off to .235 in 15 July games; his average dropped below .300 for the first time on July 27 (his 57th game) and then for good on August 10. He started only 12 games after August 10, hitting .160 in eight games in August and .129 in 17 games in September-October. In 84 games overall, Rick finished with a. 269 average with 69 games started at catcher and one as the designated hitter.
For the second straight season, he led American League catchers in fielding percentage (1.000, 0 errors in 499 chances over 83 games). His last error had been on July 4, 1987 and he had gone 147 games as a catcher without an error. Cerone had seven passed balls and threw out 12 of 58 (21%) base stealers. He threw out 35 of 132 (27%) over the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
Cerone hit three home runs, all at Fenway, the last one on July 15. He hit .313 in 49 games before the All-Star break and .204 in 35 games after the break. He had five three-hit games and a four-hit game and hit .230 (17-for-74) with 20 RBIs with men in scoring position. At Fenway, Rick hit .308 in 47 games and on the road hit .220 in 37 games.
He made five starts during Boston's 12-game July winning streak and nine starts during the 24-game Fenway winning streak.
In 1974 Cerone was Cleveland's number one selection in the June free agent draft. In 1975, his first year of professional ball, he was called up to the Indians on August 15 after just 46 games with Oklahoma City. Rick appeared in seven games for the Indians, getting his first big league hit off Kansas City's Paul Splittorff on August 22. He started the 1976 season at Toledo, was called up to the Indians after an injury to Alan Ashby and appeared in seven games. He was the International League's All-Star catcher while with Toledo.
Traded to the Blue Jays in December 1976, Rick was the starting catcher in Toronto's first game but broke his thumb five days into the season. He was optioned to Charleston to get back into shape, and upon his return to Toronto homered off Nellie Briles. He threw out Mitchell Page to end his consecutive stolen base streak at 26. 1978 was Rick's first full season in the majors: he hit .302 in August and threw out Ron LeFlore to end his consecutive stolen base streak at 27.
In 1979 he was hitting just .219 at the All-Star break, but hit .261 after the break to finish at .239. He had a 10-game hitting streak from August 14-27. Cerone tied for second on the club with six game-winning RBIs, was third with 27 doubles and four triples, and his 61 RBIs were fourth on the club.
In 1980, Cerone responded to a pressure-filled first year as a Yankee by having the best season of his career and being named to the UPI and Sporting News American League All-Star teams. He finished seventh in the voting for AL MVP and led the Yankees in games played with 147, all as a catcher and all but one starting. Defensively, Cerone started the first 54 games before resting and easily led the league by throwing out 47% (47 of 99) of potential base stealers.
He finished second on the club to Reggie Jackson with 85 RBI and hit .315 with runners in scoring position. Cerone had six RBIs on May 26, including his first career grand slam; all six RBIs came after the batter in front of him was intentionally walked. For the season he was 6-for-11 with 14 RBIs after the batter in front of him was intentionally walked.
Rick's 1981 production was off slightly from his 1980 season, mainly because of injury. He broke his right thumb on a foul tip in Texas on April 18, missing 32 games. Rick was activated from the DL on May 24, and the next day began a 12-game hitting streak, the second longest of the season by a Yankee. On September 12 at the Stadium, he broke up Boston pitcher Bob Ojeda's bid for a no-hitter with a pinch-hit leadoff double in the ninth inning. In the Division Series against Milwaukee, he topped the Yankees with five RBIs.
In 1982, for a second consecutive season, Rick suffered a major injury, breaking his left thumb on a tag play at home plate in California on May 11. He spent two months on the disabled list, missing 53 games, and his production at the plate was off due to his injury, but he hit .319 (19-for-47) with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 13 games. Cerone appeared in almost half the Yankees' games in 1983. His three-run homer was the difference in the Yankees' 8-7 win at Minnesota on May 7. Platooned most of the year with Butch Wynegar, he had an eight-game hitting streak from July 29 to August 14.
