The Harrisburg Alumni Association

Joe Ausanio in 1993

Pitcher Joe Ausanio turns in the finest relief performance in the Harrisburg Senators’ modern era 33 years ago tonight as he strikes out seven in the final 4 1/3 innings of a 7-6 victory over the Albany-Colonie Yankees in Game 2 of the 1993 Class AA Eastern League semifinals on City Island.‍

The effort helps prompt the New York Yankees to select Ausanio two months later in the Class AAA phase of the Rule V draft.

Ausanio then spends parts of the 1994 and ’95 seasons in the majors, where he goes 4-1 in 41 relief appearances for the Yankees.

He strikes out 51 batters in his 53 innings in the majors – the first being Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez in his second game in 1994, the last Baltimore’s Brady Anderson in his final game in 1995.

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