In 1985, Dave Stewart seemed on his way to becoming a player that few people remembered. Embroiled in controversy and with a poor pitching performance with his current team (the Texas Rangers), no other team in the majors seemed to want him. Then, as an act of desperation, Stewart tried out for his local team and childhood favorite, the Oakland Athletics.

That decision opened the door to Stewart’s epic career comeback, one that resulted in winning two more World Series rings (he already had one as a member of the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers), a World Series MVP and two American League Championship Series MVPs.

Today, Stewart is remembered as not just a dominating pitcher, but also as a successful businessman, philanthropist and a player his teammates called one of the nicest guys you can know, despite his intimidating presence on the mound.

Dave Stewart’s Early Life

Dave Stewart was born in Oakland on Feb. 19, 1957. He grew up in a rough neighborhood, and street life was tempting, but his parents had instilled in him a great sense of right and wrong. So instead, he focused his attention on sports. His dad was a huge fan of the San Francisco Giants, so in his early years, Stewart was, too. However, after his father died, he turned his attention instead to the local team: the Oakland Athletics.

Stewart lived not too far from the A’s stadium, so he sometimes snuck into games until A’s player Reggie Jackson caught him. After that, he started washing Jackson’s car in exchange for tickets.

Stewart also played youth baseball as a catcher with quite a few future big-leaguers. One of these players, Tack Wilson, gave Stewart the nickname, “Smoke,” due to his ability to throw a ball from home plate to second base while on his knees.

At St. Elizabeth High School in Oakland, Stewart played baseball, football, and basketball. He excelled in football and received scholarship offers in that sport. However, he decided to focus on baseball instead due to football’s high chance of injury.

Dave Stewart’s Baseball Career

The Dodgers drafted Stewart in the 16th round of the 1975 draft. The Dodgers decided to make Stewart a pitcher because of his strong arm. Despite his potential, Stewart’s lack of experience showed in his first two seasons in the minors, with an ERA of 5.51 in 1975 and 6.90 in 1976.

However, Stewart slowly but surely improved, and the Dodgers finally called him up in 1978. He made his debut on Sept. 22, 1978, pitching two innings against the San Diego Padres. He returned to the minors in 1979 and 1980, coming back up for good in 1981, joining the Dodgers club that beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Stewart pitched in relief, contributing 1 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief in the series.

Stewart started 14 games in 1982, going 9-8, and appeared in 46 games in 1983, appearing in all but one as a relief pitcher, and compiled a 2.96 ERA. Despite the good numbers, the Dodgers traded him to the Rangers. During his time in Texas, Stewart pitched well through the rest of 1983, with a 5-2 record and 2.14 ERA as a starter. However, he struggled in 1984 (7-14 record, 4.73 ERA). After a poor start in 1985 as a reliever, fans booed Stewart. The Rangers traded him in September to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Already struggling on the field, Stewart also faced controversy outside the diamond. In 1984, he had confessed that he knew his teammate, Steve Howe, used cocaine, but had lied about it to the Dodgers organization. He admitted he regretted the decision. Then, in January 1985, police arrested him with a prostitute in Los Angeles. He eventually pled no contest to the charge of soliciting a prostitute, charged $150 and placed on probation. Two days later, while accepting a “Good Guys” award in Dallas, Stewart said, “I am human, just as you are human. And good guys make mistakes,” according to Sports Illustrated.

All of this led to Stewart getting labeled a malcontent. In May 1986, the Phillies released him after not finding any team willing to trade for him. Stewart later said this left him so depressed that he sat in a dark room for three days, doing nothing – not even eating.

Stewart Joins the Oakland A’s

Finally, in an act of desperation that changed his life, Stewart asked his hometown team, the A’s, for a tryout. They accepted, although they weren’t expecting much. Stewart ended up making it in—and pitching terribly. Stewart was so ashamed, he almost gave up completely, but his teammate Dusty Baker convinced him to keep trying.

Things started turning around because of Stewart’s forkball. Doug Rader, manager of the Rangers, had told Stewart to never use it, but A’s pitching coach Dave Duncan had a very different opinion. He thought the forkball was fantastic, and told Stewart to keep mixing it into his pitches. Stewart took that advice, and the mix of his fastball and his slow forkball turned out to be a powerful combination

That came to the attention of a national television audience on July 7, 1986. New A’s Manager Tony La Russa gave the ball to Stewart, who beat Roger Clemens and the Boston Red Sox, using his forkball to devastating effect. He never looked back.

In 1987, Stewart hit his stride and showed the world what he was capable of. He went from being an unremarkable pitcher whom no one wanted to the ace of the A’s, respected and feared by opponents. He helped the A’s sweep the Giants in the 1989 World Series.  In addition to his amazing pitching ability, he also intimidated opposing batters with his “Death Stare” from the mound.

But Stewart’s impact off the diamond was just as remarkable as his actions on the field. He did extensive charity work, and insisted on interacting with his fans. He also showed a lot of honor when dealing with the media. Stewart became known, not just as a great baseball player, but as a great person, as well.

Stewart’s best season was arguably 1990, where he had an ERA of just 2.56 and pitched a no-hitter against the Blue Jays, in Toronto. However, after being swept by the Reds in the 1991 World Series, Stewart’s reign ended. He wasn’t pitching as well as he used to, which was at least partially due to multiple injuries, but Stewart refused to use that as an excuse.

In 1993, Stewart, now a free agent, signed with the Blue Jays. This disappointed him because he had wanted to end his career as an A. But he continued to give it his all, and even though he wasn’t as good of a pitcher as he used to be, he helped the Blue Jays make it to the World Series, where they won against the Phillies.

Stewart signed back on with the A’s for his final season in 1995. After struggling again as a starter and getting moved back into the bullpen, Stewart took this as a sign it was time to retire.

Stewart has continued his philanthropic endeavors after retiring. He served in several baseball-related jobs, including as pitching coach for the 1998 San Diego Padres, a team that reached the World Series, where they lost to the Yankees. Now, he’s a game analyst on A’s television broadcasts.

The A’s honored him by creating the Dave Stewart Community Award, which honors the community service of an A’s player, and making him an inaugural member of the Athletics Hall of Fame. The team plans to retire his jersey number in 2022.