Other 1988 Yankee Profiles

PAT CLEMENTS
"When he was good, he was really good and when he was bad ... So went Pat Clements' 1987 campaign. There was seemingly no middle ground in his first year with the Yankees after being acquired in the Rhoden trade with Pittsburgh. It was an inconsistent year for Clements, who struggled with his mechanics.
He made the club after an impressive spring but was optioned to Columbus in May. When he returned to the Yankees in June he was unstoppable, giving up only one earned run in 11 appearances. But from July 11 to August 1 he gave up 13 runs in 10 innings and was again sent to Columbus. He was recalled eight days later and, despite struggling, finished the year with respectable totals.
Clements is a durable lefty who can pitch long or short relief, and could also be a starter. This durability, along with a wicked sinker, will give the 26-year-old a look in 1988."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Clements finished tied for 18th place in the American League with 55 appearances, all in relief, which also ranked third on the Yankees. He finished with a record of 3-3 with seven saves (80 IP, 91 H, 45 R, 44 ER, 30 BB, 36 K [1.51 WHIP]). His seven saves tied for 23rd place in the AL, was the third highest total on the Yankees, were a career high and in fact were two more than his career total heading into the 1987 season.
He had a season high of four walks in his first outing of the year on April 10 at Kansas City. His first win of the year came on April 19 against Kansas City, pitching a scoreless inning in a 1-0 Yankee win and giving up one hit in a combined 5-hit shutout with Tommy John (7 IP) and Dave Righetti, who pitched the ninth inning for the save. Clements matched his career high of four strikeouts on May 19 at Oakland, the third time in his career he struck out four batters in a game; in that contest, he pitched 5.2 innings, his longest outing of the season. He was optioned to the Columbus on May 23 after pitching 13 games for the Yankees.
He made two starts for the Clippers, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 14 innings pitched before he was recalled by the Yankees on June 5. From the time of his recall through June 28 he pitched 13.2 innings and gave up just one earned run in 11 appearances (0.66 ERA) with three saves. Included in that span was a streak of eight consecutive outings, covering 8.2 consecutive scoreless innings from June 12-28, when Pat did not allow a run, his longest such streak of the year, and he had only one walk in that span to go with five strikeouts.
Through July 8, in 29 games, Pat was 2-0 with four saves and a 2.50 ERA, but in his next eight outings, from July 11 (when he gave up his first home run of the season to Carlton Fisk at Yankee Stadium) through August 1, he allowed 13 earned runs in 10 innings pitched, going 0-2 with an 11.70 ERA. He was optioned back to Columbus on August 2 with an overall record with the Yanks at the time of 2-2 with four saves and a 4.35 ERA. Pat made two appearances for the Clippers (both in relief), pitching five innings and giving up one earned run without a decision, and was recalled from Columbus on August 10.
He made 18 outings for the Yankees after his recall, allowing 20 runs on 38 hits in 30.1 innings pitched for a 5.93 ERA and going 1-1 with three saves. In his final five appearances of the season, starting on September 22, he had a win, two saves, a loss and a no-decision.
Pat was 7-for-9 in save opportunities, with his two 'blown saves' coming on August 18 at Seattle and September 27 at Baltimore. He retired the first batter he faced with runners on base in 25 of 38 instances and retired the first batter he faced overall in 35 of his 55 appearances. He prevented 37 of the 62 runners he inherited from scoring.
He allowed just four home runs all season, including two solo shots in one game on September 1 at Oakland (Jose Canseco and Terry Steinbach). He had a batting average against by left-handed hitters of .179 (14-for-78) and .344 by right-handed hitters (77-for-224). His overall batting average against was .301 (91-for-302).
Pat was selected by the Angels in the fourth round of the June 1983 draft and began his career as a starter for Peoria (Class A), starting 14 of his 15 games with that club. In 1984 he adapted well to his new role as a reliever with Class AA Waterbury. Pat had a club high nine saves in 41 relief outings and gave up just two homers in 67 innings.
He opened the 1985 season, only his third as a pro, with the California Angels. He made the squad after coming to camp as a non-roster player, having spent 1984 with the Angels' Class AA Waterbury club. He made his major league debut on April 9 against Minnesota, retiring the only batter he faced, and his longest career outing came on May 26 when he worked 6.2 scoreless innings (two hits) in a win over Baltimore.
Pat was 5-0 with a 3.34 ERA in 41 relief appearances with the Angels before his contract was acquired by Pittsburgh on August 2 along with outfielder Mike Brown and pitcher Bob Kipper in exchange for pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland and outfielder George Hendrick. He was tied for 12th in innings pitched among AL relievers at the time of the deal, and only six AL relievers had more than his five wins; AL batters had hit .218 (47-for-216) against him. He won two against Boston and one each against Toronto, Baltimore and Detroit. Pat fanned four in 2.1 innings at Chicago on October 3 to tie his career high (he had four strikeouts against Boston on April 29 in six innings pitched when he recorded his first major league win).
He had one save with California (against Boston on July 5) and two with the Pirates (both against the Mets). He was 4-0 in Anaheim with one save and a 1.37 ERA (6 ER, 39.1 IP), and overall at home in '85 was 4-2 with two saves and a 1.92 ERA (12 ER, 56.1 IP).
Pat led the Pirates in games pitched (65) in 1986, ranking 12th in the National League, with all appearances coming in relief. He finished with a record of 0-4 with two saves and an ERA of 2.80, the lowest earned run average on the Pirate staff and had 31 strikeouts and 32 walks in 61 innings pitched.
He had scoreless streaks of 9.2 innings in 12 outings from April 22 to May 13 and of 10.1 innings in nine outings from May 23 to June 7. His two saves came on May 3, a 7-6 Pirate victory over San Diego, and on May 31, a 4-0 Pittsburgh win against Los Angeles.
Pat gave up just one home run in his 61 innings pitched (to Terry Kennedy at San Diego on July 9). He did not give up a run in his last 13 outings (11.2 IP) and gave up just two runs in his last 20 games (19.1 IP, 13 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, 0.93 ERA [1.12 WHIP]). Of the 53 hits he gave up in '86, just nine went for extra bases (eight doubles, one homer). He stranded 36 of the 49 runners he inherited.
He was acquired by the Yankees along with pitchers Rick Rhoden and Cecilio Guante from the Pittsburgh Pirates in November 1986 in exchange for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley.
A graduate of Pleasant Valley High School in Chino, California where he played baseball and basketball, Pat also played baseball for three seasons at UCLA. He was selected to the USA College All-Star team and was a psychology major.
Pat's hobbies are golf and tennis and his favorite spectator sport is volleyball. His favorite team growing up was the San Francisco Giants and his favorite player was Willie McCovey."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


CECILIO GUANTE
"The 1987 campaign looked very promising for Cecilio Guante, who came to the Yankees in a November 1986 trade with the Pirates. His tender right shoulder forced him on the disabled list twice and his season ended in early July.
The hard-throwing reliever had an excellent spring and started his first year in Pinstripes as the all-important setup man for Dave Righetti. Then came the injury after only 16 games, and the season was over before it really got started. In his brief stints with the team, the native of the Dominican Republic showed promise for 1988.
Guante prevented 15 of 20 runners he inherited from scoring while striking out an impressive 46 batters in only 44 innings. Project those numbers over an entire season, and you'll understand why the Yankees are expecting Cecilio Guante to make a contribution out of the bullpen."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Guante had an injury plagued year in 1987. He pitched in 16 games (all in relief) with the Yankees through May 24, posting a record of 3-2 with one save and a 4.24 ERA, but he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a tender right shoulder on May 29 (retroactive to May 25).
He was activated from the disabled list on June 9 and pitched in seven more games (all in relief), going 0-0 with no saves and a 6.64 ERA in those contests. Cecilio was again placed on the DL on July 17 with a strained right shoulder. He was again activated on September 14 but did not pitch again the rest of the season.
His last appearance of the year was on July 5 against Texas when he pitched 4.1 innings, his longest outing of the season. His one save of the year (in his one save opportunity) came on April 21 against Detroit. His wins came on April 14 against Cleveland and in back-to-back appearances, on May 8 against Minnesota and on May 12 against Chicago; those back-to-back victories marked the fifth time in his career he has won two games in a row. His two losses came on April 29 at Texas and on May 18 at Seattle. In between those two defeats he had a string of seven scoreless innings, covering six outings from May 2-15, when he went 2-0, giving up only one hit with eight strikeouts and five walks.
In his May 8 win against the Twins, Guante pitched two scoreless, hitless innings and recorded five strikeouts, his 1987 high and one shy of his single game career best. He also notched five strikeouts in his last appearance on July 5.
Guante finished with an overall record of 3-2 with one save and a 5.73 ERA in 23 games, all in relief, with 42 hits allowed, 20 walks and 46 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched while giving up eight home runs. He struck out 9.4 per 9.0 innings pitched and has now struck out 7.6 hitters per 9.0 innings pitched in his career (339 K in 339.2 IP). Cecilio's 23 appearances were his fewest since he pitched 10 games with the Pirates in his rookie season of 1982. All 224 of his career appearances have been in relief.
He had an overall batting average against of .247 (42-for-170). With a runner on base he retired the first batter he faced in nine of 14 appearances and overall he retired the first batter he faced in 16 of his 23 appearances. Guante prevented 15 of 20 runners he inherited from scoring.
Guante was acquired by the Yankees along with pitchers Rick Rhoden and Pat Clements from the Pittsburgh Pirates in November 1986 in exchange for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley. At the time of the trade, he ranked ninth on the all-time Pirates save list (20).
He appeared in 52 games for the Pirates in 1986 and finished with a record of 5-2, four saves and a 3.35 ERA. He finished second on the Pirates in appearances and saves, and his five wins represent his career high.
Guante struck out 63 batters in 78 innings pitched (7.3 per 9.0 IP). He had a batting average against of .225 (65-for-289) and gave up 11 home runs in his 78 innings pitched. He made one plate appearance, on April 18 at Chicago, and struck out; Cecilio has a career batting average of .061 (3-for-49) with no homers or RBIs.
He had a scoreless streak of 13.1 innings pitched from April 26 to May 18 and allowed just one run in 12 appearances (17.1 IP) from June 18 to July 17. His appearance on August 14 at Philadelphia was the 200th of his career. Cecilio struck out a season high five batters in his last 1986 appearance, August 15 at Philadelphia (first game), pitching three scoreless innings and receiving credit for the Pirates' 6-5 win. He was placed on the disabled list on August 25 after sustaining a sprained right wrist. He was activated on September 24 but did not pitch again.
Cecilio was originally signed by the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent on November 24, 1979. In 1980 he fanned 114 batters in 90 innings at Shelby, led the South Atlantic League in saves and was named to the league's all-star team in his first pro season.
He opened his second pro season in 1981 at the AA level with Buffalo and had a 0.64 ERA in 10 games to earn a promotion to AAA, where he worked 17 games in a starting role with Portland. Cecilio was recalled by the Pirates from Portland four times during the 1982 season. He made his major league debut on May 1, working 3.2 innings against Houston, and his longest outing was seven innings on July 4th (first game) against Montreal.
Cecilio opened the 1983 season at Hawaii but was recalled on May 26. He picked up his first major league save on June 22, working four scoreless innings against Chicago and finished second on the club in saves that year. His first major league win came on June 27 when he pitched seven scoreless innings in relief at St. Louis (and tied his longest career outing).
In 1984 he was plagued by injuries which limited him to 27 appearances, the last coming on July 2 at Los Angeles. He was placed on the disabled list on July 8 with a sore right shoulder, was activated on July 30 and optioned to Nashua (AA Eastern League) where he pitched just one game (3.0 IP) before being sidelined for good by shoulder problems (Cecilio was recalled by the Pirates on September 1 but didn't pitch). His longest outing was 6.2 innings pitched on June 22 (second game) against Philadelphia, giving up one run with no decision. He had 10.1 scoreless innings in nine games between May 15 and June 15.
In 1985 Cecilio established career highs in games (63), innings pitched (109.0) and strikeouts, fanning 92 in 109 innings pitched for a ratio of 7.6 per 9.0 innings. He led the staff in appearances and games finished (31), and made his 100th career appearance on May 17 against Cincinnati. Only eight of the 39 runners he inherited scored.
He did not allow a home run in a stretch of 69.2 innings between April 20 and July 31. Cecilio pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless relief (the longest outing of the year by a Pirate reliever) on July 11 to defeat San Francisco at Three Rivers Stadium, yielding just two hits and one walk while tying his career high with six strikeouts. His scoreless innings streak of 16.1 innings in eight games between August 28 and September 20 was the longest on the staff; he also put together scoreless innings streaks of 14 innings in six games from July 5-22, 13.1 innings in seven games from June 15-July 2 and 10.1 innings from May 19-31.
Cecilio played winter ball in his native Dominican Republic. His hobbies are music and playing cards."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JERRY ROYSTER
"A utility player is like a patch. You don't think about it until you have a hole somewhere. Jerry Royster came to the Yankees in an August 26 trade with the White Sox, to sew up a few holes. And with injuries plaguing several members of the team, Royster did just that.
The versatile veteran came to New York and appeared in 18 games, seeing action at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield. Royster had a total of 33 chances in those positions combined and committed only two errors. He was just as steady at the plate, hitting .357 (15-for-42) as a Yankee. Those numbers include some timely hitting, like going 2-for-5 as a pinch hitter with three RBI and two game-winning RBI.
Royster's patchwork will be counted on again in 1988."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Jerry was obtained by the Yankees along with infielder Mike Soper on August 26, 1987 from the White Sox in exchange for pitcher Ken Patterson and a minor league player to be named later (pitcher Jeff Pries was sent to Chicago on September 19 to complete the trade). At the time of the trade Jerry was hitting .240 (37-for-154) in 55 games for the White Sox, with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in.
He played four different positions in his first four games as a Yankee (shortstop on August 28, third base on August 29 (first game), second base on August 29 (second game) and left field on August 30). Jerry was used only as a third baseman and as a pinch hitter for the rest of the season. He committed four errors all season, two with the White Sox and two with the Yankees.
Royster had at least one base hit in his final five games of the season, September 27-October 4, including two hits in each of his last three games, going 8-for-15 (.533) in those five contests. He had two RBIs on September 28 against Boston and also scored a run in that game.
He appeared in 18 games with the Yankees and hit .357 (15-for-42) with four RBIs. He had two game winning RBIs for the Yankees, on September 2 against Oakland and on October 2 against Baltimore. He was 2-for-5 (.400) as a pinch hitter with the Yankees with three RBIs. After joining the Yankees, Jerry had five multiple hit games and had two stolen bases in three attempts. His combined total with both clubs was .265 (52-for-196) with seven homers and 27 RBIs. He was acquired by the White Sox when they signed him as a free agent in January of 1987 after spending his previous two seasons with the San Diego Padres.
Royster was originally signed by the Dodgers as a free agent on August 21, 1970, and in 1971 played 'A' ball at both Bakersfield and Daytona Beach in his first professional season. In 1972 he hit .257 with AA El Paso with a career best 18 home runs.
He batted .302 with Albuquerque in 1973 and drove in a career best 68 runs. He made his major league debut for Los Angeles on August 14 against Montreal, appeared in 10 games with the Dodgers and hit .211. Jerry played in 10 games with the Dodgers in 1974 and batted .275 with Albuquerque and hit 10 home runs.
In 1975 Jerry led the Pacific Coast League with both a .333 average and 33 stolen bases and was named as the PCL's Player of the Year. A late-season recall by the Dodgers for the third consecutive year, after five seasons at AAA Albuquerque, marked his last season of minor league ball and he has not been back in the minors since then. Jerry was acquired by the Atlanta Braves in November of 1975 along with Jimmy Wynn, Lee Lacy and Tom Paciorek in exchange for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodson.
1976 was his first full season in the majors. He batted .248 with the Braves in 149 games with five home runs and 45 RBIs and stole 24 bases in 37 attempts. Despite a .216 batting average in 1977, Jerry managed to hit six homers, the second highest single season total of his career. In 1978 he batted .259 and scored 67 runs (his second highest single season total) while stealing 27 bases in 44 attempts.
Jerry swiped a career high 35 bases in 44 attempts in 1979 and established single season highs in runs (103), hits (164) and RBIs (51). He hit .242 in 1980, with 22 stolen bases in 35 attempts, and in 1981 became the Braves' all-time stolen base leader. Jerry had his finest major league season in 1982- he hit a career-high .295 and helped the Braves win their first division flag since 1969.
He was used sparingly during the first four months of that season but was a catalyst during the Braves' stretch drive. He earned the regular left field job for much of the second half and hit .326 from July 29 through the end of the season with 30 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
Royster strung together a career-best 17-game hitting streak from August 4-27, the longest by a Brave in '82, and also had hitting streaks of 12 and eight games down the stretch. He enjoyed a pair of four-hit games in late September as the Braves fought off challengers en route to the West flag.
Mainly a reserve in 1983, Royster finished with a .235 batting average in 91 games. He had one five-game stretch in July when he drove in nine runs, including a pair of game-winners. He had the opportunity to be the regular third baseman late in the season when Bob Horner was felled with an injury but Royster suffered an ankle injury three days later that knocked him out for three weeks.
He ended his nine-year association with Atlanta with a disappointing year in 1984. He batted just .207 in 81 games, the fewest number of contests for Royster in a Brave uniform (other than the strike-shortened 1981 campaign). He started just 52 games and played four different positions.
In 1985 Jerry enjoyed a fine season in his first year with San Diego, platooning with Tim Flannery at second base. He batted .281, the second best mark of his major league career, and his 31 RBI in just 90 games was the third highest total of his career. Jerry batted .308 in May and .367 in June and also clubbed his first and only major league grand slam on June 21 off the Giants' Greg Minton. He started 49 games at second base, seven at third and four at shortstop and also played twice in the outfield.
Royster batted .257 in 118 games in 1986 and spent time in both the infield and outfield. His most duty came at third base (59 games) but he also played shortstop (24 games), second base (21 games) and in the outfield (seven games). He platooned at third base with Graig Nettles early in the season.
Primarily a utility player and a pinch hitter, Royster hit .250 as a pinch hitter (8-for-32) with five RBIs. Four of the five RBIs (including a game-winning RBI) came in his first six pinch-hitting appearances. He hit safely in five of his first 11 pinch-hitting at-bats (.455) through June 8. Jerry totaled 12 doubles, five homers and 26 RBIs in 257 at-bats and succeeded on three of eight stolen base attempts.
His longest hitting streak was a five-gamer at the start of the season (April 7-15) when he hit safely in seven of his first 17 at-bats (.353). He also enjoyed a stretch of four two-hit games (August 12-17) when he batted .400 (8-for-20) with a pair of homers. Four of his five home runs came in the span of July 28-August 26.
A native of Sacramento, CA, Jerry lettered in four sports at Sacramento High (baseball, football, basketball and track). He also attended Healds Business College in Sacramento.
Jerry is an avid golfer."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


