<Ul> <Li> NL Triples champion (1992) </Li> </Ul> <Li> NL Triples champion (1992) </Li> <P> Sanders played a nine - year, part - time baseball career, playing left and center field in 641 games with 4 teams . He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 6th round of the 1985 draft, but did not sign with them . The New York Yankees selected Sanders in the 30th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the team on June 22 . He opened the 1989 season with the Albany - Colonie Yankees of the Class AA Eastern League . Though he planned to leave the Yankees in July to attend NFL training camp, he became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Falcons, and used the Yankees as leverage . He received a promotion to the major leagues, and spent the summer with the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League . He made his major league baseball debut on May 31, 1989 . </P> <P> Sanders made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 1990 season . On May 22, 1990, Sanders became involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox' catcher Carlton Fisk . Sanders started by stepping up to the plate with one out and a runner on third, drawing a dollar sign in the dirt before the pitch and then failed to run to first base after hitting a routine pop fly to shortstop, trotting back to the dugout instead . The Yankee fans booed, and Fisk told Sanders to "run the fucking ball out" and called Sanders a "piece of shit ." Later in the game, Sanders told Fisk that "the days of slavery are over ." Fisk was furious . "He comes up and wants to make it a racial issue, there's no racial issue involved . There is a right way and a wrong way to play this game ." </P>

How many years did deion sanders play baseball