The Blue Jays announced that Duane Ward passed away in Toronto.
He was in Toronto for the ceremony for the World Series winning teams, but didn’t get to the ceremony Saturday. They say he died of natural causes. He was just 62. Far too young.
We mentioned that it was strange that Tom Henke was in a truck by himself, yesterday, I’m sure Ward was to be with him. I wonder if they knew he passed then and kept it quiet.
Duane ranks second on the Blue Jays’ all-time saves list with 121.
Duane Ward, born on
May 18, 1964, in Park View, New Mexico, was drafted out of high school as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves. The 6’4” right-hander initially faced challenges as a starting pitcher prospect in Atlanta’s system, struggling with control and walking five batters per nine innings, while not yet developing his eventual strikeout prowess. On July 6, 1986, the Blue Jays acquired Ward in a trade for Doyle Alexander. While Alexander was a reliable starter, the Jays ultimately benefited more from the deal.
After short appearances in the majors during 1986 and 1987, Duane Ward started the 1988 season in the Blue Jays’ bullpen, quickly establishing himself as Tom Henke’s primary setup man. That year, he shined with a 9-3 record, 15 saves, and a 3.30 ERA across 111.2 innings in 64 games. His 60 walks and 91 strikeouts showed that his unpredictability was part of his effectiveness. Times have changed; today, no setup man is expected to pitch that many innings—nowadays, 70 innings is considered a heavy workload for a reliever.
Ward remained Henke’s setup man for the next four seasons, forming a dominant bullpen tandem. Each year, Ward’s performance improved, with ERAs dropping from 3.77 to 1.95. He was no longer limited to setup duties, often pitching multiple innings, and notched double-digit saves each season, topping out at 23 in 1991. That year, he struck out 11 batters per nine innings and lowered his walk rate, earning a ninth-place finish in Cy Young Award voting.
When Tom Henke left after the 1992 season, Ward became the Blue Jays’ closer. He excelled, leading the league with 45 saves—still a franchise record—while striking out 97 batters in 71.2 innings and posting a 2.13 ERA. Ward’s dominance was evident in his 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a .182 opponents’ batting average. He was named an All-Star, finished fifth in Cy Young voting, and even garnered MVP consideration.
Ward was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ consecutive World Series championships. In 1992, he pitched in three ALCS games against Oakland, earning a win, and appeared in four World Series games against Atlanta, where he won twice, allowed no runs, and struck out six in 3.1 innings. The following year, Ward pitched four times and earned two saves in the ALCS win over the White Sox, then made four more appearances—including a win and a save—in the World Series victory over the Phillies.
Ward missed the entire 1994 season with a torn rotator cuff. He attempted a comeback in 1995, but after only four appearances, his career was cut short at age 31—a stark reminder of the toll heavy workloads can exact on relievers. For six seasons, Ward was a dominant force, regularly throwing 95 mph fastballs and sharp sliders. In his era, relievers were often expected to pitch multiple innings and appear in as many as 80 games per season.
Rob Neyer ranked Ward as the second-best reliever in Blue Jays history. Ward traveled with the Blue Jays’ clinics. My youngest son attended those clinics a few times, and Ward was excellent with the kids and kind with his time, he spent a few minutes talking to after clinic days.
Deepest condolences to his family and friends. He was a favourite of mine.