SCOTT NIELSEN
"Never say never, and at age 29 Scott Nielsen isn't giving up his chances of staying in the major leagues. Nielsen was reacquired by the Yankees in a winter trade with the White Sox after he split 1987 with Chicago and their Triple-A club in Hawaii. He saw limited action for the Sox, but the Yankees know full well what he is capable of doing.
Nielsen had been in the New York organization since 1984 and made his major league debut with a win for the Yankees in July 1986. He made it two in a row in his next start, registering his first career complete game and first shutout. Nielsen finished at 4-4 with the Yanks in '86, leading the team in individual shutouts with two while tying for the lead with two complete game victories. In fact, three of Nielsen's seven major league wins have been complete game shutouts.
The right-hander, who can start or relieve, is looking to have that type of success for the whole season."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Scott was reacquired by the Yankees from the Chicago White Sox in November 1987, along with pitcher Rich Dotson, in exchange for Dan Pasqua, Mark Salas and Steve Rosenberg. He was originally acquired by the White Sox from the Yankees in January 1987 along with infielder Mike Soper in exchange for pitcher Pete Filson and infielder Randy Velarde. Scott split the 1987 season with the White Sox and the Hawaii Islanders, their AAA Pacific Coast League affiliate.
He started the season with Hawaii but had his contract purchased by the White Sox on June 4. At that point, he was 3-4 with the Islanders along with a 3.97 ERA in ten games (all starts), including three complete games, and had 28 walks and 30 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched.
Scott made his White Sox debut on June 5, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings of relief at California but was not involved in the decision in Chicago's 6-4 loss. He made his first start for the Sox in his next outing, June 12 at Minnesota (Game 2), going 4.2 innings and giving up six hits and six runs (all earned) and was charged with Chicago's 7-4 loss. After a loss in another start, June 22 at Seattle, Scott recorded his first White Sox win, pitching eight innings and giving up three earned runs on June 30 against Oakland and getting credit for Chicago's 12-3 victory.
He followed that with his third career shutout (and first as a member of the White Sox) in his next outing, July 5 at Cleveland, limiting the Indians to six hits in a 17-0 White Sox win as Chicago equaled the widest margin of victory in a shutout in the club's history. It was his only shutout and his only complete game of the season. Scott made one more start, July 10 at New York, giving up five runs in 1.1 innings and getting the loss in Chicago's 9-5 defeat, before being moved back to the bullpen.
Scott made his longest relief outing in his first appearance since his move to the pen on July 19 against Cleveland, pitching six innings and giving up two runs (earned), and was credited with the White Sox' 9-7 victory. He made an emergency start at Detroit on July 27 and pitched seven innings, giving up four earned runs, and was charged with Chicago's 4-1 loss. He was optioned back to Hawaii on August 7.
At that point, Scott was 3-4 in 11 games with the Sox (including six starts) with a 4.73 ERA (27 ER, 51.1 IP). He did not actually report to the Islanders and was recalled on August 10. He made one more start after his recall, August 11 against Detroit, and was tagged with Chicago's 9-6 loss, giving up seven earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched. After that, his final seven appearances of the season were all in relief and he did not get a win or a loss in those outings.
Scott recorded his first major league save on August 24 at Boston, retiring all three men he faced in the ninth inning with two inherited runners aboard to preserve Chicago's 6-3 win. He picked up his second career save in his next outing, August 26 at Boston, pitching the final 1.1 innings without giving up a run to save Chicago's 5-3 victory.
Overall with the Sox, he finished with a 3-5 record and a 6.24 ERA (46 ER, 66.1 IP) in 19 games (seven starts) with 23 strikeouts and 25 walks. As a starter, he was 2-5 with a 6.57 ERA (28 ER, 38.1 IP) while in his 12 games in relief he was 1-0 with two saves and a 5.79 ERA (18 ER, 28 IP).
Scott's 1986 season started with arm rehabilitation in 'A' ball and ended in the major leagues. He began the year at Ft. Lauderdale of the 'A' Florida State League to rehabilitate his arm following surgery in August 1985. If not for the surgery, he would have participated in the Yankees' major league spring training camp. Scott was 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in six games (five starts) at Ft. Lauderdale and owned a pair of complete games, assuring himself and the Yankees his arm was recovered from the surgery.
Assigned to AAA Columbus on May 6, Scott was 9-3 with a pair of complete games and a 2.96 ERA in 84.2 innings when his contract was purchased by the Yankees on July 4th. Prior to joining the Yanks, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week, June 23-29, and had a streak of six consecutive wins broken by his third loss just before heading to New York.
Scott made his major league debut as a starter at Texas on July 7 and was a 14-3 winner. He allowed three earned runs in seven innings in that initial start, yielding home runs to Oddibe McDowell and Pete Incaviglia while allowing nine hits and one walk. He struck out five, a figure he has yet to top in the major leagues.
He also won his next start, registering his first major league complete game and first shutout at Minnesota on July 12. He held the Twins to six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Scott had an ERA of 1.69 through his first two starts.
Scott lost his next three starts, allowing 19 runs (15 earned) in just 7.1 innings, and his ERA for those starts was 18.41. Optioned back to Columbus on July 30, he owned a 2-4 mark in seven starts back at Columbus with a 5.34 ERA. Scott returned to the Yankees on September 1 when major league rosters expanded. His final statistics at Columbus show an 11-7 record and 3.55 ERA.
He made four more starts and one more relief appearance with the Yanks. He defeated Toronto on September 30 and then blanked Boston at Fenway Park in the final game of the season on October 5. He walked two and struck out three and limited the eventual American League champions to just five hits in the 7-0 win.
He accounted for two of the three individual shutouts on the entire Yankee pitching staff in 1986 (Dennis Rasmussen had the other). His two complete game victories tied Rasmussen for the staff lead in that category.
Scott was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the June 1983 free agent draft. He made his professional debut that year at the age of 24 at Bellingham (WA) of the 'A' Northwest League. He was 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA with that Mariner farm team and earned a quick promotion to AA Chattanooga, where he compiled a 2-4 mark and 6.39 ERA in 13 games (nine starts).
He was traded from the Mariners organization to the Yankees organization on February 14, 1984 along with pitcher Eric Parent in exchange for infielder Larry Milbourne. Scott played at all three levels of the Yankee farm system in '84: he was 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA in four games (three starts) at Ft. Lauderdale; posted a 6-3 mark and 2.44 ERA in 10 starts at AA Nashville; and was 5-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) at AAA Columbus for a composite 13-8 mark for 1984.
Scott opened the 1985 season at AA Albany and was 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA in his first 11 starts. Bothered by pain in his pitching elbow, he stopped pitching in May in order to rest the sore arm. After an unsuccessful attempt at a comeback, Scott underwent surgery on August 23. The surgery consisted of the repositioning of the ulnar nerve and the removal of bone spurs in his right arm. He began rehabilitation just two weeks after the surgery with hopes of being ready for the start of the 1986 season.
Scott was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in Tacoma, Washington. A Mormon, he attended Brigham Young University. A spot starter and reliever for the Cougars' baseball team in his freshman and sophomore years, he opted to leave school and serve his Mormon mission during 1980 and '81.
He went to Buenos Aries, Argentina to assist the underprivileged. He returned to Brigham Young and completed his education and was not drafted until the spring of 1983 at the age of 24.
Scott finished his collegiate career with a 28-3 record and established a NCAA record with 26 consecutive wins. Current major leaguers Rick Aguilera, Wally Joyner and Cory Snyder were his BYU teammates.
An accounting major at BYU, Scott works for Price, Waterhouse during the off-season. His hobbies are fishing and golf and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Oakland A's, his favorite player was Catfish Hunter and his favorite ballpark is Fenway Park."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JOSE CRUZ
"'We've been looking for some lefty hitters who can come off the bench,' Billy Martin said at spring camp.
Enter Jose Cruz, a two-time National League All-Star who has hit .300 or better six times in his major league career. At the age of 40, Cruz may no longer be able to play every day, but the line driving lefty showed in camp that there is still plenty of pop left in his bat. The outfielder owns a .283 batting average and has over 1,000 RBI during his 16-plus years in the major leagues.
'From what I've seen, he's taken care of himself and can still swing the bat,' Martin said. 'We'll be in good shape now.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


PETE FILSON
"Pete began the 1987 season with the Columbus Clippers and was recalled by the Yankees on July 10. At that point he was 8-4 with a 4.44 ERA for the Clippers, appearing in 17 games (all starts).
He did not appear in a game with the Yankees and was optioned back to Columbus on July 16. He finished his season at Columbus with a record of 12-4 in 22 games (all starts) along with a 3.73 ERA and a shutout. His 12 wins ranked in a tie for third among International League pitchers.
Filson was recalled back to the Yankees on August 29 and made his first five Yankee appearances out of the bullpen, pitching 10 innings and giving up nine runs (seven earned) with no decisions or saves and a 6.30 ERA. He made his first start of the year on September 26 against Baltimore, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing five hits, with four walks and four strikeouts (both season highs), and received credit for the 2-0 combined shutout win (with Tim Stoddard and Dave Righetti). It was Pete's first win since September 28, 1985 when he was a member of the Minnesota Twins.
He made one other appearance, his second start of the year, on October 1 against Boston, going five innings and allowing only one run on six hits, and did not get a decision in the Yankees' 7-5 loss. Beginning on September 12, Pete pitched 13.1 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a run in the fifth inning of his October 1 start. In his two starts, he gave up just one run (earned) and 11 hits in 12 innings pitched (0.75 ERA) with six walks and six strikeouts [1.42 WHIP].
Filson was the Yankees' eighth round draft choice in June of 1979 and began his minor league career by winning his first 12 decisions. Pitching for Paintsville, he led the Appalachian League in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched and strikeouts, while tying for the league lead with a 1.000 winning percentage, and was named the left-hander on the league's all-star squad. Pete tossed a no-hitter to beat Kingsport 1-0 on August 7.
In 1980, Pete was 3-0 at Greensboro and 10-9 with Ft. Lauderdale. He pitched a no-hitter for Greensboro on April 25, blanking Gastonia 4-0. Named Yankee Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1981, he was 7-1 at Ft. Lauderdale and 10-2 with a 1.82 ERA at Nashville while tying for the Southern League lead in winning percentage (.833).
He began the 1982 season with the Yankees' AAA affiliate at Columbus but was acquired by the Twins along with infielder Larry Milbourne and pitcher John Pacella for pitcher Roger Erickson and catcher Butch Wynegar in May. Pete was 0-2 with an 8.76 ERA in five games (three starts) with the Twins. With Toledo, he was 8-10 and led the International League with 11 complete games.
Pete was disabled for much of the 1983 season with a posterior shoulder strain. His first big league save came on April 18 against Seattle and he recorded his first major league win with a strong 2.1 inning relief stint at California on May 15. He spent the final week of August with Toledo in the International League and then came back to make five strong starts for the Twins in September; Pete was 3-0 in those five starts. Until that point, 18 of his previous 21 appearances for the Twins had been out of the bullpen. His only loss of the year came in his one ineffective start, on June 8 at Kansas City.
In 48 relief appearances in 1984 he was 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA, and overall for the season posted a 6-5 mark with a 4.10 ERA in 55 games. Of the 44 runners he inherited, just 12 (27%) scored. Pete won his first three decisions of the season, his first full year in the majors, but dropped his last three after winning his sixth game in a start against Seattle on July 30. He struck out six batters in a hitless three innings against Toronto on August 26.
In 1985 Pete went 4-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 40 games (six starts) with the Twins. His best effort was a 7.2 inning, 3-hit relief stint to beat Toronto 8-2 on May 19. Five losses came in a stretch of six consecutive starts, May 25-June 24. Pete was 3-0, 2.43 in 34 relief outings and led the club's relievers by stranding 28 of 38 inherited runners (74%) over the season.
He began the 1986 season with the Minnesota Twins, where he was 0-0 in four games with a 5.68 ERA. He appeared in all four of those games in relief and pitched 6.1 innings, giving up 13 hits, four runs (all earned) and one home run with two walks and four strikeouts. His contract was assigned to the Buffalo Bisons, Chicago's AAA affiliate in the American Association, on April 30.
Filson posted a 14-3 record with six saves and a 2.26 ERA with the Bisons, leading the league in wins and ERA, and was named as the 1986 American Association Pitcher of the Year. He appeared in 36 games including 12 starts, pitched four complete games including a shutout, struck out 81 and walked 32 in 139 innings pitched. Pete joined the White Sox on September 2 in a waiver transaction.
He appeared in three games with Chicago, going 0-1, with a 6.17 ERA. His one decision came in his only big league start of '86, a 6-2 loss to Oakland on September 10. His other two outings were in relief. In 11.2 innings pitched with the White Sox, he gave up 14 hits, nine runs (eight earned) and four home runs with five walks and four strikeouts.
His longest outing of the year came on October 3 at Minnesota, when he went five innings in relief and gave up two runs on solo homers by Kirby Puckett and Greg Gagne. Pete was acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago White Sox in January 1987 along with infielder/outfielder Randy Velarde in exchange for pitcher Scott Nielsen and infielder Mike Soper.
Pete is a graduate of Ridley High School in Folsom, Pennsylvania. He attended Temple University, majoring in criminal justice, and pitched in the College World Series in 1977. He spent the winter prior to the 1987 season pitching for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League and was one of the circuit's ERA leaders.
Pete's hobbies are basketball and golf and his favorite entertainer is Dan Akroyd."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


