Daniel Anthony Pasqua (born October 17, 1961) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

from 1985 through 1994. He works as a community representative for the White Sox.

Early life

A native of

Harrington Park, New Jersey Harrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,664,Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburban communities of Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan in Berge ...

, then

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American j ...

Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. ...

. He was an All-American outfielder for William Paterson in and , and

New Jersey Athletic Conference The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. All of its full members are public universities in New Jersey. Affiliate membe ...

Player of the Year in 1982. He was drafted by his hometown

in the third round of the

1982 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players * David Wells†, 2nd round, 30th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays * Allan Anderson, 2nd ...

New York Yankees

Through his first three years in the Yankees'

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, Pasqua batted .267 with 70 home runs and 242

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

. A hot start with the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as cli ...

his fourth season earned him a promotion up to the Bronx early in the season. 1984 Nashville Dan Pasqua

Pasqua made his major league debut on May 30 against the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

. After lining into a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Lea ...

in his first major league

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

, he hit a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

in his second. This was followed by a 3-for-26 slump that got him sent back to Columbus for more seasoning. In his second game back with the Yankees, Pasqua had his first career two home run game. He was demoted back to Columbus again at the start of August, and returned in the middle of the month to bat .203 with five home runs and fifteen RBIs over the remainder of the season. All told, Pasqua batted .209 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs with the Yankees. In three stints in Columbus, he compiled a .321

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, eighteen home runs & 69 RBIs to earn IL Rookie of the Year and

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

honors. During the off-season, the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

were rebuked in their offer of

Andre Dawson Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954), nicknamed "The Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson", is an American former professional baseball player and inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different t ...

for Pasqua. Although Yankees

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Lou Piniella Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals and ...

(who was, himself, a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering sys ...

during his playing days) named Pasqua his starting left fielder during

Spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

, 1985 left fielder

Ken Griffey George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Marin ...

ended up winning the job when Pasqua batted .102 that Spring. Pasqua began the season with Columbus, and batted .291 with six home runs and twenty RBIs to get recalled by the Yankees on May 18. In his first start back in pinstripes, Pasqua went 2-for-3, with a home run,

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

and four RBIs. The next day, he had his second career two home run game. With his batting average hovered around .300 through most of June, he made his first career appearance at first base on June 28 in order to get his bat in the line up more frequently. As perennial All-Star

Don Mattingly Donald Arthur Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nickname ...

had a firm grip on the first base job, the Yankees shipped Griffey to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

on June 30 in order to open a regular position for Pasqua in their line-up. With the left field job genuinely his now, Pasqua batted .296 with twelve home runs and 35 RBIs over the remainder of the season. While Pasqua clubbed six home runs through May , he struggled to keep his batting average over .200. By the end of June, the left field job was Gary Ward's, and Pasqua was once again in Columbus. He returned to the Yankees in mid July, and batted .268 with nine home runs and nineteen RBIs over the rest of the season. At the

Winter meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

, Pasqua,

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Steve Rosenberg Steven Barnett Rosenberg (born 5 April 1968) is a British journalist for BBC News. He has been the BBC's Moscow correspondent almost continuously since 2003, except for a stint as Berlin correspondent between 2006 and 2010. In 2022 Rosenberg's ...

and

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

Mark Salas Mark Bruce Salas (born March 8, 1961) is a former professional catcher who played in Major League Baseball from -. Salas, who is of Mexican descent, also worked for the Chicago White Sox as a bullpen catcher. St. Louis Cardinals Salas was drafte ...

were dealt to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers

Richard Dotson Richard Elliott Dotson (born January 10, 1959) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1980s. He is best noted for his 22-7 performance of , helping the Chicago White Sox win the American League West Division championship ...

and

Scott Nielsen Jeffrey Scott Nielsen (born December 18, 1958) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during four seasons at the major league level for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th ro ...

Chicago White Sox

In 1988, Pasqua hit a career-high twenty home runs. He also demonstrated versatility when he was shifted into right field following a season ending injury to

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In ...

Iván Calderón. In , it was Pasqua whose season was cut short by injuries. In the second game of the season, he suffered a right wrist injury that kept him out of the line-up until May 14. On August 4, he twisted his knee in the outfield. After which, he made two pinch hitting appearances and three starts at

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

before being shut down for the season. This knee injury limited Pasqua through the start of the season. When he did return, he mostly pinch hit or served as designated hitter. In , Pasqua made 83 appearances as a

, versus just 59 in both corner outfield positions. Regardless of where he played on the field, he hit, as 1991 was his best season with the bat. He had a career high 108 hits that produced a career high 71 runs and a career high 66 RBIs. He also hit eighteen home runs with a career high five triples. Pasqua was set to hit free agency after the season. Just before his filing date, he was issued a summons by police when a package allegedly containing

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

and an unused pipe was delivered to his

Dumont, New Jersey Dumont is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,479,Frank Thomas now at first, Pasqua shifted back to right field for . He got off to an exceptional start, with his batting average climbing as high as .379 toward the end of April. However, he soon stopped hitting (.107 avg., 0 HR, 3 RBIs in May). He went on the disabled list in June with a strained right hamstring. He returned at the end of the month only to suffer an ankle injury that knocked him out of the line-up for two weeks in July. All told, he was limited to 93 games, in which he batted .211 with six home runs and 33 RBIs. His .347

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

was a career low. He found himself without a position in ; he made his way into 78 games between pinch hitting, and backing up first base, DH and the corner outfield positions. His 206 plate appearances were his least since his rookie season. Despite poor stats (.205 avg., 5 HR, 20 RBIs), 1993 was a memorable year for Pasqua in that he made his only postseason in his career. He appeared in games one and two of the

1993 American League Championship Series The 1993 American League Championship Series was played between the East Division champion Toronto Blue Jays and the West Division champion Chicago White Sox from October 5 to 12. The defending champion Blue Jays defeated the White Sox, 4–2, ...

against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and walked and scored in the fourth inning of game one. In game two, he committed a first inning

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

that led to an

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an error ...

. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the inning, and left runners on second and third when Pasqua struck out to end the inning. After the Jays took a 3-1 lead, Pasqua hit a weak fly to center with the bases loaded and no

outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...

in the fifth. The Sox were unable to score, and went on to lose the game, 3-1. His performance invited criticism from teammate

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football. Jackson's el ...

. Jackson did not appear in either of the first two games, and commented afterward, "We've been playing for two days one man short," alluding to Pasqua. Pasqua did not appear in any of the four remaining games, and ended the series 0-for-6 with a walk and a run scored. Jackson was the DH in games three through five, and went 0-for-10 with three walks and six

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...

s. He appeared in eleven games in before being shut down for the season by arthroscopic knee surgery, and never returned to the majors.

Career statistics

References

External links

Dan Pasqua
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasqua, Dan 1961 births Living people Chicago White Sox players New York Yankees players Sportspeople from Yonkers, New York Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball designated hitters Baseball players from New York (state) Nashville Sounds players Birmingham Barons players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Columbus Clippers players Paintsville Yankees players Oneonta Yankees players William Paterson Pioneers baseball players International League MVP award winners Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan alumni People from Harrington Park, New Jersey Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey