Brooklyn-born Frank Seminara was an All-City star at
Xaverian High School prior to making his move to Manhattan to pitch for
Columbia University.
Seminara arrived at Columbia in 1985 with a fastball that touched
90 mph with movement. A hard-throwing
righty, Seminara established himself during his sophomore season. A member of the 1987 squad which set a new
Columbian record with 28 wins in a single season, Seminara led the nation with
a 2.12 earned run average. He started
off the season on fire, going 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA and striking out a batter an
inning before having his season shut down by injury.
After a solid junior season, Seminara was selected by the
New York Yankees in the 12th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball
Amateur Draft.
Acquired by San Diego in 1990, Seminara made his big league
debut with the Padres in iconic Wrigley Field, becoming the first Columbian to
pitch in a major league game since 1937.
Seminara took on a Cubs lineup that included Sammy Sosa and current
Yankees manager Joe Girardi and pitched a shutout into the seventh inning. Seminara finished the 1992 season with a 9-4
record and a 3.68 ERA.
In 1994, the native New Yorker retuned to the city to pitch
for the New York Mets. He finished his
three-year career in the majors with a 12-9 record, 4.12 ERA and 90
strikeouts.
