Dave Stieb

David Andrew Stieb (born July 22, 1957), nicknamed "Sir David", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) starting pitcher who spent the majority of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays.

In his 1978 junior season, Stieb hit .394 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs, and was named to The Sporting News All-American team (along with Kirk Gibson and Bob Horner).

Scouted by Bobby Mattick and Al LaMacchia of the Blue Jays as an outfield prospect in a varsity game, Stieb's performance failed to impress until he was pressed into service as a relief pitcher.

His pitching surprised and convinced the Blue Jays to draft him in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.

Stieb was initially reluctant to take the mound as a starting pitcher until he was told by the Blue Jays front office that "the quickest way to make it [to the major leagues] would be pitching."

Stieb entered the Blue Jays farm system with very little pitching experience.

Over the course of his college career, he pitched a grand total of 17 innings, mostly in relief.

Nevertheless, he made four starts with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays in 1978, working to a 2.08 ERA.

Fast-tracked through the minors, he debuted in 1979.

In 1979, he was promoted to the Blue Jays' AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, working to a 2.12 ERA over a 5–2 record and 51 innings pitched.

He made his first start for the Blue Jays on June 29, 1979, just a year after being drafted as an outfielder and with just 128 innings pitched in the minors.

Stieb made 18 starts in 1979, ending with seven complete games, a 4.31 ERA, and an 8–8 record (the best winning percentage on the pitching staff).

Nevertheless, the Blue Jays were the worst team in the majors, struggling to a 53–109 record.

Stieb won 140 games in the 1980s, the second-highest total by a pitcher in that decade, behind only his rival (and later teammate) Jack Morris.

The 1980 season was a big step for Stieb (if not for the team), who worked to a 3.71 ERA and established himself as the No. 2 starter in the rotation (behind Jim Clancy).

This was after an April where he was named Al Pitcher of the Month, pitching to a 1.06 ERA over four games (three complete).

At the end of April, the Blue Jays were atop the AL East, but faltered as the season went on and ended with a meager 67–95 record.

However, Stieb was named to his first All-Star Game.

With a 3.19 ERA, Stieb led the Blue Jays staff in 1981 (ranking third among AL pitchers for WAR), though the season was shortened due to the 1981 strike.

Friction between Stieb and management led to talk of an offseason trade (including one with the Philadelphia Phillies for Ryne Sandberg), but he was eventually considered too valuable to trade.

A seven-time All-Star, he won The Sporting News' Pitcher of the Year Award in 1982.

His 56.9 career wins above replacement (according to Baseball-Reference) are the highest of any Blue Jays player, and he also holds the franchise records for complete games (103), strikeouts (1,658), and innings pitched (2,873).

A promising outfielder prospect at Southern Illinois University, Stieb was converted to a starting pitcher after being drafted by the Blue Jays, who told him that it would be the quickest way to get him to the majors.

Stieb also twice led the AL in innings pitched (1982 and 1984).

In 1982, Stieb worked to a 3.25 ERA, good enough for fifth in the AL, and a 17-14 record.

He led the league in complete games (19) and innings pitched, with 288.1 (22 more than teammate Clancy, the next closest).

For the first time he received votes for the Cy Young Award, finishing fourth behind winner Pete Vuckovich (who led the league in wins but had a worse ERA); he did win the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award.

At the end of the season, he signed a six-year, $5 million contract with Toronto.

In 1983, he again won 17 games and finished third in AL ERA (3.04) and second in IP (278.0).

However, he did not receive any Cy Young votes.

Stieb finished with a 16-8 record in 1984, as Toronto finished second in the AL East to the Detroit Tigers, headlined by Stieb's rival Jack Morris, who eventually won the 1984 World Series.

Stieb worked to a 2.83 ERA, started the All-Star Game, and led the majors in IP (267.0) and in WAR (7.9), but finished seventh in Cy Young voting.

Stieb led the American League (AL) in earned run average (ERA) in 1985, finishing in the top five four other times (1982, 1983, 1984, and 1990).

The 1985 season saw Stieb led the AL with a 2.48 ERA, as well as the Blue Jays' first postseason appearance; Stieb started three games (1, 4, and 7) in the ALCS, but the Blue Jays fell to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Despite his strong campaign, he again finished seventh in Cy Young balloting, losing out to Bret Saberhagen of the Royals.

He was known for flirting with no-hitters, having reached the ninth inning with no hits four times in five years before accomplishing the feat in 1990, throwing the first, and as of 2023 only, no-hitter in Blue Jays history.

Born in Santa Ana, California, Stieb played varsity baseball at Southern Illinois University.

At this point, Stieb played primarily as an outfielder.

Injury prevented him from playing in the 1992 postseason, where the Blue Jays won their first World Series.

After a stint with the Chicago White Sox, Stieb retired from baseball, only to make a brief return as a reliever for the Blue Jays in 1998 before retiring for good.