Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers decided to turn Stewart into a
pitcher because of his strong arm. for a Bellingham team that set a record by losing the first 24 games of the season. He was promoted to the
Midwest League at the end of the 1976 season and with the
Clinton Dodgers in 1977 he had a breakout season: 17–4 with a 2.15 ERA in 24 starts, including 15
complete games and 3
shutouts. Stewart was promoted to the AA
San Antonio Dodgers of the
Texas League for the 1978 season. He was 14–12 with a 3.68 ERA in 28 starts for San Antonio. That was his only appearance for the Dodgers that season. Stewart spent all of the 1979 and 1980 seasons in AAA with the
Albuquerque Dukes. Despite an 11–12 record and 5.24 ERA in 28 games for the Dukes in 1979, In 1980, he was 15–10 with a 3.70 ERA for a Dukes team that won the
Pacific Coast League (PCL) Championship. He led the PCL in innings pitched (202) and starts (29) and tied for the league lead in wins (15). He made the Dodgers opening day roster His first save was recorded on August 16 against the
Atlanta Braves. When MLB's players went
on a two-month long strike on June 12, Stewart was hard pressed financially and went to work for a Dodger fan that owned a metal fastener business and worked out with a semi-pro team along with teammate
Bobby Castillo. and allowing the winning runs to reach base in the 11th inning of game two. He redeemed himself by not allowing a run in the two games he appeared in for the Dodgers in the
1981 World Series against the
New York Yankees, which the Dodgers won in six games. He spent time as both a starter and a reliever in 1982, appearing in 45 games (starting 14 of them) and was 9–8 with a 3.81 ERA. The Dodgers almost traded Stewart to the
Texas Rangers after the 1982 season in a package for catcher
Jim Sundberg, however, Sundberg wouldn't waive his no-trade clause and the deal fell apart. In 1983, he appeared in 46 games for the Dodgers, all but one as a relief pitcher, with a 5–2 record and a 2.96 ERA.
Texas Rangers /
Eckerd Drug Camera Day at
Arlington Stadium on Sunday, April 28, 1985. On August 19, 1983, the Dodgers traded Stewart with a
player to be named later (
Ricky Wright) to the Rangers for
Rick Honeycutt. The trade was controversial at the time, with many feeling that Rangers GM
Joe Klein had gotten too little in exchange for his team's best pitcher. The Rangers placed Stewart in the starting rotation. He made eight starts down the stretch, going 5–2 with a 2.14 ERA. but they did not agree to terms on a contract so he re-signed with the Phillies. Stewart appeared in 12 games for the team over parts of the 1985 and 1986 seasons, recording a 6.00 ERA.
Oakland Athletics Stewart had a try-out with the
Baltimore Orioles, but they told him they didn't even have a spot for him in Double-A. He was suspended four games and fined for his actions. Also in 1986, Stewart developed a
forkball to supplement his
fastball and
slider. He pitched in 29 games for the Athletics in 1986, with 17 starts. He was 9–5 with a 3.74 ERA. He won 20 games in 1987, while posting a 3.68 ERA and
striking out 205 batters. and claimed the
Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award. He went 21–12 with a 3.23 ERA, while leading the
American League (AL) with 14 complete games and innings pitched. Stewart started two games in the A's four-game sweep of the
Boston Red Sox in the
1988 American League Championship Series. After the series, his manager
Tony La Russa said he had "never met a player or person of higher quality." Stewart was the starting pitcher in game one of the
1988 World Series against the Dodgers. Prior to the game, he told Dodgers'
second baseman Steve Sax that he was going to hit him in the neck during the game. He came close, drilling Sax in the left shoulder and glaring at him. He allowed three runs in eight innings and was in line for the win before
Kirk Gibson's
walk-off homer off
closer Dennis Eckersley gave the game to the Dodgers. Working on three days rest, Stewart was not as good in game four, allowing four runs (only two earned) and leaving the game with one out in the sixth to pick up the loss. The Dodgers finished off their championship with a win in Game five. In 1989, Stewart was 21–9 with a 3.32 ERA in 36 starts. He allowed two runs to score in his one inning of work in the game. He finished second in the voting for the
American League Cy Young Award to
Kansas City Royals pitcher
Bret Saberhagen. In the
1989 American League Championship Series, Stewart won both of the games he pitched with a 2.81 ERA. In the
World Series, Stewart pitched a complete-game shutout in the first game against the
San Francisco Giants. The series was interrupted when an
earthquake struck the
Bay Area just prior to the start of Game 3. When the series resumed, 10 days later, Stewart started game three for the A's, and picked up his second win of the series when he allowed three runs in seven innings. The A's swept the series in four games and Stewart was selected as the
MVP of the series going 2–0 with a 1.69 ERA. Stewart signed a new two-year $7 million contract extension with the Athletics after the season. This was the largest contract ever in baseball at the time. In 1990, Stewart was 22–11 (his fourth straight 20-win season and tied for second-most in the majors) with a 2.56 ERA in 36 starts. He led the league in innings pitched (267), complete games (11) and shutouts (4) while being third in ERA and finishing third in the Cy Young voting. That same day,
Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers no-hit the
St. Louis Cardinals at
Dodger Stadium – the first time in Major League history that no-hitters had been thrown in both leagues on the same day. The A's won their third straight pennant, beating the
Boston Red Sox in the
American League Championship Series, and Stewart was named the
ALCS MVP going 2–0 with a 1.13 ERA. Stewart got the start in Game one of the
1990 World Series for the heavily favored A's against the
Cincinnati Reds. However,
Eric Davis hit a two-run home run off him in the first inning and he only lasted four innings as the Reds pulled off the upset. He pitched better in game four, allowing only one earned run while pitching a complete game, but the Reds won the game and finished off a sweep of the series. Despite being the losing pitcher in games 1 and 4, Stewart had a 2.77 ERA in the 1990 World Series. After the 1990 season, Stewart was part of a Major League All-Star team that played an eight-game series in Japan against a Japanese all-star team. He went on the disabled list for the first time in his career in 1991 because of a strained rib muscle, which caused him to miss three weeks of the season. When he returned he was not as dominant as he had been before. His troubles were partly because of an inability to throw his forkball for strikes and as a result he was pitching with less confidence. In 35 starts, Stewart finished 11–11 with a league-high 5.18 ERA in 1991 as the Athletics missed the playoffs for the first time since 1987. but still made 31 starts (his fewest since 1986) and had a 12–10 record and 3.66 ERA. The A's lost the next three games and were on the verge of elimination, so he called a team meeting in order to give his teammates a pep talk. He responded by pitching a complete game victory in game five, allowing only two runs. It was the first complete game victory in an ALCS game since
Bruce Hurst of the
Boston Red Sox pitched one in
1986 against the
California Angels. However, the Blue Jays won the next game to take the series and eliminate the A's from the post-season.
Toronto Blue Jays Stewart signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on December 8, 1992. He said that he was sad to leave the A's, whom he had envisioned spending the rest of his career with, but he felt the Blue Jays treated him with more respect with their offer. He said that A's general manager
Sandy Alderson was disrespectful of him and all he had done for Oakland and was insulted that he was accused of disloyalty when he signed with the Blue Jays. As a member of the Blue Jays rotation in 1993, Stewart made 26 starts and was 12–8 with a 4.44 ERA. The day before his next start, while the rest of his team was already in Chicago, he was in Toronto helping the
Salvation Army deliver food to the homeless on
Thanksgiving Day in Canada. He made it to the game on time, and pitched innings for his second win of the series, in the clinching Game 6 that sent the Blue Jays back to the World Series. He was selected as ALCS MVP for the second time in his career. In the
World Series against the
Philadelphia Phillies, Stewart started Game 2 but struggled, allowing five runs in six innings to take a rare postseason loss. Nevertheless, he was confident heading into his next start, in Game 6, saying he was pitching for respect as much as for another championship. Stewart remained with the Blue Jays for the 1994 season, making 22 starts for them with a 7–8 record and 5.87 ERA He would later say that he never felt the same passion for baseball after the strike.
Oakland Athletics (second stint) and retirement When the strike ended, Stewart re-signed with the Athletics on April 8, 1995. He was their
opening day starter on April 26, 1995. However, he could not recapture his prior form. Stewart was rocked for nine runs and was removed from the game with only one out in the second inning. In 16 starts, he was 3–7 with a 6.89 ERA, Stewart chose to retire rather than become a reliever. He made the public announcement on July 24, 1995, saying it was a low point in his life and he just couldn't perform like he wanted to anymore. Over his career, he started 18 postseason games, compiling a stellar 2.84 ERA and 10–6 (10–4 as a starter) record. In the LCS, he was especially dominant, going 8–0. ==Post-playing career==