1989 Profile: Alvaro Espinoza

"Espinoza was signed as a free agent by the Houston Astros on October 30, 1978, and hit .219 for Sarasota in 1979. In 1980, he hit .215 for Sarasota and led Gulf Coast League shortstops in assists (217), double plays (33) and total chances (356). He was released by Houston in September 1980 and was out of baseball in 1981.

In March 1982  Alvaro was scouted and signed by Hank Izquierdo of the Minnesota Twins organization as a free agent and that year hit .266 at Wisconsin Rapids. He had a career best .319 batting average in 1983  over 130 games with Visalia. He led California League shortstops in total chances (630).

At Toledo in 1984, Alvaro walked three times in 368 plate appearances, a ratio of once every 122.7 plate appearances. He tied for the International League in sacrifice hits with 16.

Playing 82 games at Toledo in 1985, Alvaro also played 32 games with the Twins, getting his first major league hit on August 13 against Oakland, a single off Tommy John. In 1986, he hit .214 in 37 games with the Twins and .281 at Toledo. He led International League shortstops with 159 putouts.

Alvaro played a full season at AAA Portland in 1987 and hit .275 over 91 games. He was granted free agency in October. Recommended by Yankee scout Don Lindeberg and signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira, Alvaro was signed by the Yankees as a six-year minor league free agent in November 1987. He hit .246 at Columbus in 1988, appearing in 119 games. He spent eight days with the Yankees (August 3-11) when Willie Randolph pulled a rib cage muscle and went 0-for-3 in three games.

He went to high school in Valencia, Venezuela where he played baseball and basketball. He played Little League in Valencia."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Joel Skinner

"Joel began the 1988 season slowly, hitting .098 (4-for-41) in his first 25 games. In his next game, he started an eight-game hitting streak, May 22 through May 30, a new career best, and batted .375 (12-for-32) during that span to raise his average to .219. In the fourth game of that streak, May 25 at California, Joel hit a two-run homer off Dan Petry, his first homer of the season and his first since May 24, 1987, going 104 at-bats in between. In the final game of the streak, May 30 at Oakland, he went 4-for-6, Joel's first career four-hit game.
From May 15 through June 21, he made 32 consecutive starts while Don Slaught was on the disabled list, hitting .243. He hit his second home run on June 4 at Baltimore, a solo shot off Mike Boddicker. Starting with that game, Joel hit safely in nine of ten games from June 4-14, going 12-for-36 (.333) with three doubles (including two on June 7 against Boston), a home run and four RBIs to raise his average from .190 to .233, his highest average of the season.
His one game-winning RBI of the season came on June 30. Joel hit his third homer of the season on July 19 against Texas, a solo blast off Charlie Hough. His double on August 26 at California broke a 0-for-25 streak that began on July 24 at Kansas City, an interval of ten games in which he batted without a base hit.
Beginning with that August 26 game through the end of the season, Joel batted .349 (15-for-43) in his final 18 games to lift his average from .202 to .227. On August 27 at California, he went 3-for-4, his second game of the year with three or more hits. He hit his fourth home run of the year on September 12 at Cleveland, a solo clout off Brad Havens. The Yankees were 39-33 in games Joel started at catcher.
On August 2 at Milwaukee he entered the game as a defensive replacement in left field, the first major league outfield appearance of his career, and made one other outfield appearance, his first ever in right field, as a defensive replacement on October 2. On September 4 at Oakland, he made his first career appearance at first base, making his next appearance there on September 7 at Cleveland.
Joel caught 10 of 31 runners attempting to steal (32%), with one passed ball. He threw out two runners attempting to steal in the same game twice, on May 28 at Seattle and on September 21 against Baltimore. He ranked seventh among American League catchers in fielding percentage (.990), committing four errors in 415 total chances.
In 1987 Joel hit the first grand slam of his career, off Steve Carlton on April 14 against Cleveland, and his four RBIs in that game matched his single game career high. He also had the game-winning RBI in that contest, one of his two game-winning RBIs of the season (the other came on August 15 against Cleveland). Joel hit two other home runs in 1987: a solo homer off Scott Bankhead on May 16 at Seattle and another solo shot off Urbano Lugo on May 24 at California.
Joel got off to a slow start in '87. After his first 15 games, on April 25, he was hitting only .098 (4-for-41) with four RBIs, all coming on the grand slam off Carlton. He had a four-game hitting streak from May 1-4, hitting .333 (5-for-15) with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. He was optioned to the Clippers on June 10; he was hitting .137 (14-for-102) with three home runs and 10 RBIs to go along with 33 strikeouts in 39 games with New York. In 49 games with the Clippers he batted .242 six home runs and 27 RBIs.
The Yankees purchased his contract on August 10 and he hit .135 (5-for-37) with four RBIs and 13 strikeouts in 22 games from that point to the end of the season. Joel finished the year with an overall batting average of .137 with the Yankees (19-for-139) in 64 games, with three homers, 14 RBIs and 46 strikeouts, yet batted .208 with runners in scoring position. He was ejected from one game, April 13 against Cleveland (the home opener at Yankee Stadium) after bumping first base umpire John Hirschbeck in the second inning. He was 0-for-1 in his only pinch-hitting appearance on August 28 against Seattle.