MIKE KINNUNEN
"Kinnunen was signed by the Yankees to a Columbus (AAA) contract in November as a free agent after he was released by the Baltimore Orioles following the conclusion of the 1987 season. The Yankees are the sixth organization he has been with in the last seven seasons (the Orioles, Cardinals, Expos, Royals and Twins are the others).
He spent most of 1987 with Rochester, the AAA International League affiliate of the Orioles. With Rochester in 48 games (all in relief) Mike posted a 6-4 record with 16 saves and a 1.75 ERA. His 16 saves led the International League and he finished third in the league with 34 games finished. With 40 points he won the International League Rolaids Relief Man Award.
Mike did appear in 18 games during the season with the Orioles, all in relief, with a 4.95 ERA and did not have a decision or a save in those appearances (including four games finished). He has now worked 48 games in his major league career (all in relief) without gaining a decision.
He began the season at Rochester, but after appearing in only three games there was recalled to Baltimore on April 16. He made his first appearance with Baltimore on April 19 (Game 2) against Cleveland, pitching two-thirds of a scoreless inning. In his third appearance with the Orioles on April 25 at Milwaukee, he had his longest outing of the season, going 3.2 innings and giving up one run on three hits, and had a season high four strikeouts. He appeared in eight games with the Orioles, pitching 9.2 innings and giving up three runs (2.79 ERA) before being optioned back to Rochester on May 13.
Kinnunen remained in Rochester until he was recalled on July 7, and pitched that day against Chicago (0.1 IP, 1 ER) before being optioned back to Rochester on July 21. He remained at Rochester through the conclusion of their season, then was recalled to Baltimore for the final time on September 7. From that point until the conclusion of the season Mike appeared in nine games, pitching 10 innings and allowing eight earned runs (7.20 ERA).
He has enjoyed the most success in his career against the Yankees, allowing only five hits and two runs (one earned) in 9.2 innings over eight games.
Mike was selected by the Twins in the 10th round of the June 1979 free agent draft after his junior year at Washington State. He was 6-6 with a 4.12 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) and a 4.12 ERA with Orlando in his first season of professional ball.
He began the 1980 season in Toledo and was 2-2 with three saves and a 2.57 ERA in 15 relief appearances when he was recalled by the Twins in June and spent the rest of the season with the big league club. Mike made his major league debut in Detroit on June 12 and gave up a home run to Champ Summers. He was used exclusively in relief, his longest outing being three innings (twice), and was 0-0 with no saves and a 5.04 ERA in 21 outings for the Twins.
In his final season with the Twins organization in 1981, he was 4-4 with Toledo with four saves and a 5.50 ERA. Kinnunen was acquired by the Cardinals from the Twins in exchange for pitcher Jeff Little in October 1981. In 1982, he appeared in only 18 games at Arkansas (a Cardinal affiliate) but earned five saves and four wins and had the second lowest ERA on a club that led the Texas League in ERA. He was signed by the Expos organization on April 27, 1983 after he was released by the Cardinal organization on April 4.
In 38 games at Memphis (Expos) Mike tied for the club lead in saves (6) and was second on the staff in ERA (2.57). In 1984 at Indianapolis and Jacksonville (Expo farm teams) he was a combined 9-3 with four saves. He was acquired by the Royals from the Expos with outfielder Ken Baker in exchange for shortstop U.L. Washington in January of 1985.
In 1985 Mike pitched with Omaha, the Royals' AAA affiliate in the American Association, and was second on the club in appearances (53), saves (6) and games finished (25). On March 23, 1986 he was signed by the Orioles as a seven-year free agent.
He spent most of the '86 season with Rochester, where he was 1-3 with 10 saves and held opponents to a .216 batting average against. He did not allow a home run in 87.2 innings pitched and was second on the staff in appearances (47), saves (10) and games finished (24). Mike was recalled to Baltimore on September 14 and worked in his first game for the Orioles the next day at Yankee Stadium, his first big league appearance since October 4, 1980 with the Minnesota Twins. He had no decisions in nine appearances (all in relief) with the Orioles in '86 and posted a 6.43 ERA.
Mike attended Lincoln High School in Seattle where he pitched, played quarterback and was president of his senior class. He attended Washington State University for three years, compiling a 20-9 record and helping the Cougars to three straight Pac-8 Northern Division championships. In 1979 as a junior Mike was 9-3 and was the co-winner of the team's Most Valuable Pitcher Award.
He played for the United States team which finished second in the world amateur tournament in Italy in 1978. He was 3-0 in tourney play with a 0.45 ERA.
Nicknamed 'Kino,' Mike's hobby is fishing."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


STEVE SHIELDS
"Steve signed with the Yankees in November 1987 as a six-year minor league free agent. He spent 1987 with the Mariners organization, going 3-2 in 16 appearances with Triple-A Calgary and 2-0 in 20 appearances with Seattle.
He is a former starter who has been with four organizations."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Shields began the year with the Mariners, and in his first appearance of the season on April 9 at California pitched 2.1 innings of relief, giving up two hits and one earned run, and was credited with his first major league save in the Mariners' 7-2 win over the Angels. In his second appearance, on April 11 against Minnesota, he pitched 1.2 innings of relief with a season high three strikeouts before leaving the game after Kirby Puckett hit him in the face with a line drive. Steve was placed on the 21-day disabled list the following day with a fractured cheek bone.
He was activated from the DL on May 12 and made his first appearance following the injury the next day in a relief outing at Boston, getting the final out in the Mariners' 5-4 win to earn his second save of the year. Shields picked up his first win of the year in his next appearance, on May 16 against the Yankees, pitching three innings of relief, giving up two hits and one earned run, and was credited with the Mariners' 10-8 victory. He picked up his third save of the year on June 5 against Kansas City, pitching two scoreless innings to save the Mariners' 7-2 win.
Through his first ten outings with the Mariners, Steve was 1-0 with three saves and a 2.47 ERA (4 ER, 14.2 IP). While involved in no decisions in his next three outings, however, he gave up eight runs (earned) and 11 hits (including three homers) in three innings pitched, a 24.00 ERA to raise his overall ERA to 6.11. He was outrighted to Calgary on June 26.
Steve appeared in nine games with Calgary (all in relief), going 2-1 with a save and a 1.85 ERA (3 ER, 14.2 IP). He was recalled from Calgary on July 25 and picked up his second win of the season on August 2 at California, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings in Seattle's 5-4 win. He appeared in seven games with the Mariners following his recall and in those contests was 1-0 with no saves and a 7.31 ERA (10 ER, 12.1 IP). That left Steve with an overall record of 2-0 with Seattle along with two saves and a 6.60 ERA (22 IP, 30 IP) in 20 games, all in relief.
On August 18 he was outrighted back to Calgary, where he finished the '87 season. In his second stint at Calgary, he appeared in seven games (all in relief) with a 1-1 record with three saves and a 2.90 ERA (3 ER, 9.1 IP). Overall in his two stints with Calgary, he was 3-2 in 16 games (all in relief) with four saves and a 2.25 ERA (6 ER, 24 IP).
Shields spent six years in the Red Sox' farm system where he shifted between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He originally was Boston's 10th round selection in the 1977 June draft and posted a 1-6 record and a 4.11 ERA with Elmira in his first professional season. He went 3-3 with a 1.94 ERA for Winter Haven in 1978, and in 1979 ranked eighth in the Carolina League with a 3.02 ERA and was second in the league with 152 strikeouts, his single season professional high. In 1980 Steve was 5-6 with four saves in his first season at AA Bristol.
In 1981, his second season at Bristol, he was 5-14. At Bristol in 1982, he tossed an Eastern League leading 13 complete games and three shutouts. After going 4-12 in 1983 at Pawtucket, the AAA affiliate of the Red Sox, Steve was signed to a minor league contract by Atlanta as a six-year minor league free agent in October of that year.
Steve spent time in 1984 both as a starter and a reliever at the Braves' AAA Richmond affiliate and was second on the club in wins, appearances and strikeouts and was third in saves. He started the 1985 season at Richmond where, in his first seven games, he recorded four complete games, two shutouts and a 1.79 ERA. Steve was promoted to Atlanta on May 30.
He made his major league debut on June 1 in a start against Pittsburgh and received a no-decision in a 6-3 loss (4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). He won his first major league game on June 9 in his third start, a 10-3 victory over the Dodgers (6 IP, 3R), and received a no-decision on June 13 against Cincinnati, despite allowing one hit in eight innings in an eventual 11-inning 9-2 loss. Steve was 1-2 with a 4.47 ERA in 12 appearances (six starts) before being optioned to Richmond on July 10.
Steve finished the year at Richmond leading the International League with three shutouts, and his 2.64 ERA and eight complete games were second in the league. He was called up by the Braves in September and made seven more relief appearances.
He started the 1986 season at Richmond but was acquired by Kansas City on September 23 to complete the deal that sent Darryl Motley to Atlanta. At Richmond, he ranked second in the IL with a 2.59 ERA, the top mark among starters, and tied for the league lead in strikeouts with Richmond teammate Charlie Puleo by fanning 124 in 149.1 innings. Steve earned a September promotion to Atlanta, where he made six relief appearances without a decision before his trade to the Royals. He made three more appearances with Kansas City to finish the year. He then was acquired by the Mariners from the Royals in December of 1986 with pitcher Scott Bankhead and outfielder Mike Kingery in exchange for outfielder Danny Tartabull and pitcher Rick Luecken.
Steve graduated from Hokes Bluff (AL) High School where he lettered in baseball, basketball and football. He led the basketball team to three straight championships and was named All-America as a senior. He also pitched his American Legion team to the state title.
His hobbies are hunting, fishing and bowling, and his favorite spectator sports are college basketball and drag racing. Steve's favorite team growing up was the Atlanta Braves and his favorite player was Phil Niekro."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


