1986

Sammy Stewart, was a member of the 1986 Red Sox team that won the American League Championship. He was born on October 28, 1954, in Asheville, North Carolina. With flowing hair and a bushy mustache, a country twang and a penchant for telling funny stories, and was widely popular with his teammates. The boy who became known as “The Throwin’ Swannanoan” grew up in that North Carolina community, attending eight years of elementary school and Charles D. Owen High School. He completed two years at Montreat Anderson Junior College.

Stewart was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the June 1974 free-agent draft, but not until the 28th round. He elected not to sign that year, but did so as a non-drafted free agent signing in 1975 by Baltimore. The Orioles assigned him to the Bluefield Orioles in Bluefield, West Virginia, in the Appalachian League, a rookie league.

Stewart took full advantage of his first full season in Organized Baseball, pitching in Class A for the Miami Orioles (Florida State League). He put up a 12-8 record with an earned-run average of 2.42. Climbing two rungs on the ladder in 1977, Stewart was promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

In 1979 with the Orioles, Stewart was used primarily in relief, pitching seven, nine, and eight innings and never giving up more than two earned runs. It was hard to crack manager Earl Weaver’s five-man rotation featuring Mike Flanagan, Jim Palmer, Scott McGregor, Dennis Martinez, and Steve Stone. There were only five starts all season by anyone other than the main five, and Sammy had three of the five. That rotation carried the Orioles to a pennant, winning the best-of-five American League Championship Series over the California Angels. Sammy did see action in the World Series, coming on in early relief of Dennis Martinez in Game Four at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium.

The 1980 Orioles had not just one, but two 20-game winners, but they finished second to the Yankees. Stewart posted nearly identical stats to 1979 again, he started three times, but this time he lost the first of them. His ERA for the year was 3.56. Weaver had him close 20 games, double the year before.

And 1981 wasn’t that much different in some regards. The Orioles finished two games behind the division leader in each half and weren’t involved in the postseason at all. This was the year that Stewart finished second in ERA only to Dave Righetti’s 2.05 among all AL pitchers, with his 2.32 mark.

In 1982 Stewart saw his ERA climb to 4.14, in part because of problems due to bone chips in both knees which occasioned a 21-day disabled-list stint and a very brief two-game rehab stay in Hagerstown.

The 1983 season was dominated by a major accomplishment: a return to the World Series. Stewart closed 21 games. It was the Orioles over the Phillies in five during the World Series, and Stewart pitched five innings of relief, appearing in Games One, Three, and Four.

It might also have been a year (1983) when Stewart overcame a problem with alcoholism. Stewart led the staff in 1984, this time appearing in 60 games and became a defined closer, finishing 39 games and with a career-high 13 saves.

On December 17, 1985, Stewart was traded to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Jackie Gutierrez. Other than the experience of leaving the only organization for which he’d ever played, in one way the year may have turned out better. The Orioles sank to last place, and the Red Sox went to the World Series. Stewart, however, missed a big chunk in the middle of the season, after a May 31st arm injury, not pitching at all from June 8th to July 27th. He pitched 63 innings, by far his lowest total, and, though he was 4-1, it was despite a 4.38 ERA. Worse, he’d lost the confidence of manager John McNamara. On November 12th Stewart was granted free agency – in other words, the Red Sox let him go.

Stewart went 59-48 with 45 saves and a 3.59 ERA in 10 seasons. He pitched in 359 games, including 25 starts.

His career ended in 1987, and off the field, his life spiraled out of control. Many who knew him said he declined after his son, who had cystic fibrosis, died at age 11. Stewart was arrested dozens of times as he dealt with addiction to crack cocaine. At one point he was homeless and penniless. He pawned his championship ring, was homeless and spent more than six years in prison before being released in 2013.

Stewart stayed in touch with teammates and did autograph shows with them after getting out of prison. He had worked as an instructor at a baseball and softball center in North Carolina.

Sammy Stewart died on March 2nd at age 63, from hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to an autopsy report by the Henderson County, N.C., medical examiner. A postmortem toxicology screen found ethanol in his urine and brain tissue, suggesting alcohol use.