Defensively, Joel committed four errors in 254 total chances for a .984 fielding percentage and had just one passed ball. He caught 12 of 46 runners attempting to steal (26%) and on April 20 against Detroit was 2-for-2 throwing out runners attempting to steal (Pat Sheridan and Darrell Evans).
Joel began 1986 with the Chicago White Sox but was acquired by the Yankees along with Ron Kittle and Wayne Tolleson on July 29 in exchange for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez and a player to be named later (Bill Lindsey was traded to Chicago in December of 1986 to complete the deal). At the time of the trade he was hitting .201 in 60 games with the Sox with four homers and 20 RBIs (including a game winning RBI). He hit two of those four home runs off the Yankees: a three-run homer on July 18 at Yankee Stadium off Joe Niekro, and a two-run homer on July 19 at Yankee Stadium off Scott Nielsen. He also had two other hits in that July 19 contest, his first career three-hit game.
His one stolen base in '86 came on April 16 against Detroit. Joel set a new career high with a five-game hitting game streak from May 25 through June 5. In four games from July 13-19 he was 5-for-13 (.385) with three home runs and eight RBIs.
After joining the Yankees, he played in 54 of the club's remaining 61 games (including 52 as the starting catcher) and batted .259 with a homer and 17 RBIs. His one home run as a Yankee came on August 15 at Kansas City, a solo shot off Scott Bankhead.
Joel started slowly with the Yankees, hitting .133 (6-for-45) through August 19 after 15 games with the club, then matched his career high with a five-game hitting streak from August 20-25, going 8-for-16 (.500) in those games to lift his average to .230. After going 0-for-13 in his next five games to drop his average to .189 on September 1, he hit .315 with 13 RBIs in his last 29 games, including another five-game hitting streak from September 24-29 to raise his average to his final .259 mark as a Yankee.
He set a personal single game career high on September 9 at California with four RBIs. Joel had 10 multiple-hit games with the Yankees, including three games of three hits (September 16 against Baltimore, September 28 against Detroit and September 29 against Toronto). Overall for the season he batted .232 with five homers and 37 RBIs.
With the White Sox he was successful throwing out 10 of 34 runners (29.4%) attempting to steal. With the Yankees he caught 11 of 31 attempted steals (35.5%), giving him a total of 21 runners caught stealing in 65 attempts (32.2%) for the year. Joel was 2-for-2 (Ken Gerhart, John Shelby) throwing out runners attempting to steal on September 17 against Baltimore.
He had a combined fielding average of .984 with four passed balls; in his 54 games with the Yankees it was .980 with three passed balls. Joel caught a combined total of 114 games, the sixth highest total in the American League.
The son of former major league manager and player Bob Skinner, Joel was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 36th round of the free agent draft on June 5, 1979. In 1980 Joel hit seven home runs with 27 RBIs in 100 games with 'A' Shelby, and in 1981 was the All-Star catcher with Greenwood in the South Atlantic League.
He originally joined the White Sox organization in February 1982 when Chicago selected him over some 2,000 other professional players in the first compensation draft. The draft choice came from the Phillies' signing of Chicago free agent reliever Ed Farmer in January 1982. Farmer was a type 'A' free agent, giving Chicago the chance to pick the promising catcher from the Pittsburgh organization. That year Joel was chosen the top major league prospect in the Eastern League while playing for 'AA' Glens Falls and was also the Eastern League All-Star catcher.
His contract was purchased by the White Sox on June 12, 1983 when Carlton Fisk suffered a sore shoulder. Joel made his major league debut the same day and went 2-for-4 at the plate. He was returned to 'AAA' Denver on June 15 and [recalled by] Chicago in mid-September, appearing in six games altogether with the Sox. He was voted the top major league prospect in the American Association and hit .260 for the A.A. champion Bears.
Joel appeared in 43 games for the Sox in 1984 during three separate stints with the parent club, traveling between Chicago and Denver. His Chicago tours were May 23-June 10, June 13-July 19 and September 5 through the end of the season. Shortly after his final return to Denver, Joel suffered a fractured wrist diving back to first base that healed in time for him to play with the Sox in September.
He hit .284 at Denver in '84, his best batting average to date as a professional, along with 10 home runs. Joel was named to the American Association All-Star team, his third all-star selection in a row, and was also voted the A.A.'s best defensive catcher and the catcher with the best throwing arm.
Joel made a pair of stops in Chicago in 1985 but spent most of the season at 'AAA' Buffalo of the American Association. First recalled on July 27 when Sox backup catcher Marc Hill was hurting with a bad hip, Joel appeared in three games in that stay and hit safely in all three (4-for-8, .500, two doubles, two RBIs). Returned to Buffalo on August 4, he was recalled again on September 1 and finished the season with the Sox. He hit safely in eight of the 14 games in which he recorded an official at-bat and finished with a .341 average with a homer and five RBIs. The homer, the first of his major league career, came on September 18 in Chicago off California's Don Sutton. Joel batted .240 in 115 games at Buffalo, with 12 homers matching his professional single season career high.
Joel played baseball at Mission Bay (CA) High School. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds and his favorite player was Johnny Bench. Joel's favorite stadium is Anaheim Stadium his favorite spectator sport is hockey and golf is his hobby. His favorite entertainers are John Wayne, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Rafael Santana

