Daniel Anthony Pasqua (born October 17, 1961) is an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
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 catch ...
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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
from 1985 through 1994. He works as a community representative for the White Sox.
Early life
Pasqua is a native of
Harrington Park, New Jersey
Harrington Park is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,741, an increase of 77 (+1.7%) from the 2010 Uni ...
. He attended
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, then
William Paterson University
William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education.
Founded in 1855 an ...
in
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New ...
. He was an
All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
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 an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. All of its current full members are public universities in New Jers ...
Player of the Year in 1982. He was drafted by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
in the third round of the
1982 Major League Baseball draft.
New York Yankees
Through his first three years in the Yankees'
farm system
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, 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 pl ...
, Pasqua batted .267 with 70 home runs and 242
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
. 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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
's
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...
his fourth season earned him a promotion up to the Bronx early in the season.

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 Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
. 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 Le ...
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 upon completion of his turn at bat, ...
, he hit a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
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 (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 particular competition, or ...
honors. During the off-season, the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
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 outfielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for four different teams as a center and r ...
for Pasqua.
Although Yankees
Manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals a ...
(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 system ...
during his playing days) named Pasqua his starting left fielder during
Spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
, 1985 left fielder
Ken Griffey, Sr. 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
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
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 rising
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is an American professional baseball coach, and former first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB. Nicknamed "the Hit Man" and ...
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
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 ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
Steve Rosenberg 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 catc ...
Mark Salas were dealt to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers
Richard Dotson
Richard Elliott Dotson (born January 10, 1959) is an American 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 ...
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 r ...
.
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 the ...
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. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
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
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 ...
, 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
TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...
.
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 (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
and an unused pipe was delivered to his
Dumont, New Jersey
Dumont is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 17,863, an increase of 384 (+2.2%) from the 2010 United Sta ...
home. He reached a settlement, in which he paid a $545 fine and submitted to random drug testing in exchange for having the two minor disorderly conduct charges dropped shortly after re-signing with the Chisox.
With
Frank Thomas
Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed "the Big Hurt," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to ...
then 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, an ...
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 a semifinal series in Major League Baseball's 1993 postseason played between the East Division champion Toronto Blue Jays and the West Division champion Chicago White Sox from October 5 to 12. T ...
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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
, 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 , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement.
In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...
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 erro ...
. 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 h ...
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, football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-star#Sports, All-Star in Major professio ...
. 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 means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s.
He appeared in eleven games in before being shut down for the season by arthroscopic knee surgery, and never returned to the majors.
Personal life
In 1987, a former high school classmate of Pasqua was sentenced to six months in jail by a
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state' ...
judge for impersonating Pasqua in order to swindle two women out of a combined $8,000 ().
References
External links
Dan Pasquaat Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasqua, Dan
1961 births
Living people
Chicago White Sox players
New York Yankees players
Baseball players from Yonkers, New York
Major League Baseball left fielders
Major League Baseball right fielders
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball designated hitters
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
Baseball players from Bergen County, New Jersey
20th-century American sportsmen