Closer) Sammy Stewart, 1978-1987, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians.
Sammy Stewart arrived in 1978 and gained a measure of fame as part of Earl Weaver’s talented Oriole pitching staff. In his first major league game, he struck out seven consecutive batters.
In 1979, he went 8-5 mostly in relief as the Orioles won the American League pennant. Limited to one appearance in that fall’s World Series loss to the Pirates, he worked two and two-thirds innings in game 4, a 9-6 Baltimore victory.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Stewart played a key role in Baltimore’s 1983 drive to the World Series, making 58 appearances, all but one of them in relief. He worked 139 innings, saved five games and had a 3.62 ERA. In the ALCS, he pitched four and one-third scoreless innings against the White Sox, allowing just two hits. He made three appearances against Philadelphia in the World Series, pitching five more scoreless innings as Baltimore won in five games.
Traded to Boston prior to the 1986 season, he retired in 1987 with a career 59-48 record and 45 saves over 359 games.
Stewart’s post-season life was a sad one. He became a cocaine addict, often alternating between homelessness and prison. He died March 2 at age 63, an autopsy later determining the cause of death to have been heart disease.
We will have a full recounting of all those who passed away associated with the game in 2018 when we cover MLB deaths in a large post tomorrow with a profile of each person that passed away.