"Remember the days when, before the start of each season, one of the main topics of concern for the Yankees was the shortstop position? As the 1989 season approached there was no talk no talk of shortstop, nor about the person who would play it. This is in itself is a testimony to the job Rafael Santana has done for his team.
Former Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph played with over 30 partners in the middle infield, and the position never really was filled after the departure of Bucky Dent in 1982. Getting this veteran of nearly five seasons with the Mets has been worth the effort. Santana, much like Dent, is consistent, not flashy. His role is to make the routine play to get the job done. 'I know what I'm capable of doing,' he says. 'I may not be a Tony Fernandez or Cal Ripken, but I have confidence in my ability.'
A World Series winner in 1986 and a participant in several pennant races, Santana had the experience he needed last year to overcome both a slow start and a nagging elbow injury. This native of the Dominican Republic is again ready to be a stabilizing force in a pennant race."

-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook

"On Opening Day of 1988, April 5 against Minnesota, Santana became the 35th (of 36)players to play for both the Yankees and the Mets. He began his Yankee career by grounding into a triple play, third-to-second-to-first, off Tippy Martinez with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. It was the first triple play turned against the Yankees since Kansas City's on May 3, 1985.
Santana committed an error on [an attempted] double play in the first inning on April 11 at Toronto that led to six runs for the Blue Jays (four unearned) in Toronto's eventual 17-9 win. He hit his first home run as a Yankee on April 18 at Minnesota, a solo shot off Steve Carlton. He tied his single-game career high with three RBIs on May 10 against Chicago.
He was hitting .197 through May 13, his 27th game, before raising his average over .200 for good the following day. Rafael had a six-game hitting streak, June 12-18, going 11-for-22 to raise his batting average from .213 to .249. Included in that span was a 4-for-5 game at Boston (including a three-run homer off Bob Stanley) with four RBIs, Rafael's first career four-RBI game and his second career four-hit game. Two days later he went 3-for-4 against Boston.
Rafael put together a seven-game hitting streak, July 4-14, his longest of the year, going 8-for-24 (.333). He had three RBIs on July 27 against Milwaukee, hitting a three-run homer off Odell Jones. He started 54 consecutive games from May 21 to July 22 and started 33 straight games from July 24 through August 27.
All in all, Santana made 147 starts at shortstop, his 148 games played ranking third on the Yankees. His total of 148 games at short was the fourth highest by a Yankee shortstop since 1952 (Bucky Dent, 157 in 1977; Bobby Meacham, 155 in 1985; Jim Mason, 152 in 1974). He batted .263 on the road and .217 at home and had 24 multiple-hit games, including six three-hit games along with his four-hit game. Rafael had two game-winning RBIs, on May 23 at California and on September 26 at Baltimore (when his two-out single in the eighth inning drove in the tying and winning runs in the Yanks' 5-4 decision.
Rafael had a fielding percentage of .996 (10th among American League shortstops), committing 22 errors in 645 total chances, and led the Yankees with 421 assists. He committed three errors on August 27 at California but went 22 games, September 3-27, without committing an error.
Rafael has a two-year contract through 1989 season.
He was the Mets' starting shortstop from 1985 through 1987, and in '87 played 139 games while hitting .255 (112-for-439) with 41 runs scored, 21 doubles, five home runs and 44 RBIs. His home run, RBI and runs scored totals all represent career highs. His 44 RBIs fell five shy of the Mets club record for RBIs by a shortstop in a season (49 by Ed Bressoud in 1966) and his five home runs were two more than he hit in his first four major league seasons combined.
Rafael started the year 0-for-16 before getting a hit in his 17th at-bat, a single against Charlie Puleo of Atlanta on April 12. In an eight-game period from April 12-21, he went 10-for-29 (.345) to go from .000 to .238. He hit a three-run homer on April 21 off Pittsburgh's Bob Kipper, the first three-RBI game of his career. Rafael also had three RBIs at Chicago on June 10.
From June 25 to July 10 Rafael hit at a .392 pace to raise his batting average from .259 to .290 on July 10, his best mark of the year. He helped spark a doubleheader sweep in Atlanta on July 7 as he came through with the game-winning RBI in both contests. From June 25-August 23 he hit .301 in 49 games, including hitting safely in the final seven games in that span (August 15-23), his longest hitting streak of the year. In his final 34 games from August 24 through the end of the season, however, Rafael hit only .179 to finish with his final .255 batting average.
He had 28 multi-hit games in '87, including four three-hit games, and was 0-for-1 in his one pinch-hitting appearance on July 31 at Montreal. He played 138 games at shortstop and had a fielding percentage of .973, committing 17 errors in 626 total chances.
Santana was acquired by the Yankees with minor league pitcher Victor Garcia from the New York Mets on December 11, 1987 (the final day of the Dallas winter meetings) in exchange for catcher Phil Lombardi, outfielder Darren Reed and pitcher Steve Frey. It was the first ever trade involving major league players between the two New York teams. Santana originally began his professional career in the Yankee organization.
Santana was signed by scout Epy Guerrero of the Yankees as a free agent on August 31, 1976, and in 1977 hit .261 at Oneonta of the Class A New York-Penn League in his pro debut year. In 1978, while playing for Ft. Lauderdale, he was the shortstop on the Florida State League's All-Star team and participated in two triple plays. Santana was named to the Florida State League All-Star team for the second straight year in 1979.
He split the 1980 season between Ft. Lauderdale and Nashville of the Class AA Southern League. Rafael was on the Yankees' 40-man roster when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later in February 1981; the Cards sent pitcher George Frazier to the Yanks to complete the deal on June 7.
With Arkansas in 1981, Rafael led Texas League shortstops in fielding average (.955) and tied for the lead in double plays. In his first full season of AAA ball in 1982, he appeared in 41 games at second base, 73 games at third and 17 at shortstop for the Louisville Redbirds and stole 16 bases, the second-highest total on the team.
Rafael batted .214 in 30 games with the Cardinals in 1983 in his first major league experience, and also batted .281 in 77 games with Louisville. He was released by the Cardinals in January of 1984 and signed by Tidewater [Mets' AAA International League affiliate] later that month.
He hit .278 at Tidewater in 77 games and played every position in the infield (two games at first, six at second, 65 at shortstop and nine at third). Santana was purchased by the Mets from Tidewater on July 9, joined the Mets in Atlanta on July 12 and was utilized as a reserve in his first week with New York. On July 19 Ron Gardenhire injured his hamstring at Cincinnati and Santana took over for him the next day.
He did not relinquish his job until he was placed on the disabled list on August 25 with a lacerated right thumb. Rafael had his only National League four-hit game on August 11 against Pittsburgh at Shea Stadium. He sustained the injury to his thumb in the second game of a twinight doubleheader against the Giants at Shea on August 24 while sliding into second base trying to steal, colliding with Giants' shortstop Fran Mullins. He was placed on the disabled list on August 25 and activated on September 9. Rafael hit his first major league home run off Jerry Koosman of the Phillies on September 26 at Shea.
Rafael appeared in 153 games at shortstop in 1985, the most for a Met since Frank Taveras played 153 in 1979. He hit his only homer of the season, a two-run shot, in Pittsburgh off Cecilio Guante. He had two eight-game hitting streaks, and in the second of those, from June 9-16, hit .464 (13-for-28) to boost his average from .214 to .251. In a 66-game period from June 21 to September 6, Rafael hit .280 to raise his average from .241 to .262. He led National League shortstops in putouts with 301.
He had two three-hit games during the 1986 season and struck out only 6.60 times per 100 plate appearances with men on base, the eighth best mark in the National League. On May 13 of that year, he played second base for the first time as a Met; he had played nine games at second for the Cardinals in 1983. Rafael steadily increased his average over the final two months of the season. He was hitting only .176 at the end of July but batted .280 in his final 33 games to raise his average to his final .218 mark. He posted a career-high nine-game hitting streak from August 24 to September 2, batting .424 (14-for-33) in that span with five two-hit games. Rafael hit his only home run of the year on August 26 at San Diego off Dave Dravecky.
He started each of the Mets' 13 postseason games, batting .176 (3-for-17) in the League Championship against the Astros and .250 (5-for-20) in the World Series. Against Houston, he established an NLCS record for most putouts (13), assists (18) and chances accepted (31) by a shortstop in a six-game series.
Rafael hit safely in four of the seven World Series games. He had a pair of hits off Roger Clemens in Game 2 of the World Series at Shea Stadium. His RBI single in the seventh inning of Game 7 off Calvin Schiraldi knocked in the second run of the three-run rally that put the Mets ahead to stay in their eventual 8-5 win.
Rafael was born and grew up in La Romana in the Dominican Republic. He was voted the 1988 winner of the Good Guy Award by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

Established National League for fewest assists by a shortstop, season, 150 or more games (396) in 1985.
Led National League shortstops in putouts (301) in 1985.
Led Texas League shortstops in fielding percentage (.985) and tied for lead in double plays (79) in 1981.
Led Florida State League shortstops in errors (48) in 1978.
Led New York-Penn League shortstops in errors (27) in 1977.
Led New York-Penn League in sacrifice hits (7) in 1977.

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Lee Guetterman

"The 1989 season will be an important one for Lee Guetterman. The Yankees need an effective left-hander with Guetterman's ability and durability. At age 30, however, he needs to show he can get people out.
A pro since 1981, the 6' 8" Guetterman has not had a full season in the bigs. But when he joined the Yankees in 1988 after going 11-4 with the Mariners in '87, both the team and its newest pitcher had a lot of expectations.
The same holds true for 1989. Guetterman has the tools, and now he has to sustain a level of consistency that will keep him in New York. A year ago he shuttled between the Bronx and Columbus trying to find it. In 1989 he has to have it."

