Duane Ward, baseball player, 1986-1995

Duane Ward

Born: 5/28/1964 in Park View, NM, USA

MLB Debut: 1986-04-12 | Final Game: 1995-06-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Roy Duane Ward

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Biography

Duane Ward, born in 1964, was a talented pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 until his retirement in 1995. Known for his effective pitching style and ability to close games, Ward compiled a career record of 32-37 with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.28. Over his nine seasons in the league, he struck out a notable 679 batters and recorded 121 saves, underscoring his role as a reliable relief pitcher during a competitive era in baseball. Ward was selected as an All-Star once during his career, a testament to his performance and impact on the field. His contributions were particularly significant in the context of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by the emergence of specialized relief roles in baseball. As teams increasingly relied on pitchers to excel in high-pressure situations, Ward's skills were instrumental in helping his teams secure crucial victories. His legacy is remembered by fans and analysts alike as a key figure in the evolution of the bullpen role in Major League Baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
32 37 462 2 0 0 121 666.7 551 243 32 286 679 3.28 0

Career ERA 3.28 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 17.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1986 ATL NL 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 16.0 22 13 8 8 7.31 3.97 (-84%) -370.6
1986 TOR AL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 2.0 3 3 4 1 13.50 — 0.0
1987 TOR AL 1 0 12 1 0 0 0 11.7 14 9 12 10 6.94 4.29 (-62%) 14.9
1988 TOR AL 9 3 64 0 0 0 15 111.7 101 41 60 91 3.30 3.73 (+11%) 760.0
1989 TOR AL 4 10 66 0 0 0 15 114.7 94 48 58 122 3.77 3.71 (-2%) 2856.9
1990 TOR AL 2 8 73 0 0 0 11 127.7 101 49 42 112 3.45 3.86 (+11%) 2884.6
1991 TOR AL 7 6 81 0 0 0 23 107.3 80 33 33 132 2.77 3.91 (+29%) 5961.1
1992 TOR AL 7 4 79 0 0 0 12 101.3 76 22 39 103 1.95 3.75 (+48%) 3024.6
1993 TOR AL 2 3 71 0 0 0 45 71.7 49 17 25 97 2.13 4.19 (+49%) 3809.4
1995 TOR AL 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 2.7 11 8 5 3 27.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
462 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 ATL NL 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 TOR AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 TOR AL 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 TOR AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 TOR AL 66 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 TOR AL 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 TOR AL 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 TOR AL 79 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 TOR AL 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 TOR AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1993 ALCS TOR 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1993 WS TOR 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1992 ALCS TOR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1992 WS TOR 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 ALCS TOR 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 ALCS TOR 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 1 19 0 5 24.7 24 13 10 34 4.74

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1993 ALCS TOR 0 0 4 0 2 4.7 4 3 4 8 5.79
1993 WS TOR 1 0 4 0 2 4.7 3 1 0 7 1.93
1992 ALCS TOR 1 0 3 0 0 4.0 6 3 1 2 6.75
1992 WS TOR 2 0 4 0 0 3.3 1 0 1 6 0.00
1991 ALCS TOR 0 1 2 0 1 4.3 4 3 1 6 6.23
1989 ALCS TOR 0 0 2 0 0 3.7 6 3 3 5 7.36

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 462 2 37 86 6 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 ATL P 10 0 0 6 0 0
1986 TOR P 2 1 1 0 0 0
1987 TOR P 12 1 2 2 0 0
1988 TOR P 64 0 6 12 1 0
1989 TOR P 66 0 5 21 1 2
1990 TOR P 73 0 9 18 1 0
1991 TOR P 81 0 9 11 1 1
1992 TOR P 79 0 4 11 1 0
1993 TOR P 71 0 1 5 0 0
1995 TOR P 4 0 0 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 462

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1995 TOR AL $4,750,000
1994 TOR AL $4,000,000
1993 TOR AL $3,350,000
1992 TOR AL $2,425,000
1991 TOR AL $800,000
1990 TOR AL $300,000
1989 TOR AL $168,500
1988 TOR AL $80,000
Total Career Earnings $15,873,500

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1993 Cy Young Award AL 5th 5.0 140 0
1993 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 3.0 392 0
1991 Cy Young Award AL 9th 3.0 140 0