Sep 16, 2026 · 1h 56m
Dave Stewart traces Oakland’s role in his baseball resurrection
Dave Stewart: From Lost Journeyman to World Series MVP
Stewart’s career shows how coaching, belief, and community can turn repeated professional setbacks into sustained championship success.
- 1Dave Stewart turned limited pitching experience and repeated releases into four consecutive 20-win seasons.
- 2Oakland relationships with Rickey Henderson, Willie Mays, and teammates shaped Stewart’s identity beyond the mound.
- 3The 1989 World Series earthquake tested the A’s emotionally before Stewart delivered an MVP performance and gave back locally.
Don't miss
Stewart recounts pitching through the emotional aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake to win 1989 World Series MVP honors, then giving his prize van to the Boys Club.
The brief
Dave Stewart grew up in East Oakland, where the A’s, Raiders, and Warriors represented jobs, opportunity, and community life. He reflects on what their departures meant for the children who came after.
His path to the mound was anything but direct: a football prospect and inexperienced pitcher, Stewart moved through several organizations and roles before Oakland gave him another chance.
Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan helped Stewart rethink pitching, while Dusty Baker’s belief encouraged him to persist. The result was four straight 20-win seasons from 1987 through 1990.
Stewart’s Oakland story is also a story of relationships, from lifelong bonds with Rickey Henderson and Reggie Jackson to lessons learned from Willie Mays and the Bash Brothers.
The standout account comes from the 1989 World Series: after the Loma Prieta earthquake delayed play for ten days, Stewart started twice and won MVP honors before donating his prize van to the Boys Club.