Rangers History Today: Remembering Dave Stewart in Texas
On this date in Texas Rangers history, Dave Stewart won just his third game of the season for the Rangers, as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3.
On May 24, 1984, Stewart slugged through eight innings at Arlington Stadium, giving up six hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out four and walking two. Dave Schmidt came on in the ninth inning to get the save. Stewart improved to 3-6 with the win, while Billy Sample, Gary Ward and Ned Yost each had two hits for Texas.
If there was ever a story of unfulfilled promise of a pitcher in a Rangers uniform, Stewart might be the embodiment. He was one of the hardest-throwing young pitchers in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but was never able to harness it into anything consistent.
In August of 1983, the Dodgers needed veteran pitching for a pennant push and they dealt Stewart and a player to be named later to acquire Rick Honeycutt.
The Rangers put Stewart in the rotation, but he never got much traction. He went 12-22 in three seasons with Texas, had a mercurial relationship with team management, and at one point called Rangers fans “idiots.” That earned him a trade to Philadelphia in 1985.
But on his way out of town he got a parting gift from new Rangers pitching coach Tom House — a split-fingered fastball. That would come in handy down the line.
Once Stewart landed in Oakland in 1986, and once he teamed up with their pitching coach Dave Duncan, Stewart’s career accelerated. From 1987-1990 Stewart won at least 20 games in every season and won a World Series MVP in 1989 while leading the Athletics to a world championship.
Stewart’s career ended in 1995 at age 38 with 168 wins and a 3.95 ERA.
But if Stewart could have harnessed that magic a little sooner, he could have made that impact in Arlington instead of Oakland.
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