-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook

"Guetterman was acquired by the Yankees in December 1987 from the Seattle Mariners along with Clay Parker and Wade Taylor in exchange for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto. He made two starts and 20 appearances in 1988, finishing with a record of 1-2 and a 4.65 ERA. In his 18 relief appearances Guetterman retired the first batter he faced 11 times (he was 7-for-11 retiring the first batter he faced when runners were on base) and prevented 12 of 16 inherited runners from scoring.
He came north with the Yankees at the beginning of the season, making his Yankee debut in a relief outing on April 8 against Milwaukee, giving up one run (a solo homer by Robin Yount, one of the two home runs he would give up all year) in one inning pitched. In his first stint with the Yankees, Lee made eight relief appearances without a decision with a 2.45 ERA (4 ER, 14.2 IP), with his last relief appearance coming on May 6 at Texas before being optioned to Columbus for the first time on May 13.
Lee made 16 starts with the Clippers, going 8-6 with a 2.88 ERA. He was named Yankee Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July, going 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA (6 G, 6 GS, 4 CG, 23 K [0.828 WHIP]).
He was recalled to New York on August 5. In the second game of a doubleheader that day against Minnesota, Lee made the first of two starts as a Yankee, losing 11-2 while allowing five runs on six hits in just three innings and giving up a solo homer to Greg Gagne, the second of two home runs he allowed all year. After that start, he made five relief appearances, going 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA (9 ER, 11 IP) before being optioned on August 21. Included in those appearances was an outing on August 16 against California when he gave up six runs (earned) in just 1.1 innings in the Angels' 15-6 win.
Guetterman made two starts in his second tour with the Clippers, going 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA (3 ER, 14.1 IP). Overall in his two stints at Columbus, he posted a combined record of 9-6 in 18 games (all starts) with a 2.76 ERA and a .237 batting average against while averaging just one homer every 53.1 innings pitched. Guetterman finished sixth in the International League in ERA.
He was recalled a second time by the Yankees on September 5. On September 24 against Boston, Lee pitched a scoreless inning of relief and was credited with his only win of the year in the Yankees' 5-4 victory. It was his first major league win since October 3, 1987, when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners. In his next appearance, September 28 at Baltimore, he made his second start of the year and was charged with the Yankees' 2-0 loss, giving up seven hits and two runs (earned) with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched. Lee made one outing after that, a relief appearance on October 1 at Detroit, when he registered his only blown save of the year, going one inning while giving up four hits and one run (earned), allowing a runner inherited from Tommy John and runner of his own to score and letting the Tigers tie the game 5-5. Guetterman received a no-decision in Detroit's eventual 6-5 win.
Guetterman signed a contract for the 1989 season.
He was the third leading winner on the Mariner staff in 1987 with a record of 11-4 in 25 games (17 starts) and posted a 3.81 earned run average, the best ERA among the club's starters. His winning percentage of .733 tied for first in the major leagues (among pitchers with 15 or more decisions) with Toronto's John Cerutti and Montreal's Dennis Martinez, who also were 11-4.
He was not on the Mariners' 40-man winter roster and did not attend major league spring training in 1987, and opened the season at Calgary, Seattle's AAA affiliate. He was purchased by the Mariners on May 21 when Edwin Nunez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. At that point, Lee was 5-1 at Calgary with a save in 16 appearances (two starts) with a 2.86 ERA.
Lee won his first appearance after his recall to Seattle, a relief outing on May 27 against the Yankees in New York, pitching two hitless innings and giving up one run, and was credited with Seattle's 6-5 victory. He was moved into the rotation after that, and in his first five starts, from May 31 to June 21, he went 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Lee concluded that streak on June 21 at Cleveland, pitching a 3-hit shutout against the Indians with one walk and two strikeouts in the Mariners' 5-0 victory; it was his first major league shutout and his second big league complete game.
At that point, his overall record was 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six appearances (five starts), and his five-game winning streak was the longest by a Mariner in '87. After having his streak stopped in Kansas City on June 27 (losing 6-0 on a Bret Saberhagen 3-hitter), Guetterman pitched his second complete game of the season in his next start, on July 2 against Detroit, recording a season-high five strikeouts in Seattle's 5-2 victory. That started a three-game winning streak in three consecutive starts to raise his first-half record to 8-1 in 10 games (nine starts) with a 3.36 ERA through the All-Star break.
In his first six starts after the All-Star break through August 15, however, Lee went 1-3 with a 6.29 ERA (24.1 IP, 17 ER) and was moved back to the bullpen. He made seven appearances in relief after that without a decision or a save with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP, 2 ER) before being moved back into the rotation.
Lee finished the season by making two starts and winning both. Overall in 17 games started he was 10-3 with a 4.05 ERA.
He originally was selected by the Mariners in the fourth round (second selection) of the June 1981 free agent draft (with a choice from California as compensation for the signing of Juan Beniquez). In his first professional season, Guetterman ranked fifth in the [short-season] class-A Northwest League with a 2.68 ERA at Bellingham and posted a record of 6-4. In his first season at Bakersfield (Class-A California League) in 1982, he was 7-11 in 26 starts with a 4.44 ERA. His 3.22 ERA at Bakersfield in 1983 ranked him 10th in the league (and second among left-handers) and he finished with a 12-6 record in 25 starts.
Lee spent the 1984 season at AA Chattanooga, where he went 11-7 with a 3.38 ERA. He was recalled to Seattle after the minor league season on September 7 and made his major league debut on September 12 in relief against Texas in the Mariners' 8-1 loss, receiving a no-decision. He made two more relief outings for the Mariners that month.
He was assigned to Calgary from spring training in 1985 and spent the entire season there. He recorded a 5-8 record with a 5.79 ERA. 18 of his 20 appearances were starts and he tossed two complete games. Lee spent most of the 1986 season with the Mariners, going 0-4 with a 7.34 ERA in 41 games (four starts). He made his first major league start on June 7 (second game) at Texas, going the distance in the Mariners' 3-2 loss. He finished third on the club in appearances and also was 1-0 in Calgary in four starts with a 5.59 ERA.
Lee graduated from Oceanside (California) High School in 1977, where he earned All-County honors as a first baseman. He graduated from Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg, Virginia where one of his teammates was Sid Bream of the Pirates, and also pitched for La Romana (Dominican Republic) in winter ball.
His favorite team growing up was the San Diego Padres, his favorite ballpark is Texas Stadium and his most memorable moment in sports was 'throwing a 3-hit shutout against Cleveland on Father's Day' in 1987. His favorite entertainer is Bill Cosby."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Jimmy Jones

"The Yankees need help with their starting pitching, but many people initially questioned whether Jimmy Jones was the cure. After coming over from the Padres, Jones begins his Yankee career with just over two years of big league experience, and a 9-14 record with San Diego in 1988.
So why Jimmy Jones? Youth and strength. In the past, Yankee fortunes have been placed on the arms of veterans who seemingly didn't have anything left. So this year it's a new approach, giving a chance to some new and livelier arms. Jones is only 24 and can throw heat. Last year his innings pitched would have ranked him second on the Yankee staff. Imagine what that combination could mean to Yankee pennant hopes if this prospect can put it together.
Jones still has something to prove, and he wants to show this acquisition was indeed a great move for the Yankees."

