Dave Stieb

Seven-time All-Star and Blue Jays franchise WAR leader.

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

Quick Facts

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right
Born: 22 July 1957
Birthplace: Santa Ana, California, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: June 29
Debut year: 1979
Debut team: Toronto Blue Jays

Lore & Background

Stieb was primarily an outfielder at Oak Grove High School, San Jose City College, and Southern Illinois University. In his 1978 junior season, he hit .394 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs, and was named to The Sporting News All-American team. Scouted by Bobby Mattick and Al LaMacchia as an outfield prospect, his pitching in a varsity game convinced the Blue Jays to draft him in 1978. He was initially reluctant to pitch until told that pitching was the quickest way to the majors.

He debuted in 1979 after just 128 innings in the minors. Stieb led the AL in ERA in 1985, finishing in the top five four other times (1982, 1983, 1984, and 1990). He twice led the AL in innings pitched (1982 and 1984). 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, he retired, then made a brief return as a reliever for the Blue Jays in 1998 before retiring for good.

Reader's Guide

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. 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. As of 2025, Stieb's no-hitter is the only one in Blue Jays history. He led the AL in hit batsmen in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1989 (five times), and was in the top three in 1985, 1988, and 1990.