Duane Ward, a Farmington High School legend, Connie Mack World Series alumnus, and two-time World Series champion who became one of the most accomplished relief pitchers in Toronto Blue Jays history, has died. He was 62.
The Blue Jays announced Sunday that Ward died of natural causes.
Ward had arrived in Toronto on Friday with several former teammates from the 1992 and 1993 championship teams. However, he was absent from Saturday’s pregame ceremony at Rogers Centre, which celebrated those victories with a statue unveiling attended by more than two dozen former players, coaches, and executives.
“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,” the team said in a statement. Before Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, the Blue Jays honored Ward with a scoreboard montage and a moment of silence.
Long before anchoring the bullpen for a Major League dynasty, Ward was a dominant multi-sport force in New Mexico. At Farmington High School, he excelled in both baseball and basketball, earning standard elite status across the Southwest and playing in the prestigious Connie Mack World Series.
In March 1982, Ward led the Scorpions basketball team to an undefeated 26-0 record and the Class 4A state championship, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a thrilling 58-56 title-game victory over Eldorado. He led the state in scoring that season, averaging 27.7 points per game, and earned first-team all-state honors.
On the diamond, the powerhouse right-hander earned first-team all-state honors as a pitcher and was heavily recruited by nearly every major college program, ultimately signing with Arizona State University.
He never made it to campus. In June 1982, the Atlanta Braves selected Ward ninth overall in the MLB draft. At the time, it was the highest draft selection ever for a New Mexico high school player—a record that stood until 2015, when Albuquerque Academy graduate Alex Bregman was taken second overall by the Houston Astros after playing at LSU.
Ward made his major league debut on April 12, 1986, against the Houston Astros, tossing a scoreless eighth inning in the Astrodome while Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was on the mound for Houston.
After appearing in nine games for Atlanta, Ward was traded to the Blue Jays in July 1986 for right-hander Doyle Alexander. The trade set the stage for Ward to become one of the premier late-inning arms in baseball.
Ward spent the remainder of his career in Toronto, appearing in 452 games between 1986 and 1995. Serving first as a devastating setup man to Tom Henke and later as the team’s primary closer, Ward etched his name all over the franchise record books.
His 121 career saves stand as the most in Blue Jays history. In 1993, Ward earned an All-Star selection and led the American League with 45 saves, which remains Toronto’s single-season record.
Ward was a postseason workhorse during Toronto’s back-to-back title runs. He was the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching the top of the ninth inning just before Joe Carter hit his iconic, walk-off three-run home run to clinch the championship.
He retired with a career record of 32-37, a 3.28 ERA, 769 strikeouts, and 286 walks.
Ward’s impact on the sport earned him induction into multiple halls of fame. He was enshrined in the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.
“He is without a doubt, the best baseball player Farmington has ever produced,” said Richard Neely, president of the American Amateur Baseball Congress, which presents the Connie Mack World Series.
Information on survivors and funeral arrangements was not immediately available.