Dave Stewart

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

If looks could kill, Dave Stewart would’ve been an assassin.

The fiery pitcher wore his hat down low, with the brim covering his eye brows and used his glove to shield the lower half of his face, revealing just his dark, penetrating eyes. Eyes which zeroed in on their target with such intensity they appeared capable of burning a hole through opposing batters.

Stewart struggled to find his niche in the major leagues, bouncing back and forth between the bullpen and rotation for the Dodgers, Rangers and Phillies during the first half of the ‘80s.

When the Phillies released the right hander early in the 1986 season, it appeared as if his playing days might be over.

The A’s gave him another opportunity, and with the help of pitching guru Dave Duncan, Stewart’s career took off. Duncan taught him to throw a forkball, which became his out pitch over time and was the perfect complement to his 90-93 mph fastball and biting slider.

He was soon a fixture in the A’s rotation and developed into the ace of a team that went to the World Series three years in a row from 1988-90. Stewart won at least 20 games in four consecutive seasons from 1987-90, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since. He was a workhorse for Oakland manager Tony LaRussa, chewing up over 250 innings in every season during that span.

After losing to the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series, the A’s returned to the fall classic the following season and defeated the Giants in five games. Stewart won two games in the ’89 Series, giving up just three total runs over two starts and was named World Series MVP.

The A’s ace turned in his best season in 1990, winning 22 games with 2.56 ERA. He pitched a no-hitter against his future team, the Blue Jays, on June 29th. Once again, Stewart stepped it up in October and was named ALCS MVP after two stellar outings against the Red Sox.

Stewart’s reputation as a big-game pitcher grew with each postseason victory, rendering those fearsome eyes increasingly more intimidating. As a child, I was mesmerized by the intensity and focus which they revealed. Then I heard him speak during a postgame interview, and I didn’t know what to think. How could the imposing pitcher with the scary eyes sound like Mickey Mouse?

Stewart had sub-par years in ‘91 and ‘92, but the passionate veteran wasn’t done yet. He signed with Toronto after they won the ‘92 World Series and helped them repeat as champions the following season. He beat the White Sox twice in the 1993 ALCS, earning his second ALCS MVP Award in the process.

He played one more year for the Jays before returning to Oakland for his final season in 1995.

The clutch right hander retired with 168 career wins and a postseason resume which included a 10-6 record and 2.84 ERA.

Dave Stewart won more big games during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s than any other pitcher in baseball, and for many baseball fans his fixated eyes remain emblematic of the intensity of October baseball. That’s why we’re sending him some Old School Love today.