Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Damaschke Field in Oneonta, NY, in 2009. Damaschke was home to the 1990 Oneonta Yankees. (Greatest 21 Days) Features on each member of the 1990 Oneonta Yankees, short-season affiliate of the New York Yankees. Oneonta Yankees (28) 1  -  Jovino Carvajal  played decade, ran with hall of famer 2  -  Bob Deller  saw four seasons in Yankees system, high-A 3  -  Doug Demetre  played catcher at Gonzaga, saw 1 pro season 4 - Ken Dominguez, Changed Goal Ken Dominguez' goals changed from titles to developing players. 5 - Matt Dunbar, Fifth Game Matt Dunbar made the Marlins in 1995 but his stay was brief. 6 - Robert Eenhoorn, Over There Robert Eenhoorn made the bigs from the Netherlands. 7 - Ron Frazier, Big Game Ron Frazier wanted the ball in big games. He never made the big leagues. 8 - Luis Gallardo, Three Hits Luis Gallardo got three hits in a high-A game. He played five minor league seasons. 9 - Mike Hankins, Having Fun Mik...

At a time when Mark McGwire could seemingly hit anyone, he couldn't seem to hit Kirt Ojala . The left-hander faced McGwire nine times in his career up until August 1998 - six times that record-breaking season - and Ojala held the slugger hitless . "No, I can't say I'm the guy he can't hit," Ojala told reporters after facing McGwire and the Cardinals that Aug. 31, according to The Los Angeles Times . "So far he hasn't hit me, but it's far too soon to say it's a trend. I hope I'm around long enough to get other opportunities. He might go four for four the next time." Ojala faced McGwire that year in his second major league season. He came back for a third , but Ojala never faced McGwire again. Days before facing McGwire in that August 1998 contest, Ojala faced another slugger but didn't have the same luck. He gave up Barry Bonds ' milestone 400th career home run. Ojala's career began in 1990, taken by the Ya...

High schooler Adin Lohry was ready to turn pro in 1989. It didn't hurt that the team to come calling was the team he hoped to play for as a kid, the Yankees, according to The Orlando Sentinel . "I didn't care who would have drafted me," Lohry told The Sentinel . ''I would have probably signed with anybody. But they made it easy. They met all my demands, and they made it possible to go to college later." Lohry went on to a pro career that spanned six seasons. He made AA, but he didn't make it higher . His pro career began that year in 1989, taken by the Yankees in the fourth round of the draft out of Winter Park High School in Florida. Lohry started with the Yankees in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He hit .266 in 38 games. He picked up two hits in an August game. He then moved to short-season Oneonta for 1990. The catcher hit .197 there. Lohry made high-A Fort Lauderdale for 30 games in 1991. He got 52 games at high-A Prince William ...

Gonzaga catcher Doug Demetre knew his pitchers. He talked up one, Billy Walker, to The Spokane Spokesman-Review in April 1990. "You've got to look for his fastball," Demetre told The Spokesman-Review of Walker, "and if you're looking for anything else, it's all over. And if you look for the fastball, he'll still beat you. I mean, it's really a no-win situation." Demetre went on to take his catching skills from Gonzaga to the pros. His pro career, however, was brief. He got into just 20 games . Demetre's brief career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent out of Gonzaga . Demetre went to Gonzaga out of Juanita High School in Kirkland, Wa. As a youth, Demetre was part of a team that made the Little League World Series . At Gonzaga, Demetre hit a two-run home run in a March 1990 game, then a bases-loaded double in an April 1990 contest. Demetre came out of Gonzaga in 1990 and the Yankees assig...

After four seasons in the minors, Mike Hankins tried his hand in 1994 at extending his career in independent ball. The Winnipeg Goldeye infielder also had himself a good time, he told The Los Angeles Times that July. "I think I've had some good years," Hankins told The Times . "It's a little different (in Winnipeg). I'm having a lot more fun, and having fun has helped me play better." That season ended up being Hankins' last as a pro . He's since gone on to a career helping others play better as a high school and college coach. Hankins' career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 32nd round out of UCLA. Hankins' father Terry Hankins also played in the minors . Hankins started with the Yannkees at short-season Oneonta. He hit .271 in 50 games. He moved to high-A Prince William for 1991, hitting .263 there. He picked up three hits in a July game. He singled and scored in an August game. He split 1992 between Prin...

Originally published Jan. 13, 2015 The Greensboro Hornets already had this May 1991 game well in hand, but Cesar Perez helped close it out, according to The Sumter Item . Perez came on in the ninth inning, his Hornets leading 14-0. He proceeded to record the final three outs without letting a Sumter Flyer reach base, The Item wrote . Perez came into that game in his fourth season as a pro. He went on to see time in seven seasons. He briefly made AA, but he didn't make it higher . Perez' career began in 1988, signed by the Yankees as a free agent out of his native Panama. He played his first two seasons in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He got into six games his first season and 11 in his second. He had ERAs under 3 both years. Perez played 1990 between single-A Greensboro and short-season Oneonta . He got into 41 games between them, with a 3.14 ERA. He also went 2-2 and saved two games. He returned to Greensboro for all of 1991. He pitched a third of an inn...

Ken Dominguez ' University of Tampa team made the 1987 Division 2 World Series but the team's goals had yet to be met, Dominguez told The Lakeland Ledger that May. "We had three goals to start the season - to win the Sunshine State Conference title, win the regional and win the national title," Dominguez told The Ledger . Dominguez' team fell short of the national title, coming in sixth in that world series. Dominguez' own goals soon changed. The next year, he made the jump from college to the pros. His pro career has lasted more than two decades, Dominguez working to fulfill the ultimate goal of getting his players on to the majors. Dominguez arrived at the University of Tampa as head coach in 1985, continuing there until 1988 . His overall record came in 141-69-1. Dominguez started coaching with the Yankees in the rookie Gulf Coast League. he moved to short-season Oneonta in 1990. Before the decade was out, Dominguez had at least five more sea...

Fort Lauderdale pitching coach Mark Shiflett explained to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel his organization's approach to prospects in April 1992. The topic: The top overall selection in the 1991 draft, the Yankees' Brien Taylor . "The Yankee philosophy is don't rush these kids -- let them have success and enjoy where they are," Shiflett told The Sun-Sentinel . "Brien Taylor's going to be successful here, and he's going to learn a lot. For a kid who hasn't had any college experience, he's got some games to get under his belt." Shiflett watched over a pre-injury Taylor early on in his career as a minor league coach. Shiflett had his own career as a player . He got into six seasons and made AA. His coaching career spanned a decade, Shiflett spending much of that time at high-A. Shiflett's pro career began in 1981, taken by the Yankees in the 27th round out of Auburn University. Shiflett started with the Yankees at short...

Fresh off his first season as a pro, Pat Murphy made the move up to single-A Greensboro . He'd been used mainly as a reliever at short-season Oneonta, getting two starts there over 25 outings. At Greensboro, it figured to be more of the same, according to The Greensboro News and Record . Morphy, The News and Record wrote to start that season, figured to be used as a spot starter, as well as in long relief. Greensboro went on to use Morphy as a starter four times that season over 43 total outings. He had a 4.00 ERA. That was Morphy's second season as a pro. He got into just one more . Morphy's career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 34th round of the draft out of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Morphy's first season at Oneonta saw him turn in a 3.02 ERA over 59.2 innings of work . He then moved to Greensboro for 1991. He went 4-8 largely in relief, picking up one save . He picked up his first relief loss of the year in May, giving up a d...

