"The 1989 season was a mixed bag for native New Yorker Dave LaPoint. After an impressive 5-1 start, the 31-year-old lefty twice landed on the disabled list and finished the year a disappointing 6-9. A bout with tendinitis and a hand contusion suffered from a ball hit back through the box forced Dave to miss most of the second half.
But count on the optimistic LaPoint to bounce back from his season of adversity. Armed with one of the league's best changeups, LaPoint's consistency on the mound, and easy-going style off, will play a major role in the Yankees' climb to the top of the AL East."
-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook
"Dave started the 1989 season with a loss at Minnesota on April 6, taking a 1-hitter into the fifth inning before surrendering five runs on four hits in the fifth. That was followed by a no-decision against Toronto on April 11.
He then went on a tear, winning five straight games from April 18-May 9. Dave started with 6.2 innings of 5-hit ball at Toronto and then followed with a win at Cleveland (6 IP, 3 ER). On April 29 he won against Chicago, allowing two runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings. He won a wild game on May 4 at Texas, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits including three home runs over 5.1 innings, yet was the winner in an 11-7 Yankee win. Dave again beat Texas in his next time out on May 9, allowing three earned runs over six innings in a 5-3 win in New York. During the 5-0 streak (which was the best by a Yankee pitcher in 1989), he had a 4.55 ERA (29.2 IP, 15 ER).
The streak was snapped with a no-decision on May 15 at California, when he left after seven innings trailing 3-2 in a game the Yankees came back to tie then lose. From May 20-June 1 LaPoint then lost three straight games (two road, one home), posting a 6.48 ERA in those games (16.2 IP, 12 ER).
On June 6 against Baltimore, LaPoint pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits in a 4-0 win in what turned out to be his final win of the campaign. He lost back-to-back games, on June 13 at Baltimore and June 18 against Texas, to even his record at 6-6. On June 24 at Kansas City, he could not log the necessary five innings for a victory after being staked to an 11-1 lead and wound up with a no-decision (4.1 IP, 5 ER). Dave pitched again on June 29 at Detroit and left with a 5-4 lead but was not involved in the decision (4.1 IP, 5 R, 4 ER). The next day he went on the 15-day disabled list with tendonitis in his left shoulder.
Dave was reinstated on July 17 and made four more starts, going 0-3 with a 5.89 ERA. He lost three straight games (at Chicago, at Texas and at home against Toronto) from July 17-28, compiling a 6.19 ERA. Dave made his season-ending outing on August 2 (game 1) against Minnesota and lasted just 2.1 innings before leaving after being struck on the left hand by a line drive off the bat off the bat of Kirby Puckett, resulting in a contusion; he went on the DL on August 3.
On August 21, while still on the disabled list, he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a small tear in the rotator of his left shoulder. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list where he remained for the rest of the season.
Overall, LaPoint made 23 starts in 1989 and the club was 8-12 in his starts. He pitched at least six innings in 11 of his 20 starts. He needs wins over Kansas City and Detroit in 1990 to have wins against every American League team.
LaPoint signed a three-year contract as a free agent in December of 1988. The contract extends through the 1991 season.
LaPoint was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers organization in the 10th round of the free agent of June 1977 and began his professional career at Class-A Newark. He struck out nine batters in a row in a game against Geneva. With Class-A Burlington in 1978, he tied for fifth in the Midwest League with five complete games. LaPoint pitched at Class-A Stockton of the California League in 1979 and led the loop in strikeouts with 208 in 180 innings pitched. He tied for the league with 11 complete games and three shutouts while posting a 3.15 ERA.
He opened the 1980 season at AAA Vancouver and was 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 starts. He was on the disabled list twice with elbow soreness. LaPoint was recalled by Milwaukee on September 6 and made his major league debut on September 10 at Minnesota with three shutout innings of relief to earn a save. He made his first big league start on September 20 against Seattle and won an 8-4 decision.
LaPoint was acquired by the Cardinals in December 1980 in a major trade that sent pitchers Pete Vukovich and Rollie Fingers and catcher Ted Simmons to Milwaukee. LaPoint, pitcher Lary Sorensen and outfielders Sixto Lezcano and David Green came to St. Louis.
During his time with AAA Springfield in 1981, LaPoiint led the American Association with 129 strikeouts and 24 starts and tied for the league lead with nine complete games. He appeared with the Cardinals in late September and went 1-0 with a save in three appearances (two starts). Dave became the second youngest pitcher (22) to win games in both the National and American Leagues when he recorded his first NL win on September 27 at Pittsburgh.
In 1982, Dave alternated between starting and relieving for the World Champion Cardinals, posting a 9-3 record and a 3.42 ERA. His 4-2 win over Montreal on September 27 clinched the Eastern Division title for the Cardinals. Dave did not appear in the National Championship Series against the Braves.
He had no decisions in a pair of appearances (one start) in the '82 World Series against Milwaukee. He relieved in the eighth inning of Game One and was touched for two earned runs on three hits in 1.2 innings in Milwaukee's 10-0 win.
LaPoint started Game Four and was not involved in the final decision in Milwaukee's come-from-behind 7-5 win at County Stadium. He worked 6.2 innings and allowed four runs (just one earned) on seven hits. LaPoint's error (dropping a throw while covering first) opened the door for Milwaukee's six-run seventh inning that decided the game.
He posted a 12-9 record in 1983 and tied for the staff lead in wins. In 1984, he was 12-10 with the Cardinals with a 3.96 ERA in 33 starts, a career high as were Dave's 130 strikeouts. He recorded his first big league shutout on June 3, blanking the Mets on six hits in a 1-0 win.
Dave went to San Francisco prior the 1985 season in a multi-player trade that sent slugger Jack Clark to St. Louis. He suffered through the first losing season of his pro career, going 7-17 with the last place Giants, but led the staff in starts (31) and innings (206.2). In his 17 losses, the Giants mustered a total of 29 runs, an average of 1.7 per game, and scored three runs or less in 20 of Dave's 31 starts. Highlighting his season was a 6-hit, 5-0 blanking of the Cardinals on May 5.
After being traded by the Giants following that season, Dave opened the 1986 season with Detroit where he was used in both starting and long relief roles. He earned his first Tiger win on May 17 against California with seven strong innings. He beat the Angels again on May 29, this time at Anaheim, and fired hitless ball for the first five frames. LaPoint was 3-6 with a 5.72 ERA with Detroit when he was traded to San Diego on July 9 for pitcher Mark Thurmond. He appeared in 24 games with the Padres, all but four in relief. He was not tendered a contract by the Padres after the season and signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in January of 1987.
Dave opened the season with St. Louis, spent time at AAA Louisville and finished the season with the White Sox after being traded for minor league reliever Brad Hulstrom on July 30.
He was 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two separate tours of duty with the Cardinals. He was optioned to Louisville on April 27 and returned to St. Louis on July 8. He remained with the Cardinals until traded to Chicago.
In his White Sox debut on August 1, LaPoint no-hit the Brewers in Milwaukee for six innings before yielding a seventh-inning leadoff single to Steve Kiefer. He did not finish the game but earned the win. He earned his second Sox win on August 17 over Boston, allowing just six hits and one earned run in seven innings.
His first Chicago loss came in his next start, at Texas on August 22. His final loss of the year came on September 7 at Minnesota, when he lasted just three batters and was forced to leave the game after being struck on his pitching hand by a hard Kirby Puckett grounder. Puckett eventually came around to score the go-ahead run to give LaPoint the loss.
On September 14 against Minnesota, LaPoint narrowly missed a complete game and allowed just two earned runs on four hits in 8.2 innings, with the two earned runs coming after he left the game.
LaPoint fired back-to-back complete-game victories in his final two starts. The first was a career best 2-hit shutout at Oakland on September 27, the third shutout of his career and first since his May 1985 shutout with San Francisco. He followed that with a complete game in a 17-1 Sox win over Oakland on October 3 at Comiskey Park.
He was 4-1 in September/October with a 1.51 ERA. He finished 6-3 with the Sox with a 2.94 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts).