Between injuries and platooning in 1984, Rick played in his fewest games since 1977. His first hit of the year was a three-run home run against Kansas City on April 5. He spent time on the DL from May 7 through July 5 with a strained right elbow and was assigned to Columbus on June 29 under the MLB Rehabilitation Program. After rejoining the Yankees he suffered an abrasion on his right hand during a fight in California on September 2, and a stiff neck later the same month. Rick was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher in December of 1984.
Rick hit .341 in his last 11 spring training games for Atlanta in 1985, clinching the job as starting catcher for Atlanta. He was hitting .438 on April 22 but had dropped to .297 on May 7. He hit two homers in his first 30 at-bats with the Braves; he had only two homers in his last 236 at-bats for the Yankees in '83 and '84. Rick had the second four-hit game of his career against the Reds on April 15.
He started 76 games at catcher compared to Bruce Benedict's 78. He strained the posterior deltoid muscle in his right shoulder while batting on June 5. Despite his shoulder injury, Rick threw out 18 of 48 runners attempting to steal.
He reported to Atlanta's spring facility in West Palm Beach in 1986 but was traded to the Brewers along with two minor leaguers for veteran catcher Ted Simmons on March 5. Cerone played in just 68 games for Milwaukee, used mainly as a backup to catchers Charlie Moore and Bill Schroeder. Although appearing in his second fewest games since reaching the major leagues to stay, his .259 batting average was second only to his career best of .277 in 1980. One of five catchers who threw out Rickey Henderson attempting to steal, 1986 was the first season since 1983 he did not spend any time on the disabled list. Cerone homered in back-to-back games on May 16 and 18 against Minnesota, had three RBIs against Kansas City on August 23 and had his longest hitting streak of the year in the five games he played from September 1 to September 23.
In 1987 Cerone returned to New York where he played from 1980-84 when he signed as a free agent on February 13. He played in 113 games in 1987 (including 85 starts at catcher) and hit .243 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.
He made one error in 577 total chances and led American League catchers in fielding percentage (.998). He made his first and only career appearance at first base on July 3 against Texas (first game) as a defensive replacement for Don Mattingly. Rick started 23 of New York's last 29 games.
Rick made his first career pitching appearance on July 19 at Texas in a game the Yankees lost 20-3. He pitched one inning in that game, giving up no runs and no hits and retiring all three batters he faced He made the second appearance on the mound in New York's 15-4 loss at Detroit on August 9, facing four batters(1 IP, 1 BB) pitching the final inning.
He hit .213 in 56 games before the All-Star break and .266 in 57 games after the break. He had an eight-game hitting streak from August 5-12 (313, 10-for-32) and had 13 multi-hit games, including a three-hit game at Fenway on September 7.
Cerone is a 1976 graduate of Seton Hall University where he made Academic All-American in baseball in 1974 and 1975 and was also on the fencing team. He twice helped the Pirates to a berth in the College World Series, hit .410 in his senior year and set school records in homers, RBIs and total bases. Rick played on the Pan-American team in 1974 and the USA World Team in 1973.
He graduated from Essex Catholic High School (NJ) in 1972 where he was an All-State athlete in baseball, football and fencing. Rick enjoys golf, racquetball and photography."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Named catcher on the Sporting News American League All-Star team, 1980.
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Thursday, April 5, 2018
1990 Profile: Roberto Kelly
"First full major league season exceeded expectations. Kelly's final average of .302 was 42 points higher than his career minor league mark. He wore down late in the season and sat put the final two games to preserve his .300 average. His ability to hit for a high average in the majors remains a question mark.
Kelly finished eighth in the American League with 35 stolen bases and will improve in that category when he knows pitchers' moves better. He's an exceptional center fielder who prides himself who prides himself on making dazzling plays.
Born in Panama City, Panama, Kelly was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on February 21, 1982. He's due for a big pay raise after earning only $80,000 in 1989."
-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1990 Edition
"It's been a long road to Yankee Stadium for Roberto Kelly. But that may explain why he maintains such a level of high intensity every game. With all of the obstacles he's had to overcome, there's no way the 25-year-old outfielder is turning back.
