Samuel Lee Stewart (October 28, 1954 – March 2, 2018) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player. He pitched in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) from 1978 to 1987. Stewart had the best
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
(AL) in 1981 and he pitched in the postseason in 1979 and 1983. He won the American League championship in 1979 and the World Series championship in 1983, both with the Baltimore Orioles. He became addicted to crack after he retired from baseball; this led to a prison term that ran from 2006 to 2013.
Early life
Stewart was born in
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
. He attended
Owen High School in
Swannanoa, North Carolina, and
Montreat College
Montreat College (pronounced "mon-treet") is a private, Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina. Founded in 1916, Montreat College offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. The college's m ...
, and signed his first pro contract with the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
in 1975.
Career
Stewart established a new record for most consecutive
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s in an MLB debut with seven in the Orioles' 9–3 victory over the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
in the second game of a
twi-night doubleheader at
Memorial Stadium on September 1, 1978. His performance surpassed the milestone established by
Karl Spooner
Karl Benjamin Spooner (June 23, 1931 – April 10, 1984) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After a meteoric rise during which he set a Major ...
in 1954.
[Eisenberg, John. "From a hero to felon"](_blank)
''The Baltimore Sun'', Sunday, December 17, 2006
Stewart appeared in one game of the
1979 World Series
The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and ...
. In innings, he gave up four
hits but did not surrender a
run.
Stewart's 2.32
earned run average (ERA) led the American League in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
.
[
In the 1983 American League Championship Series and the ]1983 World Series
The 1983 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1983 season. The 80th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League champion Baltimore Orioles and the National ...
, he pitched a combined innings over five games, did not give up any runs, struck out eight batters. He earned an ALCS save on October 7. He had been placed on 18 months probation the day before, stemming from a July arrest for driving while intoxicated
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
. His attorney announced that Stewart was undergoing treatment for alcohol problems. He went 51–45 with 42 saves and a 3.47 ERA in eight seasons with the Orioles.["Red Sox swing trade for pitcher Stewart," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, December 18, 1985.](_blank)
Retrieved October 29, 2020
In a December 17, 1985 trade that sent Jackie Gutiérrez to the Orioles, Stewart was acquired by the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
in a move to strengthen its bullpen. Upon hearing reports that Gutiérrez was released by two winter ball teams in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
and Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
because of erratic behavior which involved frequent fights, the Orioles attempted to have the transaction restructured or voided, alleging that the Red Sox had prior knowledge of any such issues. Stewart said that he had already settled in Boston and would fight any attempts to return him to Baltimore. American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
president Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...
upheld the deal on March 11, 1986, ruling that it was made in "good faith, with neither club knowingly misrepresenting the facts" and that "the Orioles' request to rescind the trade has been denied."
Years after his retirement, Stewart blamed Boston's 1986 World Series loss on the team's manager, John McNamara. He said that he had not been on good terms with McNamara since he narrowly missed a team bus after visiting his son in the hospital. A confrontation ensued between Stewart and the team's traveling secretary. Stewart said that McNamara held a grudge from the incident which led to Stewart not appearing in the World Series.
He pitched in 359 major league games, finishing with a 59–48 record, 45 saves, and a 3.59 earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA).[
]
Personal life
The year after he retired from baseball, Stewart became addicted to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment'' calls ...
. He said that the drug helped him not to feel the absence of baseball in his life. Several attempts at rehabilitation were unsuccessful; he slept under bridges in the Asheville area for a while.
Between 1989 and 2006, Stewart was arrested 26 times and spent several stints in prison.[Grossfeld, Sta]
"Rock bottom"
''The Boston Globe'', Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Following a string of domestic disturbances with his wife Peggy, he was charged with kidnapping in 1989 after she said he beat her and held her against her will overnight. They separated in 1994.[
In October 2006, he was sentenced to 80 to 105 months in the Buncombe Correctional Center on ]drug possession
The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances.
While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...
charges after accepting a plea bargain
A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...
as a habitual felon
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
. He was released in January 2013, then moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina
Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. It is south of Asheville and is the county seat of Henderson County. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leon ...
, to live with his girlfriend Cherie (married in 2015 until his death). He began teaching pitching lessons to local youth baseball players.[Walker, Childs]
"Former Oriole Sammy Stewart out of prison and enjoying a 'simple life'"
, ''The Baltimore Sun'', Sunday, October 27, 2013
Stewart had a son and a daughter with Peggy; both children had cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...
. His son died in 1991 at age 11, and his daughter received a double lung transplant
Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation, is a surgical procedure in which one or both lungs are replaced by lungs from a donor. Donor lungs can be retrieved from a living or deceased donor. A living donor can only donate one lung lobe. ...
, before dying in 2016.["Former major-league pitcher Sammy Stewart dies at 63", by Keith Jarrett, WLOS]
/ref> He also had two sons from another relationship.[
Stewart was found dead in his Hendersonville home on March 2, 2018.][ An ]autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
report released by the Henderson County medical examiner
The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...
seven months later on October 1 disclosed that the causes of death were hypertension
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...
.Walker, Childs. "Former Orioles pitcher Sammy Stewart died of heart disease, autopsy says," ''The Baltimore Sun'', Monday, October 1, 2018.
Retrieved October 1, 2018
See also
* List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
References
External links
Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Sammy
Major League Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from North Carolina
Baltimore Orioles players
Boston Red Sox players
Cleveland Indians players
American League ERA champions
1954 births
2018 deaths
Bluefield Orioles players
Miami Orioles players
Charlotte O's players
Montreat Cavaliers baseball players
Rochester Red Wings players
Hagerstown Suns players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
UNC Asheville Bulldogs baseball coaches
Sportspeople from Asheville, North Carolina
Bradenton Explorers players
St. Petersburg Pelicans players
Prisoners and detainees of North Carolina
American people convicted of drug offenses
American sportspeople convicted of crimes