Don Aase

Don Aase
Born	(1954-09-08) September 8, 1954 Orange, California, U.S.
Occupation	Professional baseball pitcher
Years active	1977–1990
Known for	Major League Baseball pitcher for Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers

Donald William Aase ( ; born September 8, 1954) is a retired American professional baseball pitcher who competed in Major League Baseball from 1977 through 1990. Throughout his MLB tenure, Aase played for the Boston Red Sox (1977), California Angels (1978–84), and Baltimore Orioles (1985–88) in the American League, as well as the New York Mets (1989) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1990) in the National League.

Minor leagues

Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 1972 amateur draft, Aase faced challenges during his initial professional season with the Williamsport Red Sox, recording an 0–10 win-loss tally and a 5.81 ERA. The following year, pitching for the Winter Haven Red Sox, he led the Florida State League in losses with 15. However, he rebounded impressively in 1974 while with the Winston-Salem Red Sox, topping the Carolina League charts in wins, complete games, and shutouts, which earned him Pitcher of the Year recognition. Prior to making his major league debut, Aase’s last minor league assignment was with the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox

Aase entered the Red Sox starting rotation in July 1977 and secured his first MLB victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26. He followed this achievement with consecutive shutouts versus the California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays, concluding his rookie campaign with a 6–2 record and a 3.12 ERA over 13 starts, accompanied by a 146 ERA+ rating.

California Angels

Following his inaugural season, Aase was traded to the California Angels in exchange for infielder Jerry Remy. During his initial two and a half seasons with the Angels, he mainly served as a starter, winning 11 games in 1978. On October 5, 1979, in Game Three of the 1979 ALCS, Aase became the first pitcher from the Angels to record a postseason win; though he allowed runs in relief, his team rallied to secure victory and prolong the series.

Around mid-1980, Aase shifted to a bullpen role and assumed duties as the Angels’ primary closer by 1981, amassing 11 saves that year. An elbow injury in July 1982 sidelined him for nearly two years. He made his comeback in June 1984, appearing in 23 games and contributing eight saves.

Baltimore Orioles

After concluding the 1984 season, Aase signed with the Baltimore Orioles. In his debut year with Baltimore, he achieved 10 wins alongside 14 saves. His standout season was in 1986 when he notched 23 saves during the first half and earned selection to the American League All-Star team. In his sole All-Star Game appearance, he recorded a save by inducing a double play to end the contest. Later that season, signs of fatigue appeared; on August 28, he became the first Orioles pitcher to be credited with two losses on a single day during a doubleheader. Despite this setback, Aase set a franchise single-season record with 34 saves, surpassing Tim Stoddard’s previous mark—a record that remained until Gregg Olson tallied 36 saves in 1990—and stood out as an achievement for a player on a last-place squad.

In 1987, Aase’s only victory came on Opening Day; after several relief outings, shoulder surgery curtailed his season prematurely.

New York Mets

Approaching age 34 for the season, Aase joined the New York Mets as a free agent on February 20, 1989. He pitched in relief across 49 games, finishing with a 1–5 record and a 3.94 ERA over 59⅓ innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers

A year later, Aase inked a deal as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Serving primarily out of the bullpen, he recorded a 3–1 win-loss mark and posted a 4.97 ERA over 38 innings pitched in 32 appearances. His last major league outing took place on October 3 at Dodger Stadium versus the San Diego Padres, during which he surrendered two unearned runs in just one-third of an inning. Following the season, Aase entered free agency once again and opted to conclude his playing career.

Career statistics

Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	GF	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	HBP	ERA	WHIP
66	60	448	91	22	5	234	82	1,109.3	1,085	503	468	89	457	641	7	3.80	1.39

External links

• Don Aase at SABR (Baseball BioProject)