Tuesday, September 30, 2014

#290 Dave Stewart

About the Front: Dave Stewart is "mean-mugging", in today's parlance. You can see why he had a reputation as an intimidating pitcher.

About the Back: Stewart's no-hitter was one of two thrown that day, with former Dodgers teammate Fernando Valenzuela blanking the Cardinals as well. It was the first time in MLB history that two no-nos occurred on the same day.

Triple Play:

1. He was a catcher in high school, but the Dodgers decided that his strong arm was better suited for pitching. Good call, guys.

2. Dave had many postseason successes. He was the 1989 World Series MVP (2-0, 1.69 ERA, 14 K/16 IP), and was also the ALCS MVP in 1990 (2-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.625 WHIP) and 1993 (2-0, 2.03 ERA). Overall, he allowed 45 runs (41 earned) in 133 postseason innings.

3. Stewart has stayed active in baseball since retiring as a player in 1995. He has worked as a pitching coach for the Padres, Blue Jays, and Brewers, and also worked as an assistant general manager in San Diego and Toronto. He started a sports agency, and his clients included Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers. Just last week, Dave was hired as the general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Given how imposing "Smoke" was on the mound, I was always surprised by how soft and high-pitched his voice was.

Bill James Said: "He hasn't had a losing record since 1985, and I see no reason to think that he will in '94." Whoops. Stewart backslid to 7-8 with a 5.87 ERA for Toronto in 1994, and after an even worse 1995 season back in Oakland, he was finished.

On This Date in 1993: September 30. An earthquake strikes in Killari, Maharashtra, India. 52 villages are demolished in the 6.2-magnitude quake, which kills 10,000 people and injures 30,000 more.

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