-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook

"Jones spent the entire 1988 season in the Padres' starting rotation and went 9-14 in 29 starts with a 4.12 ERA and three complete games. He had 179 innings pitched and allowed 192 hits (including 14 homers) and 98 runs (82 earned) along with 44 walks [1.32 WHIP] and 92 strikeouts, and had a batting average against of .277.
After losing his first start of the year, Jimmy recorded his first win on April 14 against Los Angeles when he pitched 6.2 shutout innings (5H, 4BB, 3K) to gain credit for the Padres' 14-4 victory. It was his only start of the year where he did not allow a run. He followed that with a win in his next outing, April 22 against Houston, allowing one earned run in 6.2 innings pitched in San Diego's 3-1 victory. It was one of only two times all season Jimmy recorded victories in back-to-back appearances.
He lost each of his next three outings from April 27 through May 8, even though his ERA in those three games was 3.57 (7 ER, 17.2 IP) as the Padres scored a total of five runs. In the May 8 contest at Pittsburgh, Jimmy recorded his season high of seven strikeouts. He broke that losing streak with a 5-hit complete game against Montreal, a 7-1 Padre victory. That began a span of six starts from May 13 through June 9, when he went 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA (13 ER, 42 IP).
Jones had his second three-game losing streak, covering four starts from June 19-July 5, going 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA (19 ER, 22.1 IP). That streak began with his worst outing of the year, June 19 in the first game of a doubleheader at Los Angeles, when he allowed nine earned runs and 11 hits in four innings, including home runs to Franklin Stubbs and Kirk Gibson, in the Dodgers' 12-2 win; but in his last loss of that streak, July 5 against Pittsburgh, Jones matched his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs (solo homers by Tommy Gregg and Andy Van Slyke) in seven innings.
He ended the losing streak on July 19 by pitching his second complete game of the season, a 6-hit 6-2 win at Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader, giving up just one earned run in nine innings along with two walks and four strikeouts. He followed with a win in his next outing, July 24 at Chicago, going eight innings and allowing one run (earned) on four hits in the Padres' 2-1 victory. It was the only time all season Jimmy pitched 17 innings in consecutive starts and the second time all year that he won in back-to-back starts.
Jimmy pitched one other complete game, August 11 at Atlanta, allowing five hits and two runs (earned) in eight innings but was charged with the Padres' 2-1 loss. He was 8-10 with a 3.84 ERA on August 16 but from there finished the season by dropping four of his last five decisions (covering his last six starts of the year) from August 22 through September 20, with a 5.46 ERA (19 ER, 31.3 IP), to drop his final record to 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA.
He was acquired by the Yankees along with Lance McCullers and Stanley Jefferson on October 24, 1988 in exchange for Jack Clark and Pat Clements. He signed a contract for the 1989 season.
Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round (third player selected) of the free agent draft on June 7, 1982, Jones' first year in pro ball was a healthy one, going 4-6 in 14 starts for Walla Walla ('A' Northwest League) while fanning 78 in 77 innings pitched.
While pitching for Reno ('A' California League) in 1983, Jones was 7-5 with a 2.70 ERA in 17 starts when on July 3 he was forced to miss the remainder of the season due to tendinitis in his arm. Prior to the injury, he had pitched six complete games and a shutout. In 1984, Jones had a promising start at Beaumont (AA Texas League), posting wins in seven of nine decisions with a 2.10 ERA, but suffered a disabling injury for the second straight year on July 3, tearing ligaments in his right ankle while running in the outfield prior to a game in El Paso.
While pitching for Beaumont in 1985, he won seven games for the third straight year but also had his season cut short by injury for the third successive time. Jimmy was forced out of action on July 16 with an injury to his left knee. He was strongest in May, going 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
Jimmy started 1986 strongly at Las Vegas (AAA Pacific Coast League), tossing a 5-hit shutout over Portland in his AAA debut but struggled through June, posting a 3-7 record. He won six of his last nine decisions before being recalled by the Padres and made his major league debut on September 21 against Houston in the Astrodome. A Bob Knepper triple with two out in the third inning prevented Jones from tossing a no-hitter in his major league debut, as he retired the last 19 men he faced in beating the Astros 6-0 and becoming the first pitcher to throw a 1-hitter in his big league debut since Juan Marichal in 1960. His last start of the year came on October 1 against Los Angeles when Jones established a personal best that still stands with nine strikeouts in an 8-2 win.
He just missed making the Padres out of spring training in 1987, so he started the season at Las Vegas where he was 2-0 in four starts before being recalled to the majors for keeps on April 29. Jimmy initially was used both as a starter and a reliever before establishing himself as a starter after a superb relief performance on July 29. Filling in after the first inning for an injured Storm Davis, he threw eight innings of near-perfect relief, allowing only two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. It marked the longest relief appearance by a Padre since Dennis Kinney went 9.1 innings at Philadelphia on August 21, 1980.
He was inserted into the rotation for the rest of the year and went 7-4 with a 3.73 ERA in the second half, including a four-game winning streak. The highlight of that streak was a 2-hit shutout over Atlanta on August 10, with one walk and four strikeouts. He was in on two other shutouts, both of a combined nature, and had one other complete game, a 10-2 win over Houston on September 13.
Jimmy went 8-1 against Western Division teams but was just 1-6 against the East. His strikeout high was five on two occasions. He hit his first career home on July 30 at Cincinnati, a game-winning two-run homer off Guy Hoffman.
Jimmy attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, compiling a 14-3 record during his senior year. He is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. His hobbies are golf and hunting, his favorite spectator sport is football and his favorite ballpark is Wrigley Field. His favorite entertainer is Jimmy Stewart."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

Tied modern major league record for fewest hits allowed, first major league game, nine innings- 1 (September 21, 1986).
Tied for Pacific Coast League in games started by pitchers- 27 (1986).

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Mike Pagliarulo

"For Mike Pagliarulo, 1988 was supposed to be a different story. It was to be his arrival as one of the top third basemen in the league. But a pulled right hamstring in the second half of 1988 changed that script. Now Pags must seemingly prove himself again in 1989.
People forget the Yankee woes at the hot corner before Pags was called up in 1984. From his first full year in 1985, he has solidified the position. At the plate, his average has dipped, but his power numbers increased each year from 1985 to 1987. In the field he has been solid, drawing comparisons to Graig Nettles. Pags has accomplished all of this with a gutty determination, a strong work ethic and a style of play that has earned him the name 'Rambo' from his teammates.
'I know that I've produced here the last four years, even last year I was having my best year as far as run production before the injury,' he says. 'I'm a contributor and I'm good for this team.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook

"Pagliarulo began the 1989 season strongly but fell prey to injuries later in the season, cutting his power output from 32 home runs in 1987 to 15 in 1988, and batted only .216. He ranked fourth on the Yankees in home runs, fourth in RBIs (67) and second in strikeouts (104). With 101 career homers as a Yankee, he passed Clete Boyer (95) and moved into second place in career home runs by a Yankee third baseman, behind only Graig Nettles (250). In his four full seasons with the Yankees, Pagliarulo has averaged 23.5 homers and 71.8 RBIs.
He had just two games of three or more RBIs last year, the first coming on Opening Day, April 5 against Minnesota, when he had three as a result of a three-run homer off Frank Viola. The other came on April 30 against Texas when Mike had a career-high seven RBIs, hitting a grand slam off Mike Jeffcoat (his fourth career grand slam) and a three-run homer off Jeff Russell. It was also his eighth career two-homer game and his only such game in 1988.
Mike's first three home runs of the year were all off left-handers: Viola on Opening Day, Juan Nieves of Milwaukee on April 8 and Ted Higuera in Milwaukee on April 17. In his first 14 games through April 19, he hit .245 (his average would not reach that level for the rest of the year) with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
On June 4 at Baltimore he committed a throwing error on a ball hit by Cal Ripken with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th inning to allow three runs to score, giving the Orioles a comeback 7-6 win from a 6-4 deficit. From June 19-27 Pagliarulo had a nine-game hitting streak, the longest of his career, going 12-for-35 (.343) with a homer and four RBIs. His homer on June 27 was his first since May 31, having gone 96 at-bats in between without homering. His one stolen base of the year came on June 24 at Cleveland.
Mike left the game of July 6 with a sore right hamstring and missed eight of nine Yankee games through July 20, with the Yankees going 5-3 in the eight games he missed. He left the game of July 24, again suffering from a pulled right hamstring and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 25. At that point, Mike was hitting .225 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 86 games.
He missed 15 games on the DL until activated on August 11, with the Yankees going 7-8 in those contests. From that point through the end of the season he hit .195 in 39 games with 14 runs, six homers and 14 RBIs, and from August 17-September 4 went 51 at-bats without a RBI and 53 at-bats without a home run. Mike ended both streaks on September 5 against Cleveland with a solo homer off Tom Candiotti. His strikeout on September 16 was his 100th of the year, his third straight season of 100 or more strikeouts. Pagliarulo left the game of September 24 against Boston with a pulled right hamstring and missed the final eight games of the season with that injury, with the Yankees going 3-5 in those games.
For the season, Pagliarulo had 22 multiple-hit games, including three games of three hits (May 25 at California, June 19 at Cleveland and September 15 at Boston). Of his 15 home runs, four were solo shots, eight were two-run homers, two were three-run homers and one the April 30 grand slam. He had 20 doubles and a triple (April 23 against Toronto), and as a pinch hitter he was 0-for-9 and is 0-for-18 as a pinch hitter since his last pinch hit on September 1, 1986. Pagliarulo was 18-for-106 (.170) against lefties with five home runs (the last two coming off Mike Jeffcoat of Texas on April 30 and Bruce Hurst of Boston on September 23) and 20 RBIs. Nine of his 18 hits off lefties were for extra bases (five homers, three doubles and a triple). Against right-handers, he batted .231 with 10 home runs.
He underwent surgery on October 14 to relocate the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. He signed a contract for the 1989 season.
In 1987 Pagliarulo was one of the top power hitters in the American League. He hit 32 home runs, which tied him for ninth place in the American League in that category and led the Yankees. Mike ranked third on the club with 87 runs batted in, and his home run and RBI totals were both remain his career highs.
His 32 home runs matched Graig Nettles for the second highest single-season total hit by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only by Nettles' club record of 37 home runs by a third baseman, set in 1977. Coupled with his 28 home runs in 1986, Pagliarulo and Nettles have the top four single-season home run totals by a Yankee third baseman.
Pagliarulo averaged one home run every 16.3 at-bats in 1987, the best mark among Yankee regulars and the second best ratio on the team, behind only Ron Kittle's ratio of one homer per 13.25 at-bats. He also led the team with 12 game-winning RBIs, which also set a new career high in that category.
In addition to career highs in homers, RBIs and game winning RBIs, Mike also established career highs in games (150), at-bats (522), runs (76), hits (122), doubles (26) and slugging percentage (.479). In addition to leading the Yankees in homers and game winning RBIs, he was second on the club in games played and doubles, third in RBIs, total bases (250) and slugging percentage (among Yankees with 200 or more at-bats), and fifth in hits and runs scored. He also led the Yankees with 111 strikeouts. Mike hit four home runs off left-handed pitchers: Joe Sambito (June 19 at Boston), Joel McKeon (July 10 against Chicago), Floyd Bannister (July 24 at Chicago) and Bill Wilkinson (August 18 at Seattle).
His first home run of the season, off Jack Morris of the Tigers in Yankee Stadium on April 20, broke a string of 143 at-bats since his previous home run (his last 99 at-bats of 1986 and his first 44 at-bats of 1987). On May 8 against Minnesota he hit his second career grand slam (off Jeff Reardon in the ninth inning) and, coupled with his earlier solo homer off Mark Portugal, he had his fourth career two-homer game. His total of five RBIs was his 1987 single game high and was at that point his career single-game high. Mike hit one other grand slam in '87, on September 4 against California off Kirk McCaskill (his 30th homer of the season). His four RBIs in that game was one of three four-RBI games he had last year in addition to his five-RBI game. Mike had four two-homer games and hit home runs in back-to-back games five times. He had 36 multi-hit games in 1987, including two three-hit games.
Mike started the 1987 season slowly, batting just .194 with six homers and 20 RBIs on May 30 after 44 games, but over his next 63 games, through August 11, he batted .285 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs to raise his overall average to .247, the highest point it would be all year following his eighth game of the season.
In 10 games from July 7-20, he batted .353 (12-for-34) with five home runs, nine RBIs and 13 runs scored, with nine of the 12 hits going for extra bases (five homers, four doubles). Included in that stretch was a seven-game hitting streak from July 10-20, Pagliarulo's longest hitting streak of the season, when he hit .391 (9-for-23) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and 10 runs scored.
In six games from August 15-21, seven of his nine hits were for extra bases (five home runs, two doubles) and he had nine RBIs in that span. His last home run came on September 8 at Boston off Al Nipper. Suffering from a sore right elbow, Mike did not hit a home run in his final 20 games of 1987 (covering 68 at-bats), his longest homerless stretch of the season. In those final 20 games he hit just .185 (12-for-65) with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) and seven RBIs to lower his batting average from .241 to his final .234 mark.