After losing the job as starting center fielder in 1988, Kelly won the job again in the spring of 1989. He has never looked back. He has emerged among the league's best and has the look of a true superstar. In his first full season he hit .302, was among the league leaders in stolen bases, and played brilliant defense in New York's Death Valley.
'I didn't really expect all of this. But when you get the chance, you have to take advantage of it. That's the name of the game,' Kelly says.
In fact, it seemed the only thing that could hold him back was the unrest in his native Panama. But, with Kelly and his family safe, it's back to baseball."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"Roberto had a career major league average of .256 in two short stints entering 1989 but put together an outstanding season, hitting .302 as the Yankee starting center fielder.
He started the season with a bang, getting his first career four-hit game with a home run, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Roberto had a five-game hit streak from April 14-19 (8-for-17), registering a two-hit and a three-hit game in that span. He also had a career-high four-RBI game on April 17 at Toronto. For the month, he hit a club-best .329 and made two errors.
He started out slowly in May, as over the first ten games (May 2-13) he hit .115 (3-for-26), dropping his average to .278. Then, from May 14-20, Roberto hit in seven straight games (12-for-25, .480). He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 26 with a sprained left wrist which he aggravated diving for a ball the previous evening against California and remained on the DL until June 12. He hit .254 for the month of May.
Roberto started playing again on June 14 and hit in five straight (7-for-16), raising his average from .294 to .309. A 2-for-2 effort on June 16 (first game) put him over .300 to stay for the season. Overall in June, he reached base safely in 14 of 16 games, hitting .340 for the month.
July was his best month offensively, with Roberto hitting .349 with 15 RBIs. He had a four-game hitting streak (4-for-12, .333) from July 5-8 that included a home run off Roger Clemens in Boston. He was hitting .312 with five errors at the break; he committed his sixth and final error of the 1989 season in the third game after the break (July 14, second game). From July 19-26, Roberto hit in eight straight games (11-for-29, .379), and for the month reached safely in 24 of 27 games including the final 13 games.
He continued his torrid hitting in August with a .324 mark for the month. Roberto hit in a career best 11 straight games from July 29-August 7 (20-for-38, .526), and from July 19-August 7 reached base in 20 straight games while hitting .470 to raise his average from .305 to .341. In Minnesota he went 4-for-4 on August 11 and 2-for-4 on August 12 to boost his batting average to .345, his highest mark since the third game of the season.
Roberto hit .197 (12-for-61) with 15 strikeouts during the rest of August to give him a .324 average for the month. September was his slowest month, as he hit .188 (12-for-64) with three home runs and six RBIs. His post-break average was .291.
For the season, Roberto ranked first on the club in on-base-percantage (.369), second in stolen bases (35), second in sacrifice hits (8), fourth in runs (65), games (137) and hits (133), and sixth in doubles (18). He hit .273 (27-for-99) with men in scoring position and was fourth on the club in multi-hit games with 34. Roberto reached single-game career highs in hits (4, twice), stolen bases (4) and runs (4). He hit .316 in day games and .264 at night, .372 against left-handed pitchers and .267 against right-handed pitchers, and .317 at home and .288 on the road. He was awarded first base twice on catcher's interference.
He stole 35 bases in 47 attempts (74%), bringing his career mark to 49 steals in 66 attempts (74%). He teamed with Steve Sax (43 steals) to become the first Yankee tandem to each steal 30-plus bases since Mickey Rivers (43) and Roy White (31) in 1976.
In the outfield, Roberto contributed nine assists (second on the club to Jesse Barfield) and his .984 fielding percentage ranked 15th in the league. He committed one error after the break (July 14) and ended the year with 66 straight errorless games. Roberto signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Roberto was signed as a free agent by the Yankees (scout Fred Ferreira) on February 21, 1982. In his first pro season he hit .198 at Bradenton in 31 games, and in 1983 batted .265 in 20 games at Greensboro and .216 in 48 games in Oneonta. In 111 games with Greensboro in 1984, Roberto hit .238 with 68 runs and 42 stolen bases. He batted .247 in 1985 in 114 games at Ft. Lauderdale of the 'A' Florida State League, had 86 runs along with 49 stolen bases and led that circuit with 13 triples.
In 1986, Roberto batted .291 in 86 games with the Albany-Colonie Yankees (AA Eastern League) with 11 doubles, two homers, 43 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He was placed on the disabled list on July 10 due to the presence of bone chips in his right ankle and was not activated until August 23. Roberto was named to the Eastern League All-Star team but was unable to play due to his injury.
Roberto spent the first part of the 1987 season with the Columbus Clippers before being recalled to New York on July 29. At that point, he was hitting .300 in 102 games with the Clippers, with 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, 48 stolen bases and six times caught stealing.
He made his major league debut with the Yankees on July 29 against Kansas City at Yankee Stadium, going 0-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. His first major league hit came on July 30 off the Royals' Bud Black, a first-inning double. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI (his first major league RBI) on August 1 against Detroit. Roberto's first major league home run came on August 6 at Detroit, a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Willie Hernandez; his three RBIs in that game is his single-game high.
Roberto was optioned to Columbus on August 14 after playing 10 games with the Yankees, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with a homer, five RBIs and three stolen bases. He remained with the Clippers until the conclusion of their season, finishing with a .278 batting average with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs, and was 51 of 61 in stolen base attempts. His 51 stolen bases led the International League, and he was named as the designated hitter on the postseason IL all-star team.
He was recalled to the Yankees on September 10 and had his first big league three-hit game on September 22 at Milwaukee (second game) when he also recorded his first major league game-winning RBI. In his two stints with the Yankees, Roberto combined to play in 23 games, batting .269 (14-for-52) with a home run and seven RBIs, stealing nine bases in 12 attempts and scoring 12 runs in those 23 games. He also had five walks and 15 strikeouts and had four multi-hit games.
In 1988, an injury-plagued year cut his season short. Roberto began the season on the Yankees roster but was optioned to Columbus on May 21. At the time of his option he was hitting .254 with five RBIs.
Roberto had three multi-hit games in that time, including two three-hit games: on April 5 against Minnesota, when he started as the Opening Day center fielder and went 3-for-4, and on April 14 at Toronto, going 3-for-4. In that April 14 game, he was 1-for-2 in stolen base attempts, getting caught attempting to steal home.
Following his option, Roberto played 30 games with the Clippers, batting .333 with three homers and 16 RBIs, and was successful on 11 of 14 stolen base attempts. He was recalled to New York on June 24, and on that day, his first game back, he hit a leadoff home run off Cleveland's Tom Candiotti at Yankee Stadium, his only home run of the year and one of the two leadoff home runs hit by the Yankees in 1988.
He hit safely in his first four games back, June 24-28, and coupled with his base hit on May 17 (his final game before his option), his five-game hitting streak from May 17-June 28 is a career high, with Roberto going 5-for-19 in those five games. In the final game of that streak, against Detroit, he was injured running against the center field wall attempting to catch a triple hit in the 9th inning. Roberto suffered a sprained left wrist and a bruised right knee and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 30. He was transferred to the 30-day DL on July 25 and was activated on September 2.
Roberto made 10 appearances with the Yankees after that, all in a pinch-running or defensive replacement capacity, and did not have any plate appearances due to his sprained left wrist. He recorded a stolen base in each of three successive pinch-running appearances from September 8-11 and scored twice as a pinch runner.
Overall for the season Roberto batted .247 (19-for-77) in 38 games (making plate apperances in 23 of them, and none after his June 28 injury) with a home run and seven RBIs, and was successful in five out of seven stolen base attempts- he has outstanding speed.
Roberto played Little League and in 1982 graduated from Instituto Jose Delores Moscote, a high school in Panama City, where he played baseball, basketball and volleyball."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led International League outfielders in total chances (345), 1987.
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Kelly finished eighth in the American League with 35 stolen bases and will improve in that category when he knows pitchers' moves better. He's an exceptional center fielder who prides himself who prides himself on making dazzling plays.
Born in Panama City, Panama, Kelly was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on February 21, 1982. He's due for a big pay raise after earning only $80,000 in 1989."
-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1990 Edition
"It's been a long road to Yankee Stadium for Roberto Kelly. But that may explain why he maintains such a level of high intensity every game. With all of the obstacles he's had to overcome, there's no way the 25-year-old outfielder is turning back.
After losing the job as starting center fielder in 1988, Kelly won the job again in the spring of 1989. He has never looked back. He has emerged among the league's best and has the look of a true superstar. In his first full season he hit .302, was among the league leaders in stolen bases, and played brilliant defense in New York's Death Valley.
'I didn't really expect all of this. But when you get the chance, you have to take advantage of it. That's the name of the game,' Kelly says.
In fact, it seemed the only thing that could hold him back was the unrest in his native Panama. But, with Kelly and his family safe, it's back to baseball."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"Roberto had a career major league average of .256 in two short stints entering 1989 but put together an outstanding season, hitting .302 as the Yankee starting center fielder.
He started the season with a bang, getting his first career four-hit game with a home run, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Roberto had a five-game hit streak from April 14-19 (8-for-17), registering a two-hit and a three-hit game in that span. He also had a career-high four-RBI game on April 17 at Toronto. For the month, he hit a club-best .329 and made two errors.
He started out slowly in May, as over the first ten games (May 2-13) he hit .115 (3-for-26), dropping his average to .278. Then, from May 14-20, Roberto hit in seven straight games (12-for-25, .480). He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 26 with a sprained left wrist which he aggravated diving for a ball the previous evening against California and remained on the DL until June 12. He hit .254 for the month of May.
Roberto started playing again on June 14 and hit in five straight (7-for-16), raising his average from .294 to .309. A 2-for-2 effort on June 16 (first game) put him over .300 to stay for the season. Overall in June, he reached base safely in 14 of 16 games, hitting .340 for the month.
July was his best month offensively, with Roberto hitting .349 with 15 RBIs. He had a four-game hitting streak (4-for-12, .333) from July 5-8 that included a home run off Roger Clemens in Boston. He was hitting .312 with five errors at the break; he committed his sixth and final error of the 1989 season in the third game after the break (July 14, second game). From July 19-26, Roberto hit in eight straight games (11-for-29, .379), and for the month reached safely in 24 of 27 games including the final 13 games.
He continued his torrid hitting in August with a .324 mark for the month. Roberto hit in a career best 11 straight games from July 29-August 7 (20-for-38, .526), and from July 19-August 7 reached base in 20 straight games while hitting .470 to raise his average from .305 to .341. In Minnesota he went 4-for-4 on August 11 and 2-for-4 on August 12 to boost his batting average to .345, his highest mark since the third game of the season.
Roberto hit .197 (12-for-61) with 15 strikeouts during the rest of August to give him a .324 average for the month. September was his slowest month, as he hit .188 (12-for-64) with three home runs and six RBIs. His post-break average was .291.
For the season, Roberto ranked first on the club in on-base-percantage (.369), second in stolen bases (35), second in sacrifice hits (8), fourth in runs (65), games (137) and hits (133), and sixth in doubles (18). He hit .273 (27-for-99) with men in scoring position and was fourth on the club in multi-hit games with 34. Roberto reached single-game career highs in hits (4, twice), stolen bases (4) and runs (4). He hit .316 in day games and .264 at night, .372 against left-handed pitchers and .267 against right-handed pitchers, and .317 at home and .288 on the road. He was awarded first base twice on catcher's interference.
He stole 35 bases in 47 attempts (74%), bringing his career mark to 49 steals in 66 attempts (74%). He teamed with Steve Sax (43 steals) to become the first Yankee tandem to each steal 30-plus bases since Mickey Rivers (43) and Roy White (31) in 1976.
In the outfield, Roberto contributed nine assists (second on the club to Jesse Barfield) and his .984 fielding percentage ranked 15th in the league. He committed one error after the break (July 14) and ended the year with 66 straight errorless games. Roberto signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Roberto was signed as a free agent by the Yankees (scout Fred Ferreira) on February 21, 1982. In his first pro season he hit .198 at Bradenton in 31 games, and in 1983 batted .265 in 20 games at Greensboro and .216 in 48 games in Oneonta. In 111 games with Greensboro in 1984, Roberto hit .238 with 68 runs and 42 stolen bases. He batted .247 in 1985 in 114 games at Ft. Lauderdale of the 'A' Florida State League, had 86 runs along with 49 stolen bases and led that circuit with 13 triples.
In 1986, Roberto batted .291 in 86 games with the Albany-Colonie Yankees (AA Eastern League) with 11 doubles, two homers, 43 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He was placed on the disabled list on July 10 due to the presence of bone chips in his right ankle and was not activated until August 23. Roberto was named to the Eastern League All-Star team but was unable to play due to his injury.
Roberto spent the first part of the 1987 season with the Columbus Clippers before being recalled to New York on July 29. At that point, he was hitting .300 in 102 games with the Clippers, with 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, 48 stolen bases and six times caught stealing.
He made his major league debut with the Yankees on July 29 against Kansas City at Yankee Stadium, going 0-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. His first major league hit came on July 30 off the Royals' Bud Black, a first-inning double. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI (his first major league RBI) on August 1 against Detroit. Roberto's first major league home run came on August 6 at Detroit, a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Willie Hernandez; his three RBIs in that game is his single-game high.
Roberto was optioned to Columbus on August 14 after playing 10 games with the Yankees, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with a homer, five RBIs and three stolen bases. He remained with the Clippers until the conclusion of their season, finishing with a .278 batting average with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs, and was 51 of 61 in stolen base attempts. His 51 stolen bases led the International League, and he was named as the designated hitter on the postseason IL all-star team.
He was recalled to the Yankees on September 10 and had his first big league three-hit game on September 22 at Milwaukee (second game) when he also recorded his first major league game-winning RBI. In his two stints with the Yankees, Roberto combined to play in 23 games, batting .269 (14-for-52) with a home run and seven RBIs, stealing nine bases in 12 attempts and scoring 12 runs in those 23 games. He also had five walks and 15 strikeouts and had four multi-hit games.
In 1988, an injury-plagued year cut his season short. Roberto began the season on the Yankees roster but was optioned to Columbus on May 21. At the time of his option he was hitting .254 with five RBIs.
Roberto had three multi-hit games in that time, including two three-hit games: on April 5 against Minnesota, when he started as the Opening Day center fielder and went 3-for-4, and on April 14 at Toronto, going 3-for-4. In that April 14 game, he was 1-for-2 in stolen base attempts, getting caught attempting to steal home.
Following his option, Roberto played 30 games with the Clippers, batting .333 with three homers and 16 RBIs, and was successful on 11 of 14 stolen base attempts. He was recalled to New York on June 24, and on that day, his first game back, he hit a leadoff home run off Cleveland's Tom Candiotti at Yankee Stadium, his only home run of the year and one of the two leadoff home runs hit by the Yankees in 1988.
He hit safely in his first four games back, June 24-28, and coupled with his base hit on May 17 (his final game before his option), his five-game hitting streak from May 17-June 28 is a career high, with Roberto going 5-for-19 in those five games. In the final game of that streak, against Detroit, he was injured running against the center field wall attempting to catch a triple hit in the 9th inning. Roberto suffered a sprained left wrist and a bruised right knee and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 30. He was transferred to the 30-day DL on July 25 and was activated on September 2.
Roberto made 10 appearances with the Yankees after that, all in a pinch-running or defensive replacement capacity, and did not have any plate appearances due to his sprained left wrist. He recorded a stolen base in each of three successive pinch-running appearances from September 8-11 and scored twice as a pinch runner.
Overall for the season Roberto batted .247 (19-for-77) in 38 games (making plate apperances in 23 of them, and none after his June 28 injury) with a home run and seven RBIs, and was successful in five out of seven stolen base attempts- he has outstanding speed.
Roberto played Little League and in 1982 graduated from Instituto Jose Delores Moscote, a high school in Panama City, where he played baseball, basketball and volleyball."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led International League outfielders in total chances (345), 1987.
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
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