Today marks Duane Ward’s 62nd birthday.
Duane ranks second on the Blue Jays’ all-time saves list with 121. Jordan Romano is third with 105 saves. The way pitching is changing, I don’t see anyone getting into that top three for a long time, unless the tide changes again and we go back to one reliever getting all the save opportunities.
Ward was born on May 18, 1964, in Park View, New Mexico. Drafted out of high school, he was selected ninth overall in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft by the Atlanta
Braves. The tall (6’4”) right-hander initially struggled as a starting prospect in Atlanta’s system, battling control issues—walking five batters per nine innings and not yet racking up strikeouts as he would later. On July 6, 1986, the Jays traded Doyle Alexander to the Braves for Ward. Alexander was a solid starter, but the Jays ultimately got the better end of the deal.
After brief stints in the majors in 1986 and 1987, Duane began the 1988 season in the Jays’ bullpen and quickly emerged as Tom Henke’s setup man. He excelled, posting a 9-3 record with 15 saves and a 3.30 ERA over 111.2 innings in 64 games. With 60 walks and 91 strikeouts, his wildness contributed to his effectiveness. Times have certainly changed—no setup man would be expected to pitch 111 innings today. Now, if a reliever throws 70 innings, it’s considered a heavy workload.
Ward continued as Henke’s setup man for the next four seasons, and together they formed an outstanding bullpen duo. Duane improved each year, with ERAs of 3.77, 3.45, 2.77, and 1.95. He was no longer used strictly as a setup man—often pitching multiple innings—and reached double digits in saves each season, peaking at 23 in 1991. His strikeout rate soared to 11 per nine innings that year, while his walk rate decreased. He finished ninth in Cy Young Award voting in 1991.
After Tom Henke left via free agency following the 1992 season, Duane took over as the Jays’ closer. He thrived in the role, leading the league with 45 saves, striking out 97 in 71.2 innings, and posting a 2.13 ERA. Those 45 saves remain the highest single-season total in Blue Jays history. Ward’s dominance showed in his 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a .182 opponents’ batting average. He earned an All-Star selection, finished fifth in Cy Young voting, and even received MVP votes.
Ward played a crucial role in the Blue Jays’ two World Series championships. In 1992, he appeared in three ALCS games against Oakland, earning a win, and pitched in four World Series games against Atlanta, collecting two wins, allowing no runs, and striking out six in 3.1 innings. In 1993, Ward made four appearances with two saves in the ALCS victory over the White Sox, then added four more outings—including a win and a save—in the World Series win over the Phillies.
Duane missed all of 1994 due to a torn rotator cuff. He attempted a comeback in 1995, but after just four appearances, his career ended at age 31—a testament to the toll that heavy reliever workloads can take. Ward was an outstanding pitcher for six seasons, frequently throwing 95 mph fastballs and sharp sliders. In his era, relievers were expected to pitch more than one inning per outing, and Ward often appeared in 80 games a season.
Rob Neyer ranked him as the Blue Jays’ second-best reliever in franchise history. Ward now runs the “Duane Ward Baseball Clinic” and delivers motivational speeches, also traveling with the Jays’ baseball clinics. My youngest son attended those clinics a couple of times, and Duane was great with the kids.
Happy Birthday, Duane! Wishing you a fantastic day.
Also, having birthdays:
- Tilson Brito turns 54. Before being traded to the A’s, he was a utility infielder in 1996 and 1996. He played in 75 games for the Jays. Hitting .228/.306/.291.
- Mike Maksudian turns 60. He had three at-bats with the team in 1992. He’d go on to have a few at-bats with the Twins and White Sox.
- Ryota Igarashi turns 47. He pitched one inning for the Jays in 2012, spent two seasons with the Mets, and played several games with the Yankees.
- Ryan Burr turns 32. He pitched in 36 games with the Jays over the past two seasons. In 34.2 innings, he had a 3.89 ERA. In his one outing last year, he injured his shoulder and ended up having right capsule surgery and is currently recovering from that, and is a free agent.
On non-Jays birthdays, Kirk Gibson turns 69 today. He had a very good 17-year MLB career, finishing with a .268/.352/.463 batting line, 255 home runs, 284 steals and a 38.4 bWAR. The one moment that everyone remembers is the pinch-hit walk-off home run against Dennis Eckersley in Game One of the 1988 World Series.
Here is the at-bat:
