The 1991 Peninsula Pilots suffered from a poor record that June and attendance. Their field wasn't the best, either, The Newport News Daily Press wrote.
Second-year Pilot Damon Saetre expressed his frustration and his optimism to The Daily News.
"It's hard to build confidence when you look at that field," Saetre told The Daily Press. "But frustrated, no. We've got a great bunch of guys. We know we can play good ball."
For Saetre, that season marked his third in the pros, and also his last. He topped out at high-A. But, the Michigan native appears to have settled right there in Newport News, getting into in the ship industry.
Saetre's career began in 1989, taken by the Mariners in the 21st round of the draft out of Western Michigan University.
Saetre began with the Mariners at single-A Wausau. He got into 55 games and hit .245. That July, he picked up a big RBIs in a Wausau win, The Wausau Daily Herald wrote.
"We had some very big hits," Wausau manager Tommy Jones told The Daily Herald then. "Damon Saetre had some big RBIs."
Saetre moved to high-A Peninsula for 1990. He hit .216 over 110 games. He then returned to Peninsula for 1991. He saw 90 games and hit .282 to end his career.
Saetre has since settled in Newport News. He started in shipbuilding in 1992 as a pipefitter apprentice. In 2023, he serves as vice president for integrated planning and production control at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII.
In January 2020, Saetre, with Newport News Shipbuilding, helped dedicate a Habitat for Humanity home in Newport News.
"There is a sense of purpose and accomplishment that comes from building things with your hands - whether it's a ship or a house," Saetre said at the dedication, according to Newport News Shipbuilding. "The tools and materials may be a little different, but the builder's dedication and pride is the same."
- Wausau Daily Herald, July 18, 1989: Timbers at hit vs. Peoria
- Newport News Daily Press, June 4, 1991: Peninsula's woes continue
- Newport News Shipbuilding, Jan. 6, 2020: NNS Dedicates Habitat For Humanity Home
Made the Majors:1,379-32.8%
Never Made Majors:2,824-67.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:560
10+ Seasons in the Minors:344
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