Duane Ward obit

Blue Jays’ icon Ward passes away at 62

 

He was not on the list.

TORONTO — Duane Ward, a two-time World Series champion and one of the most accomplished relievers in Toronto Blue Jays history, has died at 62.

The Blue Jays said Sunday that Ward died of natural causes in Toronto. He had arrived in the city Friday ahead of the team’s ceremony honouring its 1992 and 1993 championship teams but was absent from Saturday’s festivities at Rogers Centre.

“It is with profound sadness that the Toronto Blue Jays mourn the passing of pitcher Duane Ward, one of the most accomplished and beloved relievers in franchise history,” the Blue Jays said in a statement.

“Duane will be deeply missed by our fans, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. Duane will always be a cherished part of the Blue Jays family, and we will be forever grateful for his contributions to our organization and to baseball in Canada.”

Ward ranks among the Blue Jays’ leaders in saves with 121 across his 452 games with the Jays from 1986 to 1995. His 45 saves in 1993 remain a single-season franchise record.

Longtime Blue Jays executive Paul Beeston, who helped build Toronto’s back-to-back championship teams, said he was stunned by the news.

“I immediately thought of all the good times we had together, and we did have a number of good times together,” Beeston said in a hallway behind the Rogers Centre press box, steps away from a framed photo of Ward on the mound.

“He was here when we were going well. Between him and Tom Henke, we only had to play seven-inning games.”

Beeston’s eyes watered as he highlighted Ward’s contributions to the Blue Jays and the game of baseball in Canada.

“He was the first guy who started the coaches clinic and player clinics across the country,” Beeston said. “He was committed to it. He loved Canada, he loved the Blue Jays.”

Ward was honoured with an induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

The hard-throwing right-hander began his major-league career with Atlanta in 1986 after the Braves selected him in the first round of the 1982 MLB Draft out of Farmington, N.M.

The Blue Jays acquired Ward in July 1986 for pitcher Doyle Alexander. Ward would go on to spend the rest of his career in Toronto, forming a dominant bullpen tandem with Tom Henke before taking over as the club’s closer after Henke departed following the 1992 championship season.

Ward was the winning pitcher when Joe Carter hit his walk-off home run — immortalized with a statue unveiled Saturday — in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Whether setting the stage in the eighth inning or closing out wins, he will be remembered for the role he played in some of the greatest moments in Blue Jays history,” the Blue Jays said.

Ward missed the entire 1994 season with an arm injury and retired the following year after pitching in just four games during the 1995 season. He finished his career with a 3.28 earned-run average and a 32-37 record.

The Blue Jays honoured the reliever with a video tribute and a moment of silence before Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago White Sox.

“He was indomitable, and I thought he was one of those guys who would last forever because of all the things he did,” Beeston said. “The best way to describe him is that he was his own man. But it’s a tragic loss at a time when we’re having a celebration, and he was such a big part of it.”

Ward attended Farmington High School in Farmington, New Mexico, where he played baseball for the Scorpions. On the competitive amateur circuit he flourished in the American Amateur Baseball Congress leagues and starred in the Connie Mack World Series; his plaque hangs in the tournament's hall of fame at Ricketts Park in Farmington. Ward also helped lead the Scorpions basketball team to a 26–0 season and the state Class 4A championship in 1981–82.

The Atlanta Braves selected Ward in the first round, ninth overall, of the 1982 MLB draft, shortly after his senior season. He is tied with Jim Kremmel (1971) for the second-highest draft pick of players hailing from New Mexico, behind shortstop Alex Bregman, who was selected with the second pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft.

Primarily a starter during a four-season rise through the Braves' farm system — with stops in rookie ball and at Anderson, Durham, Greenville and Triple-A Richmond — Ward was converted to relief pitching by manager Chuck Tanner, who told him he saw "so much of Goose Gossage" in him. Ward made his major league debut with the Braves on April 12, 1986, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in a 4–3 road loss to the Houston Astros; the game matched his childhood idol, Nolan Ryan, against Braves starter Rick Mahler, with Ward's parents in attendance. After posting a 7.31 ERA in 16 innings, he was optioned to Triple-A Richmond in early June, and a month later, on July 6, the Braves traded the 22-year-old to the Toronto Blue Jays for veteran pitcher Doyle Alexander. Alexander was traded to the Detroit Tigers a year later in the deal that brought future Hall of Famer John Smoltz to Atlanta.

MLB statistics

Win–loss record          32–37

Earned run average     3.28

Strikeouts        679

Saves   121

Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Teams

Atlanta Braves (1986)

Toronto Blue Jays (1986–1995)

Career highlights and awards

All-Star (1993)

2× World Series champion (1992, 1993)

AL saves leader (1993)

Member of the Canadian

   Baseball Hall of Fame  

Induction         2020