Today Duane Ward turns sixty. With 121 saves, Duane ranks second all-time for the Blue Jays. At position 104, Jordan Romano is in a tie for third place. In Park View, New Mexico, on May 18, 1964, Ward was born. The Atlanta Braves selected him ninth overall in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft, right out of high school. Large (6’4″) right-hander Ward had control problems and struggled as a starter prospect in the Braves system, walking five times every nine innings while falling short of his eventual strikeout total. The Jays traded Doyle Alexander to the Braves on July 6, 1986 in exchange for Ward. Doyle had a decent start, but ultimately, we prevailed.
Following two seasons in the majors (1986 and 1987), Duane began the 1988 season in the Jays’ bullpen and swiftly rose to the position of setup man for Tom Henke. He was amazing, finishing 64 games with a 3.30 ERA, 15 saves, and a 9-3 record over 111.2 innings. His wildness contributed to his effectiveness, as evidenced by his 60 walks and 91 strikeouts. Again, it feels like such a short time has passed, but the world has changed. A setup guy could never pitch 111 innings in this day and age. Currently, we consider relievers to be done if they pitch 70 innings.For the next four seasons, Ward served as Henke’s setup man, and they got along well. Every year, Duane got better at the position; his ERAs were 3.77,2.77, 1.95, and 3.45. He pitched many innings and reached double figures in saves each season, peaking at 23 in 1991, although he was not deployed as setup men as he was in the past. Duane’s walk rate was mitigated by his high strikeout rate, which peaked at 11/9 innings in 1991. In 1991, he finished ninth in the Cy Young voting. Tom Henke left the team via free agency
following the 1992 campaign, and Duane took over as the closer. He was excellent, striking out 97 batters in 71.2 innings with a 2.13 ERA and saving a league-high 45 games. The 45 saves remain Jay’s highest total for a single season in his career. When you strike out 12.2 times out of 9, you know you’re doing well.innings and allow opponents to bat.182 on average. In addition, he was voted MVP, made the All-Star team, and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting.
Our two World Series victories had Ward in large part. He pitched in three of our ALCS victories over Oakland in 1992 and earned one win. He also pitched in four games during that year’s Series victory over Atlanta, picking up two wins, giving up no runs, and striking out six in 3.1 innings. 1993 In our ALCS victory over the White Sox, Ward made four appearances and recorded two saves. Then, in our Series victory against the Phillies, he made four additional appearances, recording a win and a save.
Due to a rotator cuff tear, Duane was sidelined for the entire 1994 season. He made four appearances before his career ended at age 31, despite his attempt to return in 1995. This was a major vote against relievers throwing more than 100 innings in a season. For six seasons, Ward was a fantastic pitcher, but he was heavy in hard sliders and fastballs that topped 95 mph. It was expected of relievers to pitch more than one inning at a time, and he would pitch in eighty games year.Due to a rotator cuff tear, Duane was sidelined for the entire 1994 season. He made four appearances before his career ended at age 31, despite his attempt to return in 1995. This was a major vote against relievers throwing more than 100 innings in a season. Ward had six seasons as a fantastic pitcher.d
