Sal Butera

[William Malone]

Salvatore Philip Butera was born on September 25, 1952 in New York City, New York.

The Chicago White Sox signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1972. He spent 1973 in the New York Yankees farm system, and joined the Minnesota Twins organization in 1974. Butera made his long awaited Major League debut in 1980 at the age of 27.

He spent three seasons with the Twins as a backup catcher, batting .251 with 28 RBI over 150 games between 1980 and 1982. Minnesota traded Butera to the Detroit Tigers during spring training in 1983. He also spent time with the Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds, before finally making his way back to Minnesota in 1987. The Twins were crowded World Series champions that fall. Butera was 2-for-3 in the playoffs, backing up starting catcher Tim Laudner. He had hit just .171 during the regular season.

The Toronto Blue Jays signed Butera the following season. He played just 23 games, and retired after spending the 1989 campaign in Triple-A.

Butera has had several coaching, scouting and front office roles for the Blue Jays since retiring. He is the father of former Major League catcher Drew Butera, who also played for the Twins.

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