Sammy Stewart, R.I.P.

Former MLB relief pitcher Sammy Stewart, best known for his tenure in the Baltimore Orioles' bullpen in the late 1970's and early 1980's, was found dead yesterday. The cause of death is currently unknown pending an autopsy. He was 63.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Stewart was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1974 but did not sign. A year later, Stewart would sign with the Orioles and reached the majors in 1978. In his big league debut, Stewart struck out the first seven batters he faced. The burly right-hander became a mainstay in the Orioles bullpen pitching mostly long and middle relief. Stewart was part of two AL pennant winners in 1979 and 1983 and was part of the last O's team to win the World Series in 1983. He pitched 12 scoreless innings in the post-season. Stewart was also one of the few relievers to lead the league in ERA which he did during the strike shortened season in 1981 when he posted a 2.32 ERA.

The Orioles traded Stewart to the Boston Red Sox prior to the 1986 season for shortstop Jackie Gutierrez. For the third time in his career, Stewart was part of an AL pennant winner although he would not appear in the post-season for the Bosox. Stewart finished his big league career in 1987 with the Cleveland Indians. In 10 big league seasons, Stewart appeared in 359 games, had a won-loss record of 59-48 with an ERA of 3.59 plus 45 career saves.

Life after baseball was not kind to Stewart. He became addicted to crack, became homeless, was arrested numerous times, spent several years in jail and also lost both of his children to cystic fibrosis.

Despite all of his travails, Stewart had fond memories of his baseball career which he shared with former teammate Rick Dempsey during an appearance at Camden Yards in 2016. R.I.P.