Duane Ward, who helped anchor the bullpen for the Toronto Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series-winning teams in the early 1990s, has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 62.
The Blue Jays announced that Ward died of natural causes in Toronto. They declined further comment on the circumstances of Ward’s death.
Ward arrived in Toronto on Friday but was not in attendance at Rogers Centre on Saturday, when more than two dozen players, coaches and executives from the Blue Jays’ championship teams in 1992 and 1993 gathered for the unveiling of a statue commemorating those victories.
“Duane will be deeply missed by our fans, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family,” the team said in a statement. “Duane will always be a cherished part of the Blue Jays family, and we will be forever grateful for his contributions to our organization and to baseball in Canada.”
Before their game Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, the Blue Jays paid tribute to Ward with a scoreboard montage and a brief moment of silence.
Ward broke into the majors with the Atlanta Braves in April 1986 before being traded later that year to Toronto, where he spent the remainder of his career. The hard-throwing right-hander ranks second in Blue Jays franchise history in pitching appearances (452) and saves (121).
He emerged as one of baseball’s top relievers in 1991, when he posted a 2.77 ERA and 23 saves while leading the majors with 81 appearances. He posted a 1.95 ERA as Toronto’s top setup man in 1992 — when the Blue Jays won their first World Series in franchise history — before thriving as an All-Star closer the following season, when he had a 2.13 ERA and led the American League with 45 saves. That total remains the Blue Jays’ single-season record.
Ward appeared in 19 postseason games and went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and two saves in his eight career World Series appearances. He was the winning pitcher for the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when Joe Carter’s walk-off home run lifted Toronto over the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Whether setting the stage in the eighth inning or closing out wins, he will be remembered for the role he played in some of the greatest moments in Blue Jays history,” the team said in its statement.
Ward missed the entire 1994 season because of an arm injury and appeared in just four games in 1995 before retiring that year. He went 32-37 with a 3.28 ERA in 462 career games with Toronto and Atlanta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
