Oakland A’s retire World Series MVP Dave Stewart’s jersey number
The pitcher's Major League Baseball career spanned from 1978 through 1995.
The Oakland A’s paid tribute to former pitcher, All-Star and World Series MVP Dave Stewart on Sunday by retiring his No. 34 jersey, East Bay Times reports.
The ceremony occurred ahead of the home game against the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 11 at RingCentral Coliseum. Stewart’s accomplishments were displayed on the scoreboard, highlighting his seven seasons with the A’s that included 49 complete games: “119 wins, .604 winning percentage, and 1,152 strikeouts,” according to the East Bay Times.
Stewart’s No. 34 jersey is displayed at the Coliseum along with Reggie Jackson’s No. 9, Rickey Henderson’s No. 24, Catfish Hunter’s No. 27, Rollie Fingers’ No. 34, and Dennis Eckersley’s No. 43.
“All those names are memorialized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” Stewart, 65, said in his speech. “To the Oakland A’s, Dave Kaval, Mr. Fisher, Billy Beane, David Forst, thank you very much for putting me in a place I never thought I would be. Thank you very much because up until today, I didn’t think I belonged.”
Stewart was joined at the jersey retiring ceremony by close family and friends as well as Tony La Russa, current manager of the Chicago White Sox and former Oakland manager.
“His wonderful mother, Mama Stew, would always say we were brothers with different mothers,” La Russa said in his speech, adding that he is as close to Stewart “as anybody on any team I’ve ever been on.”
La Russa recently suffered a health setback and had a pacemaker inserted into his heart but was cleared by doctors to travel to the West Coast to support his longtime friend. East Bay reports that more than 11,000 fans in attendance were given replica A’s jerseys boasting Stewart’s No. 34.
Stewart’s MLB career spanned from 1978 through 1995, and he won three World Series championships with different clubs. In addition to Oakland, he pitched for the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays.
La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan helped “resurrect Stewart’s career” after La Russa was hired to manage the A’s in 1986, East Bay Times reported.
In retirement, Stewart serves as an analyst for NBC Sports California’s pre- and post-game shows. He has also served as an agent and coach, CBS Sports reports.
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