Remembering Relief Star, Duane Ward

Sadly, recently at a gathering of some Toronto Blue Jays players from one or both of their repeat title teams of ’92 and ’93, Duane Ward died unexpectedly.

Ward’s highlights via Wikipedia in the two title seasons: ^[5][1] He recorded a career-best 1.95 ERA in 79 appearances in 1992, and in that year’s World Series against the Braves he won two of the four games in which he appeared without allowing a run, as the Blue Jays captured the first championship in franchise history.

Then in ’93 and operative “again” from Wikipedia: In the American League Championship Series against the Chicago White Sox, Ward appeared in four games and recorded two saves, including one in the clinching Game 6.^[1] In the 1993 World Series, Ward earned two saves over the Philadelphia Phillies, in Game 1 (8–5, in Toronto) and in the 15–14 victory in Game 4 in Philadelphia, when Ward got the last four outs after Toronto scored the final six runs of the game. Ward was the winning pitcher in the decisive Game 6, in which Joe Carter —–now my words, hit a World Series clinching home run, one of two in the 121 played thus far (Bill Mazeroski, who died within the last year hit the other in 1960).

I was fortunate to not only attend that (15-14) tilt, having driven to Philadelphia with then HBO’er Brien A. McDonald, but to see it become a great game, not the case when we arrived in the middle innings, with the Phils holding a big lead. It is a 2 hour drive.

Ward stemmed the tide of runs, as stated above, retiring the four batters he faced. Somewhere exists my play by play.