Stewart got some respect with a dream no-hitter
At 33, he said he never thought he would get one This story was originally published in 1990.
TORONTO >> Dave Stewart put up instead of shutting up when it came time Friday night, ascending another level in his quest for respect with his first nohitter.
Stewart, 33, who rebuilt a career on pride and dignity and a great arm, was angered when he thought the Chicago
White Sox didn’t show enough regard for him Sunday. He gave the Toronto Blue Jays little choice, commanding their respect and admiration with a stunning performance on a night when baseball history was made.
Stewart and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela, teammates in L.A. from 1981-83, became the first pitchers this century to throw complete-game no-hitters on the same night. Valenzuela claimed his on a 6-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals about three hours after Stewart wrapped up his 5-0 win over the Blue Jays.
Stewart allowed three baserunners on walks, and his no-hitter came 18 days after the A’s were victimized by the Texas Rangers’ Nolan Ryan, who threw his sixth no-hitter. Friday’s nohitters were the fourth and fifth in the majors this season.
From this vantage point, moments after what he calls the highlight of a career that includes three consecutive 20-win seasons and a Most Valuable Player award in last season’s World Series, Stewart was able to be gracious and humble.
“I keep looking at the scoreboard. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I never thought that this would happen for me,” Stewart said as he sat in the visitors’ dugout, drenched in sweat and surrounded by reporters.
When it came time for Stewart to reach out and grasp another one of his dreams in the bottom of the ninth at the SkyDome, he realized it in a manner in step with his character. He struck out Manny Lee and Mookie Wilson, walked Junior Felix, then thrust his right arm skyward when center fielder Dave Henderson tucked away Tony Fernandez’s fly ball on an 0-and-1 count.
First baseman Mark McGwire and third baseman Carney Lansford reached him first, embracing him. Stewart’s other teammates soon followed, but the celebration was understated. He walked toward the dugout, raised the hand that held his hat and glove in acknowledgment of the fans, then kissed the ball when Henderson ran it in to him.
The sellout crowd of 49,817 had dwindled by a few thousand as fans streamed to the exits after the eighth inning. The noise began to build as the bottom of the ninth opened simply because a noise meter was flashing on a scoreboard.
But finally, the applause began building for Stewart, and he had the fans on their feet for the final two batters.
“It took ’em a long time to come around,” Stewart said with a wry grin.
Afterward, his teammates and his manager struggled to put his accomplishment in perspective.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for him and I’m so proud of him, just to put that in his resume,” said A’s Manager Tony La Russa, none of whose pitchers had previously thrown a no- hitter. “It’s another example of how great he is . ... It has great meaning for him, and when anything has that much meaning to him, it has a lot of meaning to me.”
The performance meant something to Stewart (106) on a practical level.
He entered the game on a three-game skid, and he’d lost five of his last six. When he spoke out angrily about some bench jockeying the White Sox did in a 3-2 10th-inning loss Sunday, it appeared he simply might be venting his frustration.
“It came at a good time. ... He made some comments. He sent the right message. This guy’s as good as there is pitching today in every respect,” La Russa said.
Stewart certainly didn’t open Friday’s game auspiciously. He walked Felix on a 3-and-1 count and caught a break when catcher Terry Steinbach threw out Felix attempting to steal. Then, Stewart walked Fernandez on a full count.
But after that, he settled into a Ryan-like groove. Well-equipped with both his forkball and fastball working well, Stewart threw 115 pitches — only 34 balls — and threw firstpitch strikes to 22 of the 29 batters he faced.
“I had to adjust to the mound. The mound was a little bit different for me first,” Stewart said. “So I had to adjust myself, figure out what I needed to do. Once I found myself, I just started letting it fly.”
There were only a couple of close calls. McGwire tumbled for Fernandez’s grounder, throwing to Stewart at first.
And Fred McGriff, who homered twice Thursday, sent Henderson to the warning track to open the eighth.
Stewart appeared so strong that Toronto’s George Bell said, “I thought it looked like he could probably pitch 15 or 16 innings.”
But Stewart gladly settled for the regulation nine-inning no-hitter, the second against the Blue Jays in their history.
“It’s a fluke except for Nolan Ryan. People don’t throw no-hitters that often,” Stewart said. “I just feel fortunate I’ve been able to join a group of people that have been lucky at a certain point in their career to do it.”