Alumnus Dom Scala ’15TCB Found Great Success as Baseball Coach and Scout

While baseball would eventually define his life, Mr. Scala also played basketball and football, excelling in all three at St. Francis Preparatory School then located in Brooklyn, NY. He was overwhelmed with college football scholarship offers and eventually decided to attend the University of Maryland.

“They were an up-and-coming school, and I thought I had a better chance at playing,” he recalled.

However, it only took a week for Mr. Scala to realize the school, and football, were not for him. He returned home uncertain at what his future would hold. He attended the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game and had a prophetic meeting with legendary St. John’s Baseball Coach and Head Athletic Director John “Jack” Kaiser ’49C. Coach Kaiser had pursued Mr. Scala at St. Francis. “He said, ‘What are you doing home?’ and invited me to see him at his office.”

Mr. Scala recalled that Coach Kaiser didn’t need to offer him a scholarship because he had already declined an opportunity to come to St. John’s. Yet, he still offered him a four-year scholarship. 

“Coach Kaiser had the confidence that I would become the player he thought I could be,” he said. “I was blessed. He became a mentor and a hero to me.” Like so many other athletes, Mr. Scala remained in close touch with Coach Kaiser until his passing in 2022.

“St. John’s will always be near and dear to me,” Mr. Scala stressed, adding that his entire life changed for the better by returning to Queens and attending St. John’s. “I had an apartment in Queens, and I met my wife Yolanda here.” 

Mr. Scala played under Coach Kaiser and later Head Coach Joe Russo. “He was a fiery little guy who wanted every advantage for his team.” Both men inspired Mr. Scala to become a coach and a mentor of young athletes. 

To this day, Mr. Scala runs a series of successful youth baseball camps for kids. “I’m a man of fundamentals and keeping it simple.” He added, “I’m a big believer in development. [As a coach] you have to the ability to get the best out of your players. They have to buy into your system.”

A second team All-American at St. John’s, Mr. Scala started as a first-year student playing first base, where he had never played. “Because I was an athlete I adapted,” he said, and batted cleanup, hitting .420 in his senior year. Eventually, he played third base and became Team Captain.

After his breakout success at St. John’s, Mr. Scala was drafted by the Oakland A’s in his senior year and played two seasons in their minor league system. A shoulder injury derailed his playing career and led him to coaching. In 1978, the New York Yankees desperately needed a bullpen catcher and put the word out for a former minor leaguer who had catching experience. 

“They called me, and the rest is history,” he said.

Mr. Scala found himself rubbing shoulders and learning from Yankee legends like Billy Martin, Yogi Berra, and Elston Howard, eventually being promoted to Bullpen Coach. He would spend nine years with the Yankees, earning a World Championship ring in 1978. 

“You never know who you’re going to meet in baseball,” he said. “It’s like a wheel. Being with the Yankees all those years I met so many great players and coaches who inspired me as a coach.” 

Mr. Scala recalled his warm relationship with fiery Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. “I was a young guy and would do whatever was needed. I’d hit fungoes [fly balls for fielding practice], throw batting practice, and catch in the bullpen, and he would watch everything from up in his box. One day, he saw me in the bullpen during Spring Training in Fort Lauderdale and said, ‘Dom Scala is here, we can start now!’”

After nine years with the Yankees, Mr. Scala was recruited by Syd Thrift, the same man who drafted him for the A’s who was now the General Manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, to be an Advance Scout and Special Assignment Scout. “He was building the club and brought me on because he wanted guys who had experience with winning teams.”

For four years, Mr. Scala reported directly to Pirates Manager Jim Leyland, who was recently elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mr. Scala would watch teams the Pirates were scheduled to play and deliver reports to Mr. Leyland about their strengths and weaknesses. 

“I really felt like I was part of the team,” he stressed.

Eventually, Mr. Scala was hired as Head Baseball Coach at Adelphi University, where he won three conference championships, made the playoffs 16 out of 18 seasons, and was a three-time Coach of the Year. “More important for me were the relationships I built with the players,” he said. “So many of them are now successful in their careers and great family people. I always tried to stress to them not only the finer points of baseball but being a good person and doing great in school.”

A member of the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, Mr. Scala is less concerned about how many wins he had as a coach, and more focused on the number of kids whose lives he influenced. Even if they didn’t go on to a career in professional sports, his goal was to make them better human beings. 

“We want to win, but we also have to be humble in our losses and learn from them,” he said.

Mr. Scala was drafted needing nine credits to graduate from St. John’s. He promised his daughter Shana and wife that he would earn his degree, so in 2015 Mr. Scala returned to St. John’s as a student, eventually earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Management.

Mr. Scala continues to be active in the life of St. John’s. In April, he discussed his career with the Sport Management graduate class taught by Michael Fahid ’01Ed, ’13MS, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Advisement, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, and a former St. John’s baseball player.

Joking that his four-year scholarship extended into 40 years, Mr. Scala emphasized his gratitude to Coach Kaiser. “I’m grateful to him for my scholarship,” he said. “Without him, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I don’t think my parents could have afforded the tuition.” 

That sense of gratitude that has permeated everything Mr. Scala has done since. “There was a great winning tradition at St. John’s when I was here. Coach Kaiser emphasized winning with class and dignity. We don’t just put out great athletes—we put out great men.”