The South Bend White Sox got some key opposite-field hits in this April 1991 game, including an opposite-field RBI double by Joe Solimine, The South Bend Tribune wrote.
"The key to opposite-field hitting is the head," South Bend hitting coach Mark Haley told The Tribune afterward. "Keeping the head down and staying inside with the hands. The thing we try to teach is keep the bat through the zone as long as you can. If your head moves, you pull off the ball. We really drill the kids on keeping the head straight hard."
Solimine picked up that opposite-field hit in his third-season as a pro. It was also his last. He topped out at single-A.
Solimine's career began in 1989, taken by the White Sox in the 44th round of the draft out of Fairfield University in Connecticut.
In turning pro, Solimine followed his father, Joe Solimine, Sr., into the pros. The father played nine pro seasons and made AAA, but not the majors.
Solimine grew up in Pelham, NY, and played in August 1987 with the Pelham Mets in the National Amateur Baseball Federation playoffs and hit a home run.
At Fairfield, he won Athlete of the Year honors in 1989, as well as all-region.
He started with the White Sox in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He saw 25 games, mostly at catcher, and hit .203.
He moved to short-season Utica for 1990. He singled, stole second and scored in a July game. He then picked up a game-winning, eighth-inning pinch hit in an August game. (The back of his 1990 card recorded his nickname as "Skull.")
Solimine then moved to single-A South Bend in 1991. He got into 17 games and picked up six hits in 38 at bats. He then asked for his release and retired.
Solimine soon returned to Pelham and followed his father into another field, insurance. In 2021, he continues as president of Meridian Risk Management, a company he founded in 2003.
Made the Majors:1,248-34.4%
Never Made Majors:2,384-65.6%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:520
10+ Seasons in the Minors:307
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