Dave Stewart
From SoSH
| Born: | February 19, 1957 |
| Birthplace: | Oakland, California |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Weight: | 200 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1975: 16th Round by the LA Dodgers |
| College: | None |
| High School: | Saint Elizabeth High School (CA) |
| Teams: | LA Dodgers 1978, 1981 - 1983 Texas Rangers 1983 - 1985 Philadelphia Phillies 1985 - 1986 Oakland A's 1986 - 1992, 1995 Toronto Blue Jays 1993 - 1994 |
Dave Stewart was a right handed pitcher for the LA Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland A's, and Toronto Blue Jays. His best years were with the Oakland A's in the late 1980's when he won 20 games 4 years in a row. He finished with a career record of 168-129 and a 3.95 ERA.
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Career Overview
Dave "Smoke" Stewart was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975. He made his first appearance and only appearance in 1978, on September 22nd and pitched 2 innings of relief. He returned to the Majors for good in 1981, but pitched primarily in relief until 1984 when he made 27 starts for the Texas Rangers and went 7-14. The next year he was traded to the Phillies for BJ Surhoff's brother Rick. He spent the rest of the 1985 season with the Phils and opened the 1986 season with them also. Pitching in 9 games that year he allowed 9 runs in a little over 12 innings and was released on May 9th.
The Oakland A's signed Stewart that season at the end of May. By the end of July Stewart had been inserted in the A's rotation. He closed that year going 6-5 with a 3.41 ERA. In his last start of the year he pitched a complete game allowing only 1 earned run and striking out 9. To start the 1987 season Dave Stewart was a 30 year old right hander who had a career 39-40 record in 247 appearances with only 72 starts and a 3.95 ERA. That season Stewart started the year in the rotation went 20-13 and a 3.68 ERA and finished third behind Jimmy Key and Roger Clemens in the Cy Young Award voting. It would be the first in a string of four seasons when Stewart would win at least 20 games and finish in the top 5 in Cy Young voting. He topped out at 2nd in the 1989 season losing to Bret Saberhagen. During this time he also established himself a one of the best big game pitchers in the league. Stewart went 4-0 in the 1989 playoffs and at one point had won 6 straight post season starts. From 1988 to 1992 Stewart went 8-3 in 14 starts and compiled a 2.31 ERA.
In 1991, Stewart's ERA jumped to 5.18 a year after he posted a 2.56 mark and he fell to and 11-11 record. He rebounded the next year with a 12-10 record and a solid 3.66 ERA, but he signed with Toronto for the next season.
Stewart pitched for the Blue Jays for two years with very little success. The first year he was 12-8, but his ERA was around 4.50. The next year he was 7-8 with an ERA at 5.87.
After the strike year Stewart resigned with the A's, but at age 38 he had very little left. His last appearance was a start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he only lasted 2 innings and allowed 8 earned runs. He finished the year at 3-7 with a 6.89 ERA.
Awards
- 1989 All-Star Game Starting Pitcher
- 1989 American League Babe Ruth Award
- 1989 World Series MVP
- 1990 American League Championship Series MVP
- 1990 Roberto Clemente Award
- 1993 ALCS MVP
Achievements
- American League Wins Leader (1987)
- 2-time American League Innings Pitched Leader (1988 & 1990)
- 4-time American League Games Started Leader (1988, 1989, 1990 & 1991)
- 2-time American League Complete Games Leader (1988 & 1990)
- American League Shutouts Leader (1990)
- 20 Win Seasons: 4 (1987, 1988, 1989 & 1990)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 & 1991)
- 200 Strikeout Seasons: 1 (1987)
Transactions
- June 3, 1975: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1975 amateur draft. Player signed June 17, 1975
- August 19, 1983: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a player to be named later and $200,000 to the Texas Rangers for Rick Honeycutt. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Ricky Wright (September 16, 1983) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
- September 13, 1985: Traded by the Texas Rangers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Rick Surhoff.
- May 9, 1986: Released by the Philadelphia Phillies.
- May 23, 1986: Signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics.
- October 29, 1992: Granted Free Agency.
- December 8, 1992: Signed as a Free Agent with the Toronto Blue Jays.
- October 20, 1994: Granted Free Agency.
- April 8, 1995: Signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics.
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
