His brother Joe DePastino had made the majors after a long career in the minors. A former minor leaguer himself, Rich DePastino couldn't help but compare for The Times his brother's career to his own career.
"I didn't have half the work ethic Joe does," Rich DePastino told The Times.
While Joe DePastino's work ethic finally got him to the majors deep into his 13-season professional career, Rich DePastino's work ethic saw him play as a pro for five seasons. He never made the bigs.
Rich DePastino's career began in 1986, taken by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the draft out of Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla. DePastino was also credited as Richard DePastino.
At Riverview, DePastino won all-area and all-state honors and played in the 1985 Babe Ruth World Series.
He started with the Blue Jays at rookie Medicine Hat. He went 4-3, with a 5.15 ERA over 16 outings, 10 starts. He threw a seven-inning no-hitter in August against Salt Lake.
DePastino moved to single-A Myrtle Beach for 1987. He went 4-0 over 25 outings, one start, with a 4.92 ERA. He then hit high-A Dunedin for 1988. He threw another seven innings of no-hit ball to end that year, but got a no-decision.
He played 1989 back at Myrtle Beach and moved to starting. He went 7-8 over 29 starts, with a 4.03 ERA. DePastino then finished out his career in 1990, going 6-3, with a 5.02 ERA over 22 outings, 14 starts.
- New York Times, Aug. 7, 2003: Rookie's Long Wait Ends Right on Time
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,895
Made the Majors:1,077-37.2%
Never Made Majors:1,818-62.8%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 447
10+ Seasons in the Minors:269
The greatest game in Med hat history! He should have a statue there!
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