Duane Ward | 1964-2026
2-time World Series champion remembered as 'cherished part of the Blue Jays family'
Ward was standout at Farmington High before reaching MLB
TORONTO 鈥� Duane Ward, a two-time World Series champion and one of the most accomplished relievers in Toronto Blue Jays history, has died of natural causes, the team announced Sunday. He was 62.
The team said Ward, a New Mexico native, arrived in Toronto on Friday with several former teammates from the 1992 and 1993 championship teams but was absent from Saturday鈥檚 pregame ceremony celebrating those victories with a statue unveiling.
More than two dozen players, coaches and executives from those teams took part in the event inside and outside the Rogers Centre.
鈥淒uane 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,鈥� the team said in a statement.
Before their game Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, the Blue Jays paid tribute to Ward with a scoreboard montage and a brief moment of silence.
They declined further comment on the circumstances of Ward鈥檚 death.
Ward starred in both baseball and basketball at Farmington High School. In March 1982, he led the Scorpions to the Class 4A basketball state championship and a 26-0 record . That June, Ward was selected ninth overall by the Atlanta Braves in the MLB draft.
It is believed Ward is the second-highest player drafted who attended a New Mexico high school. Only Albuquerque Academy鈥檚 Alex Bregman was taken higher. Bregman was picked second overall by the Houston Astros in 2015.
It was against the Astros who Ward made his major league debut on April 12, 1986. The right-hander threw a scoreless eighth inning in a 4-3 road loss.
Ward appeared in nine for games for the Braves before being traded to the Blue Jays for right-hander Doyle Alexander that July.
Ward spent the remainder of his career with Toronto and appeared in 452 games for the franchise between 1986 and 1995. His 121 career saves are the most in franchise history.
Ward earned his lone All-Star appearance in 1993, going on to lead the American League with 45 saves. That total remains the Blue Jays鈥� single-season record.
Ward was the winning pitcher in the Game 6 of the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia, which was decided by Joe Carter鈥檚 series-winning home run.
Ward finished his career with a 32-37 record, 3.28 ERA, 769 strikeouts and 286 walks.
He was elected into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame .
