Player Profile: Don Aase

I have 26 different cards of Don Aase. This one is from 1986 Donruss Highlights.

Playing Career: Don Aase pitched thirteen seasons in the major leagues for the Red Sox, Angels, Orioles, Mets and Dodgers, winning 66 games and saving 82. Red Sox fans remember him for a surprisingly strong rookie season as a starter in 1977. Angels fans remember him winning the first playoff game in franchise history in 1979. Orioles fans remember his all-star season of 1986, saving 34 games. Mets fans remember him giving up back-breaking home runs to unusual suspects Willie Randolph and Mitch Williams in the doomed summer of 1989.

My Memories: I remember him in the 1986 Topps sticker book, my first introduction to Major League Baseball. I thought his name was pronounced Ace for a few years until I heard it on TV - it is pronounced Ozzie.

Interesting Stories: Aase and his wife had conceptions problems in the 1980s. In 1985 they adopted a child, then in 1986 Mrs. Aase became pregnant, only to learn that the child would probably have cystic fibrosis. Don Aase had actually been doing charity work for the Cystic Fibrosis foundation at the time. However, the worries proved unfounded and the Aases had a healthy baby boy, who went on to play baseball at UNLV. (LA Times article, 1988)

Post-playing career: In the 1990s, Aase owned two batting cages in California, Winning Streak and Don Aase's The Slam. Since then he appears to be retired.

Google Autocomplete Ranking: He is the first entry to come up when typing Don Aa, ahead of DON AA, which is the Department of the Navy's Assistant for Administration. There do not appear to be any other prominent Don Aases.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile is Chuck Abbott.