Duane Ward

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ward was drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the first round, ninth overall, of the 1982 draft. Primarily a starter in the minors, he was converted to relief by manager Chuck Tanner, who told him he saw 'so much of Goose Gossage' in him. Ward made his MLB debut with the Braves on April 12, 1986, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in a 4–3 road loss to the Houston Astros; the game matched his childhood idol, Nolan Ryan, against Braves starter Rick Mahler, with Ward's parents in attendance. After posting a 7.31 ERA in 16 innings, he was traded to the Blue Jays on July 6, 1986, for veteran pitcher Doyle Alexander. From 1988 through 1992, Ward was the only pitcher to throw more than 100 innings in relief in each of those five seasons. He and closer Tom Henke formed what the Society for American Baseball Research called 'the most overpowering and beloved bullpen tandem in franchise history'; manager Cito Gaston later joked that 'we only played seven-inning ballgames, because we had Ward come in, then David Wells or Tom Henke.'

In Their Own Story

In 1991, Ward led the major leagues with 81 appearances, posting a 2.77 ERA and 23 saves with a career-high 132 strikeouts, and finished ninth in American League Cy Young Award voting. He recorded a career-best 1.95 ERA in 79 appearances in 1992, and in that year's World Series against the Braves he won two of the four games in which he appeared without allowing a run, as the Blue Jays captured their first championship. After Henke departed in free agency, Ward took over as closer in 1993 and set Toronto's single-season team record for saves with 45, along with a club record 70 games finished, posting a 2.13 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 71⅔ innings. He was tied with Jeff Montgomery for most saves in the American League, closed the 1993 All-Star Game, and finished fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting. In the 1993 World Series, Ward earned two saves and was the winning pitcher in the decisive Game 6, in which Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run after Ward pitched in relief. In eight career World Series appearances across 1992 and 1993, Ward went 3–0 with a 1.13 ERA and two saves.

Reader's Guide

The rest of Ward's career was beset by injuries; he never saved another major league game after 1993. A combination of biceps tendinitis and a torn rotator cuff forced him to miss the entire 1994 season. After rehabilitation appearances with the Dunedin Blue Jays and the Syracuse Chiefs, he pitched just four games for Toronto in May and June of 1995, allowing eight earned runs in 2⅔ innings before being shut down. His final major league appearance came on June 22, 1995, against the Milwaukee Brewers. Granted free agency after the season, Ward signed with the Chicago Cubs and pitched in the minors for the Daytona Cubs and Orlando Cubs before retiring at age 31. 'My arm just never felt the same,' he later said. 'It wasn't ... the same Duane Ward that everybody was used to seeing.' He finished his career with a 3.28 ERA and 121 saves. After baseball, Ward remained involved with the Blue Jays as an ambassador and lead instructor at baseball camps across Canada, including the Honda Super Camps he helped start in 2010. He also worked as a fill-in colour commentator on the team's radio broadcasts on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, appearing alongside Jerry Howarth. Ward was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. He died on July 18, 2026, due to natural causes in Toronto, after arriving in the city to join former teammates for a weekend of tributes.

Did You Know?

• Ward was drafted ninth overall in the 1982 MLB draft out of Farmington High School in New Mexico, tied with Jim Kremmel (1971) for the second-highest draft pick of players hailing from New Mexico.
• He led the major leagues with 81 appearances in 1991, posting a 2.77 ERA and a career-high 132 strikeouts.
• Ward set Toronto's single-season team record for saves with 45 in 1993, a mark that still stood at the time of his death.
• In the 1993 World Series, Ward was the winning pitcher in Game 6, when Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run after Ward pitched in relief.
• Ward was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 alongside former teammate John Olerud, Justin Morneau, and broadcaster Jacques Doucet.