The Albany-Colonie Yankees' backs were against the wall in the 1993 postseason and Ron Frazier came through, according to The Schenectady Daily Gazette . Down 2-0, Frazier came out and gave the club seven innings of work. He gave up one run and struck out 11 as Albany stayed alive with a 3-1 win . "He's a big-game pitcher and he pitched a big game for us," Albany pitching coach Dave Schuler told The Daily Gazette afterward. "He wanted the ball. He likes the scenario of the big game and he showed it tonight." Frazier ended up getting the ball a lot. He went on to a career that spanned 13 seasons in the minors and independent ball. Frazier made it up to AAA, but he never made the majors . Frazier's career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 12th round of the draft out of Clemson University. Frazier started with the Yankees at short-season Oneonta. He went 6-2, with a 2.56 ERA in 13 starts. He moved to single-A Greensboro for 1991, go...

It wasn't the biggest hit in this May 1993 game for high-A Prince William, but Bob Deller got the job done . Deller came up in the seventh with teammate Jorge Posada on third. He knocked what was scored as a fielder's choice, sending Posada home. That run put Prince William ahead for good, according to The Fredericksberg Free Lance-Star . Deller hit that fieder's choice in his fourth season as a pro. It was also his last season as a pro. He played four seasons. He never made AA . Deller's career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 18th round out of Texas Wesleyan University . Deiller started with the Yankees at short-season Oneonta . He hit .243 over 54 games, stealing 16 bases. He moved to single-A Greensboro for 1991. He hit .252 over 84 games there. Deller made it to high-A Fort Lauderdale for 1992. He picked up three hits in one May game. He hit .254 overall. His final season came in 1992 at Prince William. He had two hits in a July game an...

The Fort Lauderdale Yankees amassed a whopping 18 hits in this May 1992 game and Luis Gallardo was in the middle of it . Gallardo picked up three hits in the game, one of four Yankees to do so. The club went on to beat Miami by a score of 11-2, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel . Gallardo was in his fifth season as a pro that year and first at high-A. It was Gallardo's final season as a pro. He never made it higher . Gallardo's career began in 1987, signed by the Angels as a free agent out of his native Venezuela. Gallardo played his first season between single-A Quad City and short-season Salem. He hit .233 between them, playing largely as an infielder. Gallardo moved to independent Reno for 1988. He hit into 39 games, hitting .229. He then isn't recorded as playing in 1989. Gallardo signed with the Yankees for 1990 and went to short-season Oneonta . He also tried a new position, serving as catcher over 28 of his 40 appearances. He hit .284. ...

Jovino Carvajal was speedy. He stole over 30 bases in four separate seasons. In one season at single-A, Carvajal stole 68. Years later, a former teammate of Carvajal's recalled the day Carvajal ran with a future Hall of Famer, or when the future Hall of Famer - Mariano Rivera - ran with Carvajal. "Mo just had [elbow] surgery, so he wasn't doing a lot of throwing," Yankee Jorge Posada recalled to Sports Illustrated upon Rivera's retirement in 2013. "But there he was running with the outfielders, right there with (Carl) Everett and (Jovino) Carvajal, the fastest guys in the Instructional League. I thought he was an outfielder the first time I saw him." Carvajal was an outfielder for a decade as a pro. While Rivera and Everett went on to stardom in the majors, Carvajal went on to make AAA, but he couldn't make it higher . Carvajal's career began in 1990, signed by the Yankees as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic . ...

Ricky Strickland started this July 1991 game strong for high-A Prince William, according to The Washington Post . Strickland hit a one-hopper over the wall for a ground-rule double and he soon came around to score. Strickland's Pilots then went on to a 7-0 win, The Post wrote . Strickland was in his third professional season that year with the Yankees. He went on to play in one more. He made AA, but he didn't make it higher . Strickland's career began in 1989, taken by the Yankees in the 34th round of the draft out of Austin Peay University in Tennessee. Strickland played his first season between the rookie Gulf Coast League and short-season Oneonta. Over 22 games on the year, he hit .259. He returned to Oneonta for all of 1990. The outfielder hit .245 and stole 20 bases. He moved up to high-A in 1991. He played the bulk of the year at Prince William and he got some time at Fort Lauderdale. He had two hits in a July game and a triple in an August contest . ...

Robert Eenhoorn knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to play baseball. In the Netherlands in the late 1980s, that wasn't the easiest task, he explained to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in July 1990. "Baseball is popular over there, but not that popular," Eenhoorn told The Sun-Sentinel . "I played both soccer and baseball when I was a kid, but as I got older, I had to be honest with myself and go with the sport I really love. And to do that, I had to move to the United States." Eenhoorn spoke to The Sun-Sentinel weeks into his professional career at short-season Oneonta. The Dutch infielder went on to make it all the way to the majors. He saw 37 games total over four major league seasons with the Yankees and Angels. He's since gone on to return home to the Netherlands to promote the game further there to the country's youth as a coach in the Olympics. Along the way, he's had to come back from personal tragedy, namely the 2003 loss of ...

Rick Lantrip hit a late home run in this August 1991 game for single-A Greensboro and he did it off a kind of pitcher he rarely hit off of, according to The Greensboro News & Record . "I hate sidewinders," Lantrip told The News & Record . "I don't know what it is about them, but I've never been able to hit them." Lantrip ultimately wasn't able to hit enough all kinds of pitchers. That 1991 season was Lamtrip's second as a pro. He hit .213. He played just one more year . Lantrip's career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the fifth round of the draft out of Fresno State University. Lantrip was also credited as Rich Lantrip. Out of Visalia's Golden West High School in 1987, Lantrip was set to be a first-round pick, except he told all the teams he was college-bound, according to McClatchy News Service . Despite his pronouncement, the Mariners took a chance on him in the fourth round. "In an average year, there are ...

Bo Siberz changed his approach in mid-1991 and it resulted in a calmer approach to the game, according to The Greensboro News & Record . It was calmer, especially compared to the locker room he damaged earlier that year out of frustration over a poor outing, The News & Record wrote . "I used to want to tear things up and go crazy," Siberz told The News & Record . "Now I've kinda got it controlled where I keep it inside and slowly release it. I feel like that helps me now because I don't let it just stay inside me. I get it out and I look at each day as a brand new day. It really helps and it has shown in my performance." It didn't end up helping enough. Siberz finished out that season for Greensboro, his second as a pro , with a 4.60 overall ERA. He didn't return for a third season. Siberz' career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 14th round of the draft out of Texas A&M University. Siberz made his way to...

Matt Dunbar came on in relief of the Marlins starter in this May 1995 game and he couldn't get the job done . Dunbar allowed both runners on base when he came in to score. He was also tagged for two runs himself . A 2-1 deficit had become 6-1. "I don't know what to say," Dunbar told The South Florida Sun Sentinel after the 9-1 loss. "I'm just so disappointed. You don't want to get beat bad any time, but especially not in the first game of a series." That outing for Dunbar was close to his own personal first game. It was his fifth appearance overall. He ended up getting into three more big league games. He never got back . Dunbar's career began in 1990, taken by the Yankees in the 25th round of the draft out of Florida State University. Dunbar played his first year between the rookie Gulf Coast League and short-season Oneonta. He moved to single-A Greensboro in 1991, then AA Albany-Colonie in 1993. He spent his 1994 season betwe...

Yankees manager Buck Showalter was impressed with Sam Militello 's start with the club in August 1992, according to The Associated Press . But he also wanted to see if Militello could keep it up. In Militello's major league debut - against Boston no less - he went seven innings and gave up a single hit. In his second start, Militello went eight innings, giving up two earned runs . "I'm a realist. Success is measured over the long haul, not a short-term basis," Showalter told The AP after that second Militello outing. "He is certainly off to a good start and we'll see where it takes him." That good start ended up taking Militello seven more starts that year and three more outings the next. Those outings ended up being the extent of his major league career . For Militello, the actual long haul ended up not being as a player, but as a coach. He's served 16 years as a coach for his alma mater  the University of Tampa, continuing in 2015 as...