He played 147 games at third base, the most by a Yankee since Nettles played 159 games at third in 1978. Pagliarulo ranked fifth in fielding among AL third basemen playing 100 or more games, with a fielding percentage of .959, committing only 17 errors in 410 chances. He put together a stretch of 26 errorless games from July 3 through August 5. He made his first career appearance at first base on June 14 against Milwaukee.
[Because of] the sore right elbow which hampered his play in the final month of the season, Mike underwent arthroscopic surgery at NYU Medical Center, performed by Dr. John Bonamo on October 8, to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.
Mike blossomed into one of the top power hitters on the Yankees in 1986 as he hit 28 home runs, which tied him for 15th place in the American League in that category, and finished tied with Rickey Henderson for second place on the Yankees. His homer total was the fourth highest ever by a Yankee third baseman, surpassed only Graig Nettles' 37 home runs in 1977, his 32 in 1976 and Mike's 32 in 1987.
He began the season slowly, hitting just .215 (13-for-61) at the end of April with three home runs and seven RBIs. His single off Juan Agosto on May 12 at Minnesota broke an 0-for-17 streak against left-handed pitchers since the start of the season. Mike hit two home runs for the second time in his career on May 23 against California, solo homers off Don Sutton and Ken Forsch, and matched his former single-game career high of four RBIs on May 25 against California.
On May 30 at Oakland, Mike was hit in the face by a Curt Young pitch in the seventh inning. It was feared at first that he might have suffered some broken bones and facial damage that might cause him to miss an extensive amount of games, but the injury proved to be a hairline fracture of his nose, coupled with lacerations on the bridge of his nose and a bruised right forearm. He missed only one game and returned to the lineup on June 1 at Oakland and proceeded to hit home runs in three successive games (June 1 off Tom Dozier of the A's, June 2 off T.R. Bryden at California and June 3 off Don Sutton at California), becoming the only Yankee to hit homers in three straight contests in 1986.
In the seven games from June 1 through June 8 following his May 29 victory, Mike hit .333 (8-for-24), with five of those eight hits home runs, and added nine RBIs. He had a season-high six-game hitting streak from June 6-11. He matched his single-game career high with four hits, all singles, on June 27 against Toronto.
On July 11 at Minnesota, he hit a three-run homer off Neal Heaton, his first homer of 1986 off a left-hander, and on July 18 against Chicago matched his single-game career high with four RBIs, including a three-run homer off Floyd Bannister, his second homer off a left-hander in 1986. In the 14 games from July 4 through July 21, he hit safely in 11, batting .396 (19-for-48) with seven home runs and 19 RBIs while raising his average from .253 to .275. Mike was hitting .262 with 21 homers and 49 RBIs at the All-Star break.
He went ten games, July 22 to August 1 (36 at-bats), without a home run or a RBI, then hit two solo homers off Ken Schrom on August 2 at Cleveland. He hit his last homer of the season on August 24 against Oakland off Dave Stewart, going his final 99 at-bats after that without a home run.
Pagliarulo suffered a pulled hamstring running out a triple in that game. At the time of his injury, he was hitting .257 with 28 home runs and 68 RBIs in 118 games. The injury limited him to four pinch-hit appearances (1-for-4) over the Yankees' next ten games (August 25-September 3). In the 31 games he played following that injury, he hit .156 with no homers, three RBIs and 31 strikeouts.
He finished fifth on the Yankees in doubles and RBIs, fourth in game-winning RBIs and slugging percentage (.464) and first in strikeouts. Pagliarulo averaged one home run per 18.0 times at bat, trailing only Dan Pasqua and Ron Kittle in that category. He hit .258 (88-for-341) against righties with 26 homers and 60 RBIs, and .196 (32-for-163) against lefties with two homers and 11 RBIs
Mike had 27 multiple-hit games, including a four-hit game and six three-hit games. He hit two home runs in the same game twice and homered in consecutive games five times, including the streak of three straight. He recorded his first career stolen base on June 1 at Oakland was 1-for-9 (.111) as a pinch hitter with a RBI.
He played 143 games at third base, and his fielding percentage of .953 ranked seventh among third basemen playing 100 or more games. He made two appearances at shortstop- July 2 against Detroit and August 17 at Kansas City.
Selected by the Yankees in the 6th Round of the June 1981 Free Agent Draft, Mike was signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira and batted .216 in 72 games at Oneonta with two homers in 245 at-bats. In 1982, he was named utility infielder on the South Atlantic All-Star team. He played a full season at AA Nashville in 1983 and led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage in 133 games with 433 total chances (98 putouts and 315 assists).
He made his major league debut on July 7, 1984 when called up from Columbus to replace the injured Toby Harrah. He hit his first big league home run on July 13 (second game) off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. He hit his first grand slam on September 18 off Baltimore's Dennis Martinez.
Pagliarulo became New York's regular third baseman in 1985 and averaged one home run every 20 at-bats. He was hitting only .165 through June 9 with two home runs and 16 RBIs, then hit .263  with 17 homers and 46 RBIs through the remainder of the season.
He had his first career two-homer game on July 27 at Texas, hitting a pair of two-run homers good for four RBIs, and had a hitting streak of seven games from July 14-24. He went 4-for-6 on September 9 at Milwaukee, his first career four-hit game. Mike was sent to bat right-handed [by Billy Martin] against Mickey Mahler on September 18 at Detroit, striking out with runners on second and third, two out and the scored tied 2-2.
He played 134 games at third base in '85 and had the third fewest errors for a third baseman with at least 100 games. He hit .278 in 22 pinch-hitting appearances. He hit .254 in 126 games against right-handers, .151 in 12 games against southpaws. Mike's 62 RBIs ranked sixth on the club.
Mike graduated in 1978 from Medford (Mass.) High School, where he played baseball, basketball and ran track. In baseball he was All-State two years, MVP and captain. Mike played South Medford Little League, Medford Babe Ruth League and Medford American Legion baseball. He attended the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) and was a finance major. His father, Charles Pagliarulo , was an infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization in 1958.
Very active in local charities, Mike has served as the chairman of the New York Yankees' 65 Roses Club since 1986, helping that organization in its fight against Cystic Fibrosis. He received the 1988 Joan Payson Award for community involvement by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Mike enjoys golf and going to Boston Celtics and Bruins games."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

Led Southern League third basemen in fielding with a .954 percentage, games (133), total chances (433), putouts (98) and assists (315) in 1983.
Led South Atlantic League third basemen in assists (278) in 1982.
Led New York-Penn League in intentional bases on balls received (8) and led third basemen in total chances (214) and in assists (159) in 1981.

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide

1989 Profile: Don Slaught

"He came, he saw, he did quite well. Now veteran catcher Don Slaught has solidified himself as a Yankee starter while providing stability at the catching position.
His six-plus years in the bigs have been plagued by injuries, but when the Yankees got him in a trade with the Rangers before the start of the 1988 season, he came to play. His performance prompted the release of Rick Cerone and the benching of Joel Skinner. Sluggo responded by turning an incredible start into one of his finest years as a pro, recording the second highest numbers of his career in average, doubles, homers and RBI. A groin injury hampered what might have been an even brighter season, but Slaught made his point.
'I wanted to show these people that I could play, and to prove to them that they made a good trade,' Slaught says.
Skinner will again be fighting for the starting catching job, and the Yankees added veteran Jamie Quirk for insurance. But with a strong year at the plate and improved defense behind it, Sluggo has served notice that he's the man to beat for the job in 1989."

-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook

"Slaught had one of the best seasons of his career offensively in 1988, batting at or above .300 for most of the year. He recorded the second highest figures of his career in batting average (.283), doubles (25), home runs (9) and RBIs (43).
He began the season hitting safely in his first 12 games, April 9-22. Slaught tied the longest hitting streak of his career, having hit safely in 12 straight in 1983, going 19-for-45 (.422) in that span with eight runs, four doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs.
Slaught started that streak (and the season) by going 2-for-3 on April 9 against Milwaukee and followed that with a 4-for-4 performance (including two doubles) in his next contest, April 10 against Milwaukee, his first of two four-hit games in 1988 and fifth of his career. He went 2-for-4 in his next game, April 11 at Toronto, and had a string of seven hits in seven consecutive at-bats, starting with his final at-bat on April 9 through his first two at-bats on April 11. Don hit home runs in consecutive games in Milwaukee, on April 15 (a solo shot off Chuck Crim) and April 16 (a solo blast off Chris Bosio). He hit his third home run in that hitting streak on April 22 against Toronto, a solo homer off Tom Henke.
He hit a solo round-tripper on April 26 off Charlie Liebrandt in Yankee Stadium in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie and help lead the Yankees to a 5-4 victory. His RBI on May 3 at Chicago (in his 21st game covering 67 at-bats) was his 16th of the year, matching his entire RBI total for the 1987 season, which covered 95 games and 237 at-bats.
Don left the May 14 game against California with a pulled left groin muscle and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 15 due to that injury. At the time he was batting .378 (37-for-98) with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 30 games (hitting safely in 22) and in the American League ranked second in batting, ninth in RBIs, fourth in doubles (12), third in on-base percentage (.446), third in slugging percentage (.653) and third in extra-base hits (17). On May 31 Don was transferred to the 21-day DL and was activated from that list on June 20, missing 32 games while on the DL.
He went 2-for-4 in his first game back, June 22 at Detroit, and hit safely in 24 of his first 32 games after being activated, batting .289 (33-for-114). On August 11 at Yankee Stadium, he committed a throwing error in the 11th inning on a steal of second base by Jesse Barfield, allowing Barfield to score what proved to be the winning run in a 6-5 Toronto win. Slaught had his batting average over .300 as late as August 31 (his 77th game) when he was hitting .302.
On September 5 against Cleveland he hit his first triple since September 13, 1987, and on September 10 had his second four-hit game of the year (and sixth of his career) against Detroit, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, his second double driving in the tying and winning runs in a six-run inning. He followed with a 0-for-26 streak covering six games before a single on September 21 against Baltimore. Later in that contest, Slaught hit a dramatic game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning off Mark Thurmond to give the Yankees a 3-2 win. It was his ninth home run of the season, and the last seven homers of those nine were hit in New York.
Slaught started that September 21 game as the designated hitter, his only start as a DH in 1988 and his first DH start since September 3, 1987. Beginning with that game, he finished the year with a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-22 (.455) with two hits in four of the six games to raise his average from .271 to his final .283 mark. Don left the September 28 game at Baltimore with a sprained left ankle and knee after tagging Ken Gerhart out at home plate in the 8th inning and did not play the rest of the season.
[During the season] he batted .333 (2-for-6) as a pinch hitter, with both of his hits being doubles. Don caught 12 of 72 runners attempting to steal (17%), with no passed balls, and had a .979 fielding percentage, committing 11 errors in 531 total chances. The Yankees were 45-42 in games he started at catcher.
He signed a two-year contract in November 1988. The contract runs through the 1990 season.
Slaught was acquired from the Texas Rangers in November 1987 in exchange for a player to be named later. Pitcher Brad Arnsberg was sent to Texas later that month to complete the trade. In his third and final season with the Rangers in '87, Slaught batted .224 in 95 games with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 16 runs batted in.
He was batting .268 through 19 games in April including a six-game hitting streak from April 23-29, his longest of the season, hitting .400 (6-for-15) in that streak with a double and a home run. Don was thrown out at the plate twice on April 26 against Boston, on an attempted squeeze in the 10th inning and on an attempted sacrifice fly in the 12th. He hit just .185 in May to lower his average to .223, including a season low of .205 on May 6. Don had his only game-winning RBI of the year on May 13 against the Yankees at New York.
Don abandoned the face guard on his helmet on July 24 for the first time in 1987. He sprained his left knee running the bases during batting practice on August 2 and did not make a plate appearance after that until August 9. On September 15 against the Oakland A's in Arlington he hit two solo home runs off Curt Young, the first two-home run game of his career and the first ever by a Ranger catcher. Don batted .286 in September to raise his average from .212 at the beginning of the month to .226 at the end of the month.
He tied a Texas Ranger club record with four passed balls on May 6; for the season he had 20 passed balls (of which 17 occurred when Charlie Hough was pitching) and was part of the Texas Rangers catching staff that set a single-season major league record of 73 passed balls, mainly due to Hough. Slaught threw out 16 of 80 runners attempting to steal (20%) and had a fielding percentage of .985 (seven errors in 475 total chances).
Slaught began his professional career by batting .261 with Ft. Myers in 1980. He started the 1981 season at Jacksonville before earning a promotion to Omaha in July. He was lost for the season with a broken leg on August 15. He started the 1982 season in Omaha and was disabled from April 21 until May 15 with a strained left knee. Don joined Kansas City on July 6 after John Wathan broke his ankle, and started the next 11 games and 28 of the next 31 before Wathan returned. He recorded singles in his first two major league at-bats off Boston's John Tudor. He was sidelined for the season on September 21 after tearing a tendon in his left thumb in a home plate collision with California's Ricky Adams.
In 1983 Don split the Royals' catching chores with Wathan. He was disabled from May 15-30 after he split the skin under the middle finger of his right hand, and also missed nine games from June 28-July 12 with a deep right thigh bruise. Don hit .342 in 22 games in September, including a career high 12-game hitting streak. He was Kansas City's regular catcher in 1984 and led the club with 27 doubles. He hit .346 in a two-month stretch from June 18-August 18, and in the ALCS against Detroit led Kansas City regulars with a .364 (4-for-11) average.
Don was acquired by Texas from Kansas City in January of 1985 in a four-team trade with the Mets and Milwaukee. His .280 batting average was third best among all AL catchers who appeared in 100 games. He appeared in just one game from July 6 through August 25 because of a pulled hamstring muscle; upon his return he batted .322 in his last 34 games.
Despite being plagued by injuries much of 1986, he set a Ranger club record for homers by a catcher with 13 (the previous club mark was 10 by Jim Sundberg in 1980 and 1982). His 13 homers were also a career high, as were his 46 RBIs. Don had a .996 fielding percentage in 91 games, the third best percentage of any AL catcher who appeared in 90 games.
He had a .368 average in his first 18 games with six homers and 18 RBIs and drove in a career-high five runs on May 15 at Detroit. Don sustained a broken nose and left cheekbone when he was hit by Boston's Oil Can Boyd in the fourth inning on May 17 at Fenway Park. At that point, he was hitting .293 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games.
Don did not experience any vision problems. He underwent reconstructive surgery to fix the fractures on May 26 at Arlington Memorial Hospital. After nearly a month of therapy, he was assigned to Oklahoma City on medical rehabilitation on July 1; he played in three games for the 89ers, going 4-for-12 with a RBI. After missing a total of 44 games, Don was reactivated by Texas on July 4th and caught that night.
Upon his return he wore a plexiglass facemask while batting and continued to wear the mask through games of August 26 before discarding it. He hit .252 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 65 games after his return to the lineup, including a .280 mark in his first 25 games back.
Slaught was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the June 1980 free agent draft after an outstanding four-year career at UCLA. He was UCLA's captain and an All-PAC 10 selection in both his junior and senior years. He was selected to the second team All-America squad by the Sporting News in 1980 and was an Academic All-American in 1979. Don graduated from UCLA in 1983 with a B.S. degree in economics. His teammates at UCLA included Dave Schmidt, Matt Young, Tim Leary and Mike Gallego.
He lettered three times in baseball and twice as a quarterback in football at Rolling Hills High School in Palos Verdes, CA, where he graduated in 1976. Don's hobbies are golf and tennis and his favorite spectator sport is football. His favorite team growing up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, his favorite player was Johnny Bench and his favorite ballpark is Royals Stadium."

-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide