Dave Stewart (baseball player)
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David Keith Stewart (born February 19, 1957 in Oakland, California) was a dominant right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Early career
Dave was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1975 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on September 22, 1978. Dave did not find his niche in the Major Leagues until some time later. After some time in the minors, he resurfaced in the Major Leagues again in 1981. Teams were unsure how he would be best utilized, and he split time starting and relieving for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies in the early to mid-1980s. In 1986, the Oakland Athletics signed him after he was released by the Phillies.
Best years
Dave's homecoming would prove to do him good. In 1987 he won 20 games while posting an impressive 3.68 ERA and striking out 205 batters. His new-found stardom would not be short-lived as Dave won 20 or more games in each of the next three seasons (1988-1990) and led a powerful Oakland Athletics club to the World Series during the same span. Remarkably, Dave pitched over 250 innings in each of those four seasons. In 1989, the Athletics won the World Series championship.
Dave was also a part of the 1992 Oakland Athletics team which lost in the American League Championship Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto went on to win the World Series that year, catching Dave's eye and prompting him to sign with them in 1993. He couldn't have asked for more than what he got as Toronto won the World Series for a second straight year.
Accomplishments
- All-Star (1989)
- World Series MVP Award (1989)
- American League Championship Series MVP (1990, 1993)
- Finished 8th in AL MVP voting (1990)
- Finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting (1989)
- Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting (1987, 1990)
- Finished 4th in AL Cy Young voting (1988)
- Career 168-129 record
- Two World Series championships
Teams
- Los Angeles Dodgers (1978, 1981-1983)
- Texas Rangers (1983-1985)
- Philadelphia Phillies (1985-1986)
- Oakland Athletics (1986-1992, 1995)
- Toronto Blue Jays (1993-1994).