Dave began the 1988 season with the Chicago White Sox and had a record of 10-11 with a 3.40 ERA (61 ER, 161.1 IP) in 25 starts for Chicago. He was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 13 for pitcher Barry Jones. He posted a 4-2 record and a 2.77 ERA (16 ER, 52 IP) in eight starts with the Pirates. Overall with both clubs, LaPoint was 14-13 with a 3.25 ERA (77 ER, 213.1 IP).
He got off to a fast start with Chicago, posting a 3-1 record with a 0.94 ERA in five starts in April. LaPoint opened the season with a 2-1 win on April 7 against California, recording seven strikeouts in 8.1 innings. He was credited with the win on a combined 5-hit shutout with Bill Long in a 4-0 victory at Seattle on April 18, going seven scoreless innings and giving up four hits. In his last start that month, on April 28 against Boston, Dave notched his fourth career shutout, throwing a 4-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Red Sox- his only shutout and only complete game with Chicago in 1988.
Dave pitched eight scoreless innings at Cleveland on May 19, allowing just six hits, but received a no-decision in the Indians' eventual 1-0 victory on a Greg Swindell 2-hit shutout. At that point, he was 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA. From May 24 through June 14, however, he lost each of his next five starts, with a 5.59 ERA. Included in that streak was his worst performance of the year, on June 3 against Texas, lasting just 1.2 innings (his shortest outing of the season), giving up four runs (all earned) and being charged with the White Sox' 9-3 loss.
He broke that streak with a win on June 19 at Milwaukee, pitching seven scoreless innings and giving up three hits with a season high eight strikeouts to combine with Jeff Bittiger on a 3-hit 5-0 shutout. He duplicated that performance on July 10 at Boston, again pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing three hits to gain credit for Chicago's 4-1 win. LaPoint finished his tenure with the White Sox by winning his last three starts, from August 2-12, going 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA. He pitched at least six innings in 21 of his 25 starts with Chicago in 1988, including his first 11 starts.
LaPoint won his first four decisions with the Pirates, covering five starts from August 17-September 10, with a 1.19 ERA. By winning his last three games with the White Sox and his first four with the Pirates, with a 1.91 ERA in his eight games started in that span, he put together a seven-game winning streak from August 2 through September 10, the longest of his career.
Dave made his debut with the Pirates a winning one, going seven innings on August 17 against Atlanta and allowing three hits and one run (unearned) to gain credit for Pittsburgh's 2-1 victory. He followed that by pitching 7.2 scoreless innings on August 23 against Cincinnati, allowing just four hits, and was credited with the win on a combined 5-hit 2-0 shutout with Jim Gott. LaPoint finished that winning streak with his second complete game of the year (and first with the Pirates) on September 10 against Philadelphia, allowing one run (earned) on six hits in Pittsburgh's 5-1 victory. He went 0-2 in his final three starts of the season to finish with a 4-2 record and a 2.77 ERA with Pittsburgh. LaPoint pitched six or more innings in six of the eight starts he made for the Pirates. Covering his last 11 starts of 1988 (his last three with the White Sox and his eight with the Pirates), he was 7-2 with a 2.92 ERA.
Dave set career bests in 1988 with 14 wins (he won 12 games in 1983 and 1984 with the St. Louis Cardinals), 33 games started (he also started 33 with St. Louis in 1984), 213.1 innings pitched (surpassing his previous best of 206.2 innings pitched in 1985 as a member of the Giants) and a 3.25 ERA (bettering his previous low ERA of 3.42 set in 1982 with St. Louis). Dave pitched a shutout (April 28 against Boston) and combined on three others.
A native of Glens Falls, New York, Dave still makes his home there. He is a 1977 graduate of Glens Falls High School and was named New York State Pitcher of the Year as a senior. Dave also was named an all-conference defensive end and lettered in bowling."
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied for Midwest League lead in home runs allowed (20), 1978.
Pitched 4-0 no-hit victory against Reno (California League), July 25, 1979.
Tied for California League lead in shutouts (3) and complete games (11), 1979.
Tied for American Association lead in complete games (9), 1981.
Led National League in wild pitches (15), 1984.
-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide
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