BOB GEREN
"Geren began the 1987 season at AA Albany-Colonie and was hitting .219 (21-for-96) in 31 games with three home runs and 11 runs batted in when he was promoted to AAA Columbus on May 29. He played in five games with the Clippers, hitting .150 (3-for-20) with a home run and three RBIs, before being outrighted back to Albany on June 12.
He finished the season with Albany, and in the 47 games he played there, following his return, batted .222 (26-for-117) with eight home runs and 20 RBIs. Overall in his two stints with Albany, Bob hit a combined .221 (47-for-213) with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs; his 11 homers ranked second on the club, and his five game-winning RBIs ranked fourth. He led all Eastern League catchers in fielding with a .994 percentage (two errors in 358 chances).
He signed with the Yankees in November of 1985 as a six-year minor league free agent. In 1986 he batted .254 at Columbus, with seven homers and 25 RBIs, and .148 [in 11 games] at Albany-Colonie.
Geren was selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round (24th choice overall) in the regular phase of the June 1979 free agent draft. That choice was awarded to the Padres as compensation for the Los Angeles Dodgers' signing of [free agent] Derrel Thomas. In his first professional season, Bob hit .172 in 54 games at Walla Walla.
He split his time in 1980 between Reno (where he hit .287 in 48 games with four homers and 23 RBIs) and Walla Walla (where he hit .254 in 51 games). Geren was acquired by the Cardinals organization in December 1980 along with pitchers Rollie Fingers and Bob Shirley and catcher Gene Tenace for catchers Terry Kennedy and Steve Swisher, infielder Mike Phillips, and pitchers Al Olmstead, John Urrea, Kim Seaman and John Littlefield. Geren hit .222 in 64 games at St. Petersburg in 1981.
In 1982, his second consecutive season at St. Petersburgh, he batted .244 in 110 games. He led Florida State League catchers in games (96) and assists (72). Bob spent the entire 1983 season at Springfield, where he tied for third in the Midwest League in home runs with 24, his professional high. He batted .265 and set another personal pro best with 73 runs batted in. Bob led Midwest League catchers in total chances (939), putouts (826) and assists (102).
He spent most of 1984 at Arkansas, batting .247 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs, and in 15 games at Louisville hit .175. In 1985, Bob's final year as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, he hit .225 at Arkansas, where he spent most of the season, and in five games at Louisville batted .357."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JEFF MORONKO
"Moronko signed with the Yankees as a six-year minor league free agent in November of 1986. In 1987 he was not a member of the Yankees' 40-man roster at the start of spring training and reported directly to the club's minor league camp. He began the season with the Columbus Clippers.
The Yankees purchased his contract from Columbus on July 2 when Bobby Meacham was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right ankle. At that point, in 65 games with Columbus, Jeff was hitting .264 (60-for-227) with 39 runs, 14 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 48 runs batted in. He made his Yankee debut on July 3 against Texas (Game 1) at Yankee Stadium, playing shortstop and going 1-for-1, hitting a single (his only base hit as a Yankee) off Paul Kilgus. Jeff followed that by going 0-for-10 in his next five games with the Yankees and was optioned to Columbus on July 15. At that point, in his six games with the Yankees, he was hitting .091 (1-for-11) with two strikeouts.
Moronko did not report to Columbus and was recalled on July 16, the day after Willie Randolph was placed on the 21-day disabled list with torn cartilage in his left knee. He made one appearance after his recall, in right field on July 19 at Texas, without batting. In his seven games with the Yankees, he played four different positions (shortstop, left field, third base and right field). He was optioned back to Columbus on July 22 when Juan Bonilla's contract was purchased and finished the season with the Clippers.
In his second tour at Columbus, Jeff batted .208 (25-for-120) in 35 games with two home runs and eight RBIs. Overall in his two stints with Columbus, he hit a combined .245 (85-for-347) in 100 games with 13 home runs (fourth on the club) and 56 RBIs (fifth on the club). Jeff saw most of his action with the Clippers at third base (78 games), but also played four games at shortstop and 12 games in the outfield. He was named as the third baseman on the postseason International League All-Star team.
Moronko was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the sixth round of the June 1980 free agent draft. In his first pro season, he hit .242 in 63 games at Batavia, and in 1981 batted .256 at Chattanooga with six homers and 51 RBIs. In 1982, his second season at Chattanooga, he hit .253 with five homers and 50 RBIs. Jeff batted .269 in 124 games with the AA Buffalo Bisons in 1983 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs.
In 1984 Jeff was Buffalo's offensive leader and was named to both the Topps AA All-Star team and the Eastern League All-Star squad. He ranked second in the league in RBIs (95) and total bases (224), third in doubles (30), fourth in batting average (.314), tied for fourth with 147 hits and was fifth in runs scored (84); all those figures represent career highs. Jeff also hit 13 home runs.
He earned a promotion to the Indians on September 1 and appeared in seven games with the Tribe, batting .157 (3-for-19) with a run scored, a double and three RBIs along with three walks and five strikeouts. Moronko made his major league debut on September 1, starting against Boston. He collected his first major league hit the following day, also against Boston, and recorded his first major league RBI on September 7 against Oakland, driving in two runs with a double. Of his 19 at-bats against Cleveland, 14 came against lefties.
Moronko began the 1985 season with Maine, he AAA affiliate of the Indians, and in six games batted .250 (6-for-24). He was traded to the Texas Rangers organization on April 29 to complete the deal of April 4 that sent Kevin Buckley to Cleveland. After the trade, he played 63 games at Tulsa (where he hit .262 with nine homers and 36 RBIs) and 54 games at the Rangers' AAA Oklahoma City affiliate (where he hit .247 with five homers and 17 RBIs). Playing for Oklahoma City in 1986, Jeff batted .280 in 120 games with seven home runs and 44 RBIs.
Jeff attended Texas Wesleyan and San Jacinto Junior College and was a member of the U.S.A. All-Star team in 1980. He graduated from Pasadena (TX) High School in 1978, where he played basketball and football and was an All-State safety on the gridiron. Jeff did not play high school baseball but played Little League, Pony League, and American Legion ball as a youngster."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


DALE MOHORCIC
"Got off to a rousing start only to have illness contribute to a late-season slide. Mohorcic led Texas with 16 saves, the third highest single-season total in club history, and was third in the league with 74 appearances, the most ever by a Texas right-hander. He allowed a run in only 23 of 74 appearances and permitted only 30 of 82 inherited baserunners to score. He made 38 appearances from May 12 to July 29, going 5-1 with 12 saves and a 1.61 ERA.
Mohorcic earned saves in 15 of his first 17 chances but converted just one in his final six attempts beginning on July 29. He was disabled from August 12-27 with gastrointestinal bleeding.
Born in Cleveland, he was signed as a free agent to an Oklahoma City (AAA) contract in March 1985. He spent eight and a half seasons in the minors before making his major league debut."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1988 Edition


DR. STUART J. HERSHON (Team Physician)
"Dr. Stuart J. Hershon is in his first season as the Yankees team doctor. He is an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with St. Lukes-Roosevelt and North Shore Hospitals. He is a graduate of Harvard University and New York Medical College."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Dr. Stuart J. Hershon begins his first year as the Yankees team physician. He is an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with St. Lukes-Roosevelt and North Shore Hospitals, and previously was the team physician for Nassau Community College. He is a graduate of Harvard University and New York Medical College."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


GENE MONAHAN (Trainer)
"Gene Monahan is in his 17th season as the Yankees trainer. He has spent 26 years in professional baseball and is a certified member of NATA."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"A certified member of NATA (National Athletic Trainers Association) and a member of PBATS (Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society), serving as chairman of the grants and scholarships committee, Gene has 26 years of service in professional baseball. He started in 1962 at Ft. Lauderdale and is entering his 17th year at the helm of the Yankee training duties.
Gene served as American League trainer at two All-Star Games (1977 at Yankee Stadium and 1986 at Houston's Astrodome). All three of his previous assistants during his Yankee tenure advanced to head training positions in the major leagues."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


STEVE DONOHUE (Assistant Trainer)
"Steve Donohue is in his third year as the Yankees assistant trainer. He has been in the Yankees organization since 1979. Steve graduated from the University of Louisville."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"A certified member of NATA and a certified member of New York State EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians), Steve is in his third season as the Yankees' assistant trainer. He has been a member of the Yankees organization since 1979, working at West Haven (1979), Nashville (1980-81) and Columbus (1982-85).
Steve was also assistant trainer for the New York Jets (1974-78) and assistant trainer for the University of Louisville's NCAA Championship basketball team in 1980."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JEFF MANGOLD (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
"Jeff Mangold is in his fifth year as the Yankees strength and conditioning coach. He supervises in-season and off-season weight and conditioning programs."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Jeff Mangold is entering his fifth year as the Yankees strength and conditioning coach, supervising the team's daily weight training program. He previously spent three years each as assistant strength coach at the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


NICK PRIORE (Clubhouse Manager)
"Nick Priore has worked in the Yankees clubhouse for over 22 years. He was Pete Sheehy's assistant."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


BOB FLEMING (Assistant Clubhouse Manager)
"Bob Fleming is in his third year as the Yankees clubhouse man. He works closely with Nick Priore."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


LOU CUCUZZA (Visitors Clubhouse Manager)
"Lou Cucuzza is in his 13th season of hosting the visiting teams at Yankee Stadium."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


LOU CUCUZZA, JR. (Assistant Visitors Clubhouse Manager)
"Lou Cucuzza, Jr. has assisted his father in the Yankee Stadium visitors clubhouse since 1976."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


STEVE GREGORY (Umpires' Room Attendant)
"Steve Gregory is in charge of the umpires locker room for the tenth season."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


BOB SHEPPARD (Public Address Announcer)
"Bob Sheppard has been the public address Voice of the Yankees [since 1951]. He also teaches speech at St. John's University."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


EDDIE LAYTON (Stadium Organist)
"Eddie Layton is the Yankee Stadium organist and has recorded more than 25 albums. He also records commercials, and plays at Radio City and other New York entertainment centers."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


JIM OGLE (Yankees Alumni Association)
"Jim Ogle heads the Yankees Alumni Association and coordinates Old Timers' Day. He was a New York sportswriter for more than 20 years."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


MARSH SAMUEL (Spring Training Coordinator)
"Marsh Samuel is the Yankees Spring Training Coordinator. He began his baseball career as a publicist with the 1946 White Sox, and also developed the first press guide."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


BOB ADAMENKO (Yankees Photographer)
"Bob Adamenko has been the Yankees Photographer since 1984. He also photographs many other New York sporting events."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


JIM TURNER (Yankees Photographer)
"Jim Turner is in his second year as a Yankee photographer. He works alongside Bob Adamenko."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


STEVE CRANDALL (Yankees Photographer)
"Steve Crandall is in his second season as a Yankee photographer. He assists Bob Adamenko."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook


MIKE FENNELL (Bullpen Catcher)
"Mike Fennell, the Yankees' bullpen catcher, is in his second season in that capacity. He was a catcher in the Yankees organization from 1983-85 and then served as bullpen catcher at Albany in 1985 and at Columbus in 1986."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JOHN COOK (Statistics)
"John Cook is in his first season charting the Yankee defense and will be in charge of the Yankees' baseball computer statistics. Cook was a catcher from 1979-83 at the University of South Florida."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide


JEFF SADLER (Video Coordinator)
"Jeff Sadler is in his first season coordinating the Yankees' video tape operations. Sadler played at Florida Southern College from 1979-81, served as a coach at Palm Beach Junior College for three years and the University of Florida for two years, and was the bullpen catcher at Columbus last season."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide

1988 Profile: Neil Allen

"Neil started the 1987 season with the Chicago White Sox, but was released on August 29. He was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on September 4, marking his second stint with the club (he pitched in 17 games with the Yankees during the 1985 season before being traded to the White Sox in February 1986). In 15 games (10 starts) with the Sox in '87 Neil was 0-7 with no saves and a 7.07 ERA.
He made three appearances with the Sox at the start of the season, but after lasting just 0.1 inning on April 18 in a start at Detroit, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 21 (retroactive to April 19) with a muscle imbalance in his right arm. He began a 20-day rehabilitation program on May 6 at Daytona Beach of the 'A' Florida State League, starting four games and posting an 0-1 record with a 2.00 ERA (18 IP, 17 H, 7 BB, 17 K [1.33 WHIP]).
Neil was activated by the White Sox on May 26. He then made four appearances before pulling a hamstring in a start on June 16 at Seattle and was placed on the 15-day DL on June 17. He was moved to the 21-day DL on July 9, then was activated on July 20.
His longest outing as a starter for the White Sox came on August 4 against Toronto when he pitched seven innings and gave up nine hits (including two homers to Fred McGriff) and four runs (all earned) and was charged with Chicago's 4-1 loss. Neil made his first appearance of 1987 with the Yankees on September 6 against California and pitched 5.1 scoreless, giving up four hits with a walk and two strikeouts, but got no decision in the Yanks' 3-1 loss. Over his first four appearances with the Yankees (all in relief), he pitched 11 innings, allowing only one unearned run on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts [0.64 WHIP].
Neil's next appearance, September 18 at Toronto, was his only start of the year as a Yankee. He allowed four runs (all earned) on eight hits (including a two-run homer to Willie Upshaw) with two walks and four strikeouts and was charged with the Yankees' 6-3 loss, his only decision with New York in '87. Neil made three relief appearances after that, giving up seven runs (six earned) in 8.2 innings pitched (6.23 ERA) along with a home run, a three-run blast by Robin Yount on September 22 at Milwaukee (Game 2). Included in that span was his last outing on September 30 against Boston, when he pitched 5.2 innings (his longest outing since rejoining the Yankees) and gave up just one unearned run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts [0.71 WHIP].
Overall with the Yankees Neil was 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA in his eight games (24.2 IP, 23 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 16 K [1.34 WHIP]). For the season with both the Yankees and White Sox combined, he was 0-8 with a 5.93 ERA in 23 games (11 starts) covering 74.1 innings pitched, giving up 52 runs (49 earned) on 97 hits with 36 walks and 42 strikeouts [1.79 WHIP]. Neil has gone 25 games (two in 1986 and 23 in 1987), including 13 starts (two in 1986 and 11 in 1987), since his last win, a 2-hit 8-0 shutout over the Yankees on July 20, 1986 at Yankee Stadium, posting a record of 0-9 (0-1 in '86 and 0-8 last year) since then.
Neil was acquired by the White Sox from the Yankees on February 13, 1986 along with catcher Scott Bradley and minor league outfielder Glen Braxton in exchange for catcher Ron Hassey and minor leaguers Matt Smith, Matt Winters and Chris Alvarez. His fine 1986 season was cut short in late July with an arm injury (torn muscle fibers in his right tricep), though he returned in the season's final week to make one start. Neil topped Sox starters in winning percentage at .778 (7-2).
He spent the first month of the year in the bullpen, worked only 5.1 innings in four appearances and did not join the starting rotation until May 4. He struggled in the early going out of the bullpen, allowing eight earned runs in just 3.2 innings in his last two relief outings before becoming a starter. He allowed just three earned runs in 21.1 frames in his first three starts. Neil made just one more relief appearance after becoming a starter (May 26 at Texas) and did not suffer his first loss until dropping a 4-3 game at Anaheim on July 2.
Neil had one win and four no-decisions in his five starts but then proceeded to win six of his next nine outings. The last two of those six successes were back-to-back shutouts over Baltimore (July 13 in Chicago) and New York (July 20 at Yankee Stadium). He did notch his first complete game until blanking the Orioles just prior to the All-Star break. The shutout at New York was a 2-hitter, Neil's best career effort; he didn't walk or strike out a batter in that 8-0 conquest of the Yankees.
His scoreless innings streak reached 21.2 before being snapped at Baltimore on July 25. That was the night Neil suffered the tricep injury, leaving the game after warming up for the seventh inning.
In 1986 Neil allowed just eight homers in 113 innings, the second best ratio on on the staff behind Gene Nelson (seven in 114.2 innings). He finished the campaign with a 3.82 ERA, 3.31 as a starter.
Neil split his 1985 season between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Yankees. He opened the campaign in St. Louis and appeared in 23 games for the Cardinals. All but one of those outings came in relief. He owned a 1-4 record and a pair of saves in 29 innings of work, then was dealt to the Yankees on July 17 for cash considerations and a player to be named later. Neil had a record of 1-0 with a save and a 2.76 ERA in 17 relief appearances with the Yankees, with the win coming on September 30 against Baltimore and the save coming on August 23 at Seattle.
One of 34 players to have appeared with both the Mets and Yankees, Neil is a product of the Mets organization. In his first pro season in 1976 he posted a 2-0 record at Marion and a 4-2 mark at Wausau. In 1977, he led the Carolina League in strikeouts with 126 while pitching for Lynchburg, and his winning percentage of .833 (10-2) was also the league's best. He tied for the league lead with 11 complete games and was runner-up in ERA with a 2.79 mark.
Neil led the Texas League in ERA in 1978 with a 2.10 mark in his last season of minor league ball. He was selected to pitch in the Texas League All-Star Game that season.
He made his major league debut on April 15, 1979 at Shea Stadium against Philadelphia. He saw action in 50 games as a rookie with the Mets and posted a 6-10 record.
Neil gained his first major league victory on May 12 against the Cardinals in relief. On the disabled list from May 31-June 25, he moved to the bullpen full time on his return and excelled the rest of the season. Earning the nod as the Mets' closer, he made 38 appearances and had a 5-5 record with eight saves and a 2.06 ERA out of the bullpen. Neil's first save was on July 28, 1979 against the Cubs in New York.
In 1980, Neil established himself as one of the league's top firemen. He saved 22 games, fourth in the league, and did not permit a run in 37 of his 59 appearances. On six occasions he pitched three or more scoreless innings of relief. He was named National League Player of the Week for June 30-July 6.
Neil was third in the NL in saves in 1981 with 18 and played a part in 25 of the Mets' 41 victories in the strike-shortened season with seven wins added to the saves. He began the post-strike portion of the season with a streak of 14 scoreless innings over eight appearances while recording a pair of wins and six saves, thus earning NL Player of the Week honors for August 17-23.
In 1982, he was sixth in the NL in saves despite having his season drastically curtailed by illness and injury. He appeared in only five games after August 1; his problems included a bacterial infection of the colon and an elbow strain. Neil was one of the National League's premier relief pitchers from 1980-82, earning 59 saves in those three years.
Neil split his 1983 season between the Mets and the Cardinals. He struggled with the Mets early in the year and was shuffled between the bullpen and starting rotation. Neil was traded from the Mets to the Cardinals with pitcher Rick Ownbey on June 15 in exchange for first baseman Keith Hernandez.
The trade to St. Louis sparked him to a 5-1 start as a member of the Redbirds' rotation. Neil posted a pair of back-to-back shutouts (July 19 over San Diego and July 24 over Los Angeles), yielding only nine hits in the two games, and was named NL Player of the Week for July 18-24. He had a streak of 22 straight scoreless innings when the Expos finally scored on him on July 29. Neil then lost four straight to even his record and was moved back to the bullpen. Used primarily as the setup man for Bruce Sutter in 1984, he made 56 relief appearances and one start and owned a 9-6 record with three saves.
Neil earned varsity letters in baseball, football and basketball at Bishop Ward High School in his hometown of Kansas City, Kansas and garnered All-America honors in football as a quarterback. He was offered college football scholarships by all schools in the Big Eight Conference but opted for professional baseball instead."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide

1988 Profile: Bobby Meacham

"He's been the lost man since starting 155 games at shortstop in 1985, but based on his performance last year Bobby Meacham earned a strong look in 1988.
Meacham started 1987 in Columbus where he learned to play second base, and then spent the first half of July on the DL with a sprained right ankle. From that point on, Meacham went on a tear. After changing from a switch-hitter to a strict right-hander, he finished the year with an impressive .271 average and showed new found power with a career high five homers. Even more importantly, Meacham committed only 10 miscues in 77 games with New York, where he played both short and second. If he continues at that rate, Bobby Meacham will be a force to be reckoned with in 1988.
'I'm a better player now than I ever was,' Meacham says, 'and I just want to continue to reach my potential.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Meacham began the 1987 season with the Columbus Clippers and had his contract purchased on May 28. At that point, in 40 games with the Clippers, he was hitting .273 with three homers and 22 RBIs and was 10-for-17 in stolen base attempts. Bobby committed just four errors in those 40 games. A switch-hitter in 1986, he batted only right-handed with the Yankees in 1987.
He hurt his right ankle on July 1 at Toronto attempting to retreat to first base, and as a result was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 2 with a sprained right ankle; in 12 games with the Yankees he was hitting .238 (5-for-21). He was activated from DL on July 17, and from that point until the end of the season batted .275 (50-for-182) in 65 games. Bobby had gone 1,096 at-bats with just three career home runs before hitting his first of 1987 on August 1 against Detroit off Mark Thurmond, the first of five homers he would hit over his last 157 at-bats. He hit a leadoff home run on August 18 at Seattle off Dennis Powell.
Beginning on September 12 Meacham started the Yankees' last 22 games at shortstop, and in those contests batted .338 (23-for-68) with seven doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs while raising his average from .237 to .271. He committed just three errors in that span and had 15 consecutive errorless games from September 14 through September 29.
Bobby had a six-game hitting streak from September 15-20, his longest of the season, hitting .444 (8-for-18) with a double, a home run and three RBIs. He had two doubles on September 28 against Boston and had two stolen bases on October 1 against Boston.
He finished the season with a .271 batting average (55-for-203), his best average as a Yankee, along with a career high five home runs as well as 21 RBIs, and committed just 10 errors in 77 games. Bobby had two game-winning RBIs, on May 31 against Oakland and on September 13 at Toronto, and had 11 multi-hit games, including two three-hit games. He was successful on 10 of 13 stolen base attempts.
Meacham played 56 games at shortstop and had fielding percentage of .961 (eight errors in 205 chances). He played 25 games at second base and had a fielding percentage of .908 (two errors in 99 chances). Overall at both positions had a fielding percentage of .967 (10 errors in 304 chances).
He was the top draft pick of St. Louis Cardinals in 1981, playing two seasons at Class A before his trade to the Yankees. Meacham was named South Atlantic League All-Star shortstop in 1981 and Florida State League All-Star shortstop in 1982.
Bobby began the 1983 season at Columbus and was brought up to the Yankees on June 29 when Willie Randolph was disabled. He played shortstop as a defensive replacement on June 30 at Yankee Stadium against Baltimore in his major league debut. He was sent back to Columbus on July 12 and recalled to the Yankees on July 16, but returned to Columbus later the same day when the Yankees purchased Larry Milbourne from Philadelphia. Bobby was recalled from Columbus on August 19 when Andre Robertson was disabled and returned to Columbus on August 20 when Bert Campaneris was activated off the disabled list. He was recalled to the Yankees on September 2, had his first major league at-bat on September 3 at Seattle and had his first major league hit and RBI at Cleveland on September 18.
In 1984 he appeared in 96 games at shortstop after being called up from Columbus on June 15 and hit .253 with two home runs and 25 RBIs. Bobby began the season with the Yankees but was optioned to Nashville on April 7, and on April 17 was moved up to Columbus before his subsequent promotion to the Yankees. He began playing shortstop regularly on June 16 and had a four-hit game on July 7 at Minnesota. His batting average peaked at .288 on August 4, coinciding with the completion of a seven-game hitting streak, his career high.
Bobby played 155 games at shortstop in 1985, most by a Yankee since Bucky Dent played 157 in 1977. His .963 fielding percentage was seventh best among AL shortstops with at least 100 games, and he was fourth among shortstops in games and double plays (103). He set new career highs for hits (105), RBIs (47) and stolen bases (25).
He had two career high three-RBI games, May 26 at Oakland and August 21 at California, and went 4-for-4 on April 13 at Cleveland and on May 26 at Oakland. He was hitting .273 through May 29 when he suffered a slight hamstring pull, missed the next three games and went 2-for-44 from June 2-16, dropping his average to .222. He suffered a dislocated tendon in his left hand on July 28 at Texas, a condition corrected with postseason surgery. The injury hampered his left-handed swing, forcing him to bat right-handed against righty pitchers on occasion.
Meacham's only home run came on August 23- a solo shot off California's Ron Romanick. He hit a would-be homer on April 29 at Texas off Frank Tanana, but passed Willie Randolph near first base and was called out, yet both Randolph and Butch Wynegar scored.
1986 was a disappointing year for Meacham. He began the season as the club's starting shortstop and hit .133 (2-for-15) in the season's first six games. He followed that with a five-game hitting streak from April 15-20, his longest of the season, batting .368 (7-for-19) in that span. Meacham had three RBIs (including his only game winning RBI of the season) on April 25 against Cleveland, tying his single game career high in RBIs. He finished April hitting .286 (18-for-63) with just three errors in 20 games.
Bobby went 20 games (from April 20 through May 12) without committing an error and matched his season high with another five-game hitting streak from May 14-18, hitting .412 (7-for-17) in those games. He batted .193 (16-for-83) for the month of May and was 2-for-22 (.091) over 10 games from May 28 through June 11 with five errors.
He was optioned to Columbus on June 14. At the time of his option he was hitting .222 (35-for-158) with 10 RBIs and 12 errors in 53 games. Bobby had started 49 of the team's 60 games before being optioned. He played 46 games at Columbus and hit .140 (21-for-150) with 11 RBIs and 12 errors.
Bobby was recalled by New York on September 1 and made three appearances after that, including a start at shortstop in the season finale on October 5 at Boston. He finished the season hitting .224 (36-for-161) and a .948 fielding percentage (12 errors in 231 total chances).
He had eight multiple hit games, including two three-hit games- April 19 at Milwaukee and May 18 at Seattle- and had a triple on May 25 at home off California's Kirk McCaskill. He batted .160 (8-for-50) with runners in scoring position. He batted .250 (29-for-116) against righties and .156 (7-for-45) against lefties, and batted .247 (21-for-85) with seven RBIs at home and .197 (15-for-76) with three RBIs on the road.
Meacham graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA in 1978. He was All-Orange County and All-State in baseball and All-League in basketball and football. Bobby attended San Diego State for three years, majoring in business finance, and was named an All-American in baseball. He was signed to his first pro contract by Marty Keough (Cardinals).
His hobbies include reading the Bible, music, golf and his family, and his favorite spectator sport is basketball. His favorite team growing up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, his player was Maury Wills and his favorite ballpark is Comiskey Park. His favorite entertainers are Stevie Wonder and Steve Oederkerk."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide

1988 Profile: Wayne Tolleson

"At 5-9 and 160 pounds, Wayne Tolleson is a little guy with big aspirations.
Tolleson came to the Yankees in July 1986, a hopeful solution to their shortstop problems. He got off to a fast start in Pinstripes that year, and began the 1987 campaign as the team's starting shortstop. But the troubles that have seemingly haunted the Yankees in that position for the past [half] decade continued. Hitting as high as .270 in late May and playing stellar defense, Tolleson looked to be the cure at shortstop until suffering an injury to his right shoulder. He struggled through the second half of the season, including a 15-day stint on the DL, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder last December.
Tolleson has now recovered and is looking forward to this season. In the past he has played shortstop, second and third for the Yankees, and the little guy is again looking to help the club in a big way in 1988."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Tolleson got off to a fast start in 1987, hitting .361 (22-for-61) on April 26 after his first 18 games, and as late as May 8 was hitting .300 (27-for-90) after his 27th game. He was still hitting as high as .270 (40-for-148) on May 27 after 44 games. Wayne slumped after that, hitting just .184 (37-for-201) in 77 games for the rest of the season, and finished with a .221 batting average (77-for-349) for the year.
He hit safely in seven of his first eight games of the season, going 13-for-29 (.448) with two doubles and nine runs scored, and hit three doubles in a five-game span from April 12-15, accounting for three of the four doubles he hit all season. Wayne hit his only home run (a solo shot) off Mike Morgan at Seattle on May 15 and had a six-game hitting streak from May 20-27, batting .364 (8-for-22) during that span with an RBI in each of the last five games of that streak.
He had just five extra base hits all season (the homer and four doubles), with the last extra base hit coming on May 27 followed by 204 at-bats without an extra base hit. He had three RBIs on June 26 against Boston, matching his single-game career high; he did not, however, have an RBI after July 20, covering 53 at-bats in his final 30 games (20 games with a plate appearance). Wayne scored three runs on June 29 at Toronto and was ejected from a game on June 30 at Toronto.
Wayne had 15 multi-hit games, including three three-hit games in '87: April 8 at Detroit, June 27 against Boston and July 1 at Toronto. He had four game-winning RBIs in '87: May 15 at Seattle (his homer off Morgan), May 23 at California, June 26 against Boston and July 1 at Toronto.
He was suffering from a sore right shoulder during the second half of the season and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 20 (retroactive to August 19) because of that injury; at that point he was hitting .224 in 112 games. Wayne was activated from the DL on September 4 and went 1-for-10 in the nine games he played after his activation. He had only one hit (September 7 at Boston) in his final 27 at-bats (.037), beginning with his last at-bat on August 5, and his last plate appearance came on September 11 at Toronto.
Tolleson was consistent from both sides of the plate: batting right-handed he hit .218 (24-for-110) with five RBIs, while batting left-handed he hit .222 (53-for-239) with 17 RBIs. He was successful in five out of eight stolen base attempts.
He played 119 games at shortstop and had a fielding percentage of .970, committing only 15 errors in 498 chances, and was eighth in fielding among American League shortstops playing 100 or more games. Tolleson went 21 games, June 8-30, without committing an error. He made three appearances at third base, including one start on July 1 at Toronto.
Tolleson underwent arthroscopic surgery on December 9 to repair frayed rotator cuff muscles in his right shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews of the Alabama Sports Medicine Clinic in Birmingham.
In 1986 Tolleson was acquired by the Yankees from the White Sox on July 29 along with Ron Kittle and Joel Skinner in exchange for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez and a player to be named later.
In 81 games with the Sox before the trade, he was hitting .250 (65-for-260) with three home runs and 29 RBIs. After going hitless in his first game of the year, he put together a 10-game hitting streak from April 9-19, including two hits apiece in each of the last five games of that steak, batting .395 (15-for-38) in that span with nine RBIs. Tolleson matched his single game career high with three RBIs on April 14 at Detroit. He hit his first home run of the season on April 29 against Baltimore off Scott McGregor, and victimized McGregor again on May 12 at Baltimore for his second homer. He put together another 10-game hitting streak from May 7-17, batting .385 (15-for-39), and hit his third and final homer of the season on June 1 at Toronto off Jimmy Key.
Wayne slumped in June, hitting only .172 (10-for-58) in the month. He hit .224 (32-for-143) lefty and .282 (33-for-117) righty with Chicago. He started 70 games with the White Sox, 60 at third base and 10 at shortstop.
He hit safely in his first nine games as a Yankee, from July 30-August 7, batting .485 (16-for-33) in that span. Wayne tied his single game career high with four hits (4-for-5) on August 2 at Cleveland and scored three runs the following game, August 3 at Cleveland, notching his first and only game winning RBI as a Yankee in '86. Through August 23, after 22 games as a Yankee, he was hitting .338 (27-for-80). Over his next 17 games, from August 24 through September 11, he hit just .143 (8-for-56), dropping his average to .257, his low as a Yankee.
From that point, beginning on September 12, he hit safely in 16 of his final 21 games, batting .329 (26-for-79) in that span with eight runs, four doubles and eight RBIs to finish with a .284 (61-for-215) average as a Yankee in 60 games. In those games he hit .283 (36-for-127) lefty and .284 (25-for-88) righty.
Wayne tied his single-game career high with four hits (4-for-4) on September 13 at Boston, and in the following game, September 14 at Boston, he collected three RBIs. He had 19 multiple hit games, including his two four-hit contests.
Overall in his combined total of 141 games, he hit .265 (126-for-475) with three homers and 43 RBIs. He batted .252 (68-for-270) lefty and .283 (58-for-205) righty. With the Yankees he stole four bases in eight attempts, and for the year was 17-for-27 in stolen base attempts. After joining the Yankees, he played in all but one of the club's remaining 61 games and started 59 times, including 53 starts at shortstop, five at third base and one at second base.
Wayne committed eight errors in 81 games with the White Sox and six errors in 60 games with the Yankees. He went 17 straight games, from August 5 through August 24, without an error and committed just two errors in 35 games from August 5 through September 13. For the season Wayne's overall fielding percentage was .971; with the White Sox it was .960 and with the Yankees it was .979.
In 72 games at third base for Chicago and New York, his fielding percentage was .954. In 74 games at shortstop with those two clubs, his fielding percentage was .981, ranking him fourth among American League shortstops with 10 or more games. Tolleson was the sixth Yankee to start a game at shortstop in 1986.
Tolleson hit .269 at Asheville in his first season of pro ball in 1978, and in 1979 batted .234 for Tulsa in his first year in the AA Texas League. In 1980 he was second in the Texas League with 46 steals (his pro career high) and was named to the league's all-star team. Wayne became a switch-hitter that year.
He hit .261 in 107 games at Wichita in 1981 and made his major league debut in September. Wayne had a fine spring training in 1982 and opened the season with the Rangers. He played sparingly and was optioned to Denver on April 26, then was recalled by Texas on July 23 and went 0-for-23 in his first 12 games.
Wayne started the 1983 season as a utility infielder but became the starting second baseman in late April when a knee injury sidelined Mike Richardt. He was hitting .288 through July 24 but batted just .211 in his last 53 games. He had hitting streaks of 15 and 12 games. Wayne recorded his first major league triple and his first major league home run in the same game - June 11 at Minnesota. He was second on the club with 33 steals and was successful on all eight of his third base steal attempts.
He started the 1984 season well, hitting .297 (22-for-74) in his first 21 games through April 28, but batted just .189 over his final 97 games and slipped to .132 in his last 30 contests, beginning on July 22. Wayne led the Rangers with 22 steals and had two thefts in a game four times. He was successful on 84.6 of his 26 steal attempts, the second best ratio in the AL (20 or more attempts) behind Willie Wilson's 90.3 percent. He also had a .979 fielding percentage (10 errors in 477 total chances) in 109 games at second base.
In his final season with the Rangers in 1985, Wayne topped all Texas regulars with his .313 batting average, the first .300-plus season of his professional career. After hitting .213 in 1984, his 100-point batting average improvement was the most in the major leagues. He finished fifth in the American League among all hitters with 200 or more official trips to the plate.
Wayne hit .333 from the left side in 231 at-bats. He hit .354 at Arlington Stadium and .262 on the road. His best month was April (.385) and his worst month was September/October (.250). Wayne had a 10-game hitting streak, August 30 through September 10, and also had a nine-game streak in late May and early June.
Six of his 18 RBIs were game winners. He tied the Texas club record with two triples in one game, August 11 against Baltimore.
Tolleson appeared in 123 games, 81 at shortstop, 29 at second base and 12 at third base. He was obtained by the White Sox along with Dave Schmidt from the Texas Rangers in November 1985 in exchange for Scott Fletcher, Edwin Correa and Jose Mota.
Born, raised and still residing in Spartanburg, South Carolina, he starred in basketball and football at Spartanburg High and was a prep teammate of NFL quarterback Steve Fuller. Tolleson played baseball and football for four seasons at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. He was named All-America as a wide receiver and led the NCAA in pass receptions as a senior, graduating from Western Carolina in 1978."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide

1988 Profile: Mike Pagliarulo

"Emphasis is always on improvement with this guy, and he continued to do that. Pagliarulo set career highs with 32 home runs, 87 RBI and a team-leading 12 game winning RBI. He matched the record for the second highest home run total by a Yankee third baseman, behind Graig Nettles' 37 in 1977.
Pagliarulo hit only four of his homers against left-handers. Though he is improving against southpaws, he still has some bad at-bats against them and is a very aggressive player who sometimes get himself in trouble that way. Mike appeared to tire late in the season for the second straight year and did not homer in his last 20 games.
Born in Medford, Mass., the Yankees selected him in the sixth round of the June 1981 draft. His father Charles was an infielder in the Cubs organization in 1958."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1988 Edition

"Quietly, without much fanfare, Mike Pagliarulo is developing into one of the finest third basemen in all of baseball. With a blue-collar work ethic, this determined professional is best known for his 'get dirty' style of play. In 1987, only his third full season with the Yankees, he improved his power stats for the third straight year while providing consistent and sometimes spectacular defense at the hot corner.
Often considered the next coming of third bagger Graig Nettles, Pags doesn't want to be compared to anyone and has set out to establish his own place in Yankee history. His 32 home runs and 87 RBI were both career highs, with his homer total matching Nettles for the second highest single season total hit by a Yankee third baseman (surpassed only by Nettles' 37 in 1977). Pags also led the team with 12 game-winning RBI and showed marked improvement against left-handers, including four homers off southpaws. His only disappointment was a .234 average which, with the way he works, will improve.
'I always say my goal is to get better,' he says. 'I've always improved in the past.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"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 career highs.
His 32 home runs matched Graig Nettles for the second highest single season total hit by a Yankee third baseman (Nettles hit 32 homers in 1976 to lead the American League in that category), surpassed only by Nettles' club record of 37 home runs by a third baseman, set in 1977. Coupled with his 28 home runs last year, 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. Pagliarulo also led the team with 12 game-winning RBIs, which also set a new career high in that category.
He batted .234 (122-for-522) in 150 games with 26 doubles, three triples and 76 runs scored. In addition to career highs in homers, RBIs and game winning RBIs, he also established career highs in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles and slugging percentage (.479). Mike 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 five RBIs in that contest established a 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), and now has three career grand slams. His four RBIs in that game was one of three four-RBI games he had last year in addition to his one five-RBI game, with the other two coming on June 3 against California and June 15 against Baltimore. Mike had four two-homer games: the May 8 game against Minnesota, on May 12 against Chicago (solo homers off Bill Long and Bob James), August 5 at Cleveland (solo homers off Phil Niekro) and August 20 at Seattle (solo homers off Mike Campbell), and now has seven career two-homer games. He hit home runs in back-to-back games five times: June 2-3 against California, June 19-20 at Boston, July 7-8 against Minnesota, August 20 (the two homers at Seattle) and August 21 (at Oakland), and September 4-5 against California.
He had 36 multi-hit games in 1987, including two three-hit games: June 7 at Milwaukee and September 7 at Boston. Mike had two doubles in that September 7 game, one of two games in which he had two doubles (the other was on August 19 at Seattle). He hit two of his three triples on May 20 at Oakland.
Mike started the season slowly, batting just .194 (30-for-155) with six homers and 20 RBIs on May 30 after 44 games, but over his next 63 games, through August 11, he batted .285 (61-for-214) with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs to raise his overall average to .247 (91-for-369), 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. Included in that stretch was a seven-game hitting streak from July 10-20, Pagliarulo's longest hitting streak of the season (matching his career best), when he hit .391 (9-for-23) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and 10 runs scored. In the final game of that streak, July 20 at Minnesota, he scored thee runs, his 1987 single game high.
In six games from August 15-21, seven of his nine hits were for extra bases (five home runs and 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.
Against right-handers in 1987 Pagliarulo batted .236 (87-for-369) with 28 home runs and 67 RBIs. Against lefties he hit .230 (35-for-152) with four home runs and 20 RBIs. He was 0-for-8 as a pinch hitter with two strikeouts and batted .233 (28-for-120) with runners in scoring position. His one stolen base of the season came on June 3 against California.
He played 147 games at third base, the most by a Yankee since Nettles played 159 games at third in 1978. Pagliarulo had a fielding percentage of .959, committing only 17 errors in 410 chances, ranking fifth in the AL among third basemen playing 100 or more games. 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.
In the last month of the season Mike suffered a sore right elbow, which hampered his play, and 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.
Mike hit a home run off Milt Wilcox on May 29 at Seattle. The following night, May 30 at Oakland, he 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, becoming the only Yankee to hit homers in three straight contests in 1986.
He hit home runs in back-to-back games against the Orioles on June 7 (a three-run homer off Mike Boddicker) and June 8 (a two-run homer off Ken Dixon), and in the seven games from June 1 through June 8 hit .333 (8-for-24), with five of those eight hits home runs, and added nine RBIs. In 14 games from May 23 through June 8 he batted .367 (18-for-49) with nine home runs and 19 RBIs to raise his average from .185 to .241. Mike went the next 22 games, from June 9 through July 3, covering 89 at-bats, with just two home runs yet 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.
Mike hit solo home runs on consecutive days in Chicago on July 4th (off Richard Dotson) and July 5 (off Joe Cowley). On July 11 at Minnesota, he homered in the first of two consecutive games, a three-run blast, following that the next game with a solo homer. On July 18 against Chicago, he 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 an 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 (105-for-408) 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 (15-for-96) with no homers, three RBIs and 31 strikeouts.
He finished the season with a .238 batting average and 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 an 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.
Mike was signed in 1981 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 (15-for-91) with two home runs and 16 RBIs, then hit .263 (76-for-289) 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 at 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-hit 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.
Mike enjoys golf and going to Boston Celtics and Bruins games."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide

1988 Profile: Tommy John

"Developed into one of the biggest surprises of the season. The veteran was a mainstay on the Yankee staff with a team-leading 33 starts, and the Yankees won 23 of those starts. John left three games after not allowing a run through six innings, and his 13 victories were his most since he won 22 for the Yankees in 1980.
John ranks 24th on the all-time win list with 277. He notched his 46th shutout by two-hitting Detroit, 7-0, on August 8. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was signed by Cleveland as a free agent on June 12, 1961.
Said to have a bionic left arm, John's left elbow was reconstructed in 1974 using a tendon in his right forearm in an operation that was the first of its kind on an athlete. He rejoined the Yankees as a free agent on May 2, 1986."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1988 Edition

"A group of players was sitting in the Yankee clubhouse last year reading an article on Tommy John.
'What are they saying about the aging left-hander?' John asked, making fun of the references that the game was beyond him. In 1987 he had the last laugh. The number 65 he wore last spring signified his chances of making the club. But this was a man who came back from dramatic elbow surgery in the 1970s and is said to be pitching with a teenage arm. He looked like it last year.
John was wearing his customary 25 after spring training, and at age 44 became the Yankees' most durable pitcher. He led the team in starts (33), innings pitched (187 2/3) and was second in wins (13-6). It was his most impressive year in all these categories in nearly five seasons, giving his veteran of 24 major league seasons new hopes for a strong 1988.
'You have to accept the fact that you are physically less than you were when you were 22 or 23,' he admits, 'but I also know I can pitch a whole better now than I did then.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"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 (21 ER, 56.2 IP), and through June 15 Tommy's record was 7-2 with a 3.23 ERA (25 ER, 69.2 IP) 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; it was T.J.'s first complete game as a Yankee since August 30, 1986 at Seattle. Through July 30 (20 games), he was 10-3 with a 3.87 ERA (50 ER, 116.1 IP).
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 '87 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 (29 ER, 55 IP) 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.
With the retirement of Phil Niekro and Pete Rose, Tommy is the game's oldest active player, turning 45 in May. He is playing in his 25th major league season, tying the record set by Hall of Fame second baseman Eddie Collins (1906-30) and pitcher Jim Kaat (1959-83). Tommy now has been to 27 spring training camps, first attending camp with Cleveland in 1962.
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 in 33 games 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 '83. His 63 strikeouts were his most since '83, and his 47 walks were the fewest he's allowed in a season of at least 150 innings pitched since allowing 39 in 1982.
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 disabled list, 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.
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, 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 NL 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 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 AL 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, 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 [in the AL] 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, that day 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 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 in Terre Haute, 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 10 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 24 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."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide