Hurricanes Play In Major League All-Star Game
July 11, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The Major League All-Star Game had ties to the University of Miami baseball program. Both National League catchers once wore the orange and green in Charles Johnson (1989-92) and starter Mike Piazza (1987). Greg Vaughn (1986) was selected for the American League roster, but was unable to play due to injury.
Piazza went 0-for-2 in the game flying out in the second off the New York Yankees Riger Clemons and grounding in the fifth off Joe Mays. Johnson flied out in the seventh off Seattle Mariners pitcher Jeff Nelson after entering the game for Piazza in the fifth.
Johnson played for the Hurricanes from 1989-92. He made an immediate impact at UM upon his signing in 1989. A first round pick and the 10th overall selection by the Montreal Expos, Johnson decided to play with UM. In his rookie season at UM, Johnson tied the freshman home run record with 11 to earn a selection to both the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball newspaper Freshman All-American teams.
Johnson eventually concluded his tenure at UM as three-year letterman and a two-time Golden Spikes Award finalist. In his final season in 1992, Johnson was named a First Team All-American by The Sporting News. Upon leaving UM in 1992, Johnson was once again drafted in the first round by his hometown Florida Marlins, but not before playing with the USA National Team at the Barcelona Olympics. Johnson re-joined the Marlins for the 2001 season after spending 1994-98 with the “Fish”. He was traded after the 1997 World Series Championship season to the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent in 1999 then was traded to the Chicago White Sox later that year. He led all America League catchers in 2000 with a career-high 31 home runs and established career highs with a .304 batting average and 91 RBI.
This season, Johnson entered the All-Star break batting .285 with 73 hits, 21 doubles, 16 home runs and 56 RBI. He has a stellar .996 fielding percentage and has caught 26 of 28 stolen base attempts.
Vaughn played one full season with the Hurricanes in 1986 after transferring from Sacramento City Junior College. In his one season with UM, he led the team in home runs (12) and RBI (43). The 1986 Hurricanes advanced to the College World Series, where they fell in the semifinals to Florida State. Among Vaughn’s highlights at the 1986 CWS, was starting off the opener against Georgia Tech with a triple then stealing home. Additionally, he starred in UM’s win over Louisiana State, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored in a decisive 4-3 victory.
A multiple draft pick, Vaughn was first selected in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals prior to his freshman season at Sac City. After that season, the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the third round. Following his junior college career, the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round drafted Vaughn, then by the California Angels in June of that year. He eventually signed with the Brewers as a top draft pick following the 1986 season with UM.
Piazza played only seven games during the 1987 season with Miami. A then-first baseman, Piazza later transferred to Miami Dade-North, where he became a late round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. Overall, he is an eight-time All-Star and was the MVP of the 1996 All-Star Game. Additionally, he was the Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers in 1993. He was traded to the Florida Marlins in 1998 and subsequently to the New York Mets.
