Saturday, February 19, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dave Stewart

Watching the MLB Network this afternoon, they were doing a retrospective of the 1993 World Series, and the most striking thing was Dave Stewart's glare. So I checked him out online, and found out that today is his 54th birthday.

Stewart was best remembered for his dominant performances in the playoffs with the Oakland A's, and his one-sided rivalry with Roger Clemens, going 9-1 against the Rocket in head-to-head appearances.

After several mediocre years bouncing from the Dodgers, Rangers and Phillies, Stewart was picked up by the A's in May 1986. In Oakland, he met pitching coach Dave Duncan, who taught him the splitter and worked extensively with him on pregame preparation. From 1987-1990, Stewart went 84-45 with a 3.20 ERA and 41 complete games. In each of those four years, he won at least 20 games and surpassed 250 innings pitched.

I can't help but wonder if Dave Stewart blows out the candles on his birthday cake, or if he just puts them out by glaring at them.

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