Daniel Joseph Serafini (born January 25, 1974) is an American former left-handed baseball
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...
. He was taken in the first round (26th overall) by the
Minnesota Twins in the
1992 MLB draft
The 1992 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 1, 1992, through a conference call involving all 28 MLB teams of the time. Phil Nevin of Cal State Fullerton was the first overall selection, chosen by the Houston Astros. Derek Jeter, sele ...
.
Early life
Serafini attended
Junípero Serra High School. In 1991, in a 7–0 win over
Salinas High School
Salinas High School is a public 9–12 high school in Salinas, California, United States. It is the first of five primary high schools of the Salinas Union High School District. The school was moved to its current central Salinas location in 19 ...
, Serafini pitched a
CIF Central Coast Section
The Central Coast Section (CCS) is the governing body of public and private high school athletics in the portion of California encompassing San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Cruz County and a few pri ...
playoff no-hitter. It remains the only playoff no-hitter in school history.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
Serafini was a first round draft pick in the
1992 Major League Baseball draft
The 1992 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 1, 1992, through a conference call involving all 28 MLB teams of the time. Phil Nevin of Cal State Fullerton was the first overall selection, chosen by the Houston Astros. Derek Jeter, sel ...
when the
Minnesota Twins selected him as the 26th overall pick. He was drafted out of
Junípero Serra High School.
He began his professional career after signing with the Twins when he played for the rookie league team, the
GCL Twins
The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, t ...
. He played in 8 games in 1992 and posted a 1–0 record with a 3.64 ERA. In 1993, he played for the
Fort Wayne Wizards
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, the Twins Single-A team. He made 27 starts and posted a 10–8 record with a 3.65 ERA. He played for the
Fort Myers Miracle
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at H ...
, the Twins High-A team, in 1994. He made 23 starts and had a 9–9 record with a 4.61 ERA. While with the Double-A
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...
in 1995, he was an All-Star in the
Eastern League. Overall while with the Rock Cats, he went 12–9 with a 3.37 ERA. He also made one relief appearance for the
Salt Lake Buzz
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
, the Twins Triple-A affiliate, in 1995.
In 1996, he was rated by
Baseball America as the 76th-ranked prospect in the minor leagues.
Minnesota Twins (1996–1998)
He made his major league debut on June 25 against 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 of ...
. He started the game and pitched 4.1 innings, gave up 5 runs, and got the loss. It was his only major league game of the year and pitched for the Salt Lake Buzz in the remainder of the 1996 season.
He pitched in the major leagues for the Twins in parts of the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Chicago Cubs (1999)
His contract was purchased by the
Chicago Cubs from the Twins on March 31, 1999. He played for the Cubs for the majority of the season, going 3–2 with a 6.93
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
in 42 games (4 starts). That year, he also made two starts for the
Iowa Cubs, the Cubs' Triple-A team.
San Diego Padres (2000)
In the 1999 offseason, on December 22, he was traded to the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
for
minor league 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 c ...
Brandon Pernell. He pitched in 3 games for the Padres and recorded an 18.00 ERA. He also played for the Triple-A
Las Vegas 51s in which he had a 6.88 ERA in 26 games (4 starts).
Pittsburgh Pirates (2000)
He was then traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Andy Bausher on June 28, 2000, and was assigned to Triple-A
Nashville. He made 7 starts for the Nashville Sounds, in which he went 4–3 with a 2.68 ERA. His performance earned him a callup to the Pirates major league club and he pitched in the rotation from August 5 until the end of the season, making 11 starts in which he went 2–5 with a 4.91 ERA.
He was released by the Pirates on March 20, 2001.
San Francisco Giants
He was signed to a minor league contract by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
on March 27. He began the year with the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...
, but was released on April 24.
New York Mets
He was then signed to a minor league contract on May 8 by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
. He played for the Triple-A
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...
before being released on August 5.
Milwaukee Brewers
He signed another minor league contract two days later, this time with the
Milwaukee Brewers. He played for the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians for the rest of the 2001 season and was granted free agency on October 15.
Anaheim Angels
Serafini signed with the
Anaheim 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 h ...
on November 3, 2001, but was released on March 28, 2002 before the season began.
St. Louis Cardinals
He did not play in 2002 and signed with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
on November 14, 2002. He began the 2003 season for the Triple-A
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...
but was released on April 21, 2003, after going 0–1 with a 9.00 ERA in 3 games (2 starts). He then went to play in the Mexican League.
Cincinnati Reds (2003)
His contract was purchased by the
Cincinnati Reds on August 25, 2003 from the Mexican League. He played in his first major game since 2000 when he started a game for the Reds on August 26 against the Milwaukee Brewers. After 4 starts in which he went 0–3 with a 6.27 ERA, he was put into the
bullpen for the remainder of the 2003 season. He went 1–3 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 games for the Reds in 2003. Following the season, he was granted free agency on October 4.
Chiba Lotte Marines (2004–2005) and Orix Buffaloes (2006–2007)
From 2004 to 2007, Serafini pitched in Japan. He played for the
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd.
History
The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...
in 2004 and 2005, and the
Orix Buffaloes in 2006 and 2007.
Colorado Rockies (2007)
Serafini returned to major league baseball in the United States on July 31, 2007, when he signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Sky Sox. He went 0–1 with a 3.48 ERA. On September 4, 2007, when rosters expanded, his contract was purchased by the major league club. The next day, he played in his first major league game since 2003, when he came in to pitch against the San Francisco Giants. He was used as a left-handed specialist for the Rockies. He pitched in just 3 games in his callup and had a 54.00 ERA in 1/3 innings. He became a free agent after the 2007 season.
On November 27, 2007,
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 (AL), ...
suspended Serafini 50 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program. Serafini blamed the suspension on taking the substances in Japan for medical reasons as prescribed by Japanese doctors, and states he stopped taking them when he entered the US.
Later career
Serafini spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the
Sultanes de Monterrey in the
Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
.
In 2010, Serafini played for the
Cañeros de Los Mochis in the
Mexican Pacific League
The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule ru ...
, the
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
of the
Atlantic League, and then appeared for Mexico in the February 2011 Caribbean Series.
In 2012, Serafini began the season with the Mexican League, then ended up with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. With the Bluefish he started 13 games and compiled a 4.02 ERA and 5–3 record. His last game was on August 26, 2012, vs the Sugar Land Skeeters—the day after Roger Clemens' notorious start with the same team. Although still on the Bluefish roster, Perry Miles, the voice of the Bluefish, suggested that was Serafini's last appearance of the season.
He then went back to the Mexican League, signing with the
Naranjeros de Hermosillo
The Naranjeros de Hermosillo ( en, Hermosillo Orange Growers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Hermosillo, Sonora. The Naranjeros are one of the most successful teams in the league with 16 titles and they we ...
on November 23, 2012.
Post-playing career
Serafini currently owns the 'Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy' in the
Sparks, Nevada area. He offers baseball players customized personal training, focused on preventing injury and the areas of mechanics, pitching, fielding, and batting.
Serafini and his wife also owned a bar in Sparks called 'The Oak Tavern' (formerly named ‘The Bullpen Bar’), a bar which was featured on an episode of ''
Bar Rescue
''Bar Rescue'' is an American reality television series that airs on Paramount Network (formerly Spike during the first five seasons). It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food and beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs, bars and p ...
'' that aired on June 28, 2015.
References
External links
Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy*
ttp://www.deadspin.com/sports/baseball/the-diligent-factchecking-of-sports-radio-186468.php Coverage of the Serafini impersonation incident from www.deadspin.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serafini, Dan
1974 births
Living people
American people of Italian descent
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan
American sportspeople in doping cases
Baseball players from San Francisco
Bridgeport Bluefish players
Cañeros de Los Mochis players
Chiba Lotte Marines players
Chinatrust Whales players
Chicago Cubs players
Cincinnati Reds players
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Fort Myers Miracle players
Fort Wayne Wizards players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Gulf Coast Twins players
Hardware City Rock Cats players
Indianapolis Indians players
Iowa Cubs players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses
Memphis Redbirds players
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Minnesota Twins players
Naranjeros de Hermosillo players
Nashville Sounds players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Norfolk Tides players
Orix Buffaloes players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Rieleros de Aguascalientes players
Salt Lake Buzz players
San Diego Padres players
Sultanes de Monterrey players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
Tigres de Quintana Roo players
Yaquis de Obregón players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
2013 World Baseball Classic players
Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo, California) alumni