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Duane Ward, a standout relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays during their championship years of the early 1990s, died Sunday at age 62. The team confirmed his death was due to natural causes while he was in Toronto for a statue unveiling honoring the franchise’s back-to-back World Series titles.
Ward was present for Saturday’s unveiling of the monument outside Rogers Centre, which marked the 1992 and 1993 championships in which he played a vital role. The event drew more than two dozen former players, coaches and team officials to celebrate the historic achievement.
Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1982 out of Farmington High School in New Mexico, Ward was traded to Toronto midway through the 1986 season. He would go on to spend parts of nine seasons with the Blue Jays, establishing himself as a dependable arm in the bullpen during the team’s rise to dominance.
Ward’s most impressive campaign came in 1993, when he led the league with 70 games finished and 45 saves while posting a 2.13 ERA across 71.2 innings in 71 appearances. The previous year proved equally dominant, as he recorded a 1.95 ERA with 12 saves and 103 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched.
In postseason play, Ward excelled under pressure, compiling a 1.13 ERA with two saves during World Series appearances. He earned the victory in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, securing the eighth inning before Joe Carter’s celebrated walk-off home run against Philadelphia sealed the championship.
An arm injury sidelined Ward for the entire 1994 season, and he appeared in only four games in 1995 before his major league career ended. Over 462 games, he finished with a 3.28 ERA, 679 strikeouts and 666.2 innings pitched.
The Blue Jays honored Ward with a moment of silence before Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, displaying a tribute montage on the Rogers Centre videoboard. The team said Ward would be remembered as a cherished member of the organization and a crucial contributor to Canada’s baseball legacy.
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