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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 17h

3/3: For the first time, the LCS is a best-of-seven, a fact not lost on a single Jays fan watching this night.

“Though the bubbly was on ice, though the first cork had yet to pop, we could taste the pennant." - Stieb’s bio

Stieb's line: 6.2IP 2H 1R 1ER 7BB 6K; GSc 65, RE24 2.10

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 17h

2/3: Stieb's ERA through two ALCS starts is 0.61.

He's soaring. His competitive zeal has found the perfect platform, and it spills over in a mimed crotch-grab as he leaves the game in the seventh. The crowd erupts. Some papers take a puritanical stance.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 17h

October 12, 1985 [print ed.] (1/3) - Practically unhittable again - if also wild - Dave Stieb bobs and weaves through the KC lineup and a jeering partisan crowd. He allows one run.

Al Oliver's sizzling ninth-inning double lifts the #BlueJays to the brink of a World Series berth.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 1d

October 12, 1985 (P3) -🚨 Dave Stieb & the #BlueJays are one win away from the World Series (in the now best-of-7 format 🤬). After a pitchers' duel between Stieb & Charlie Leibrandt, Al Oliver's caps a 9th-inning rally from 1-0 down. Stieb's series ERA is 0.61 over 14.1 IP. 🚨

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 1d

October 12, 1985 (P2) - 🚨 Dave Stieb pushes the K.C. Royals to the brink of elimination with a Game 4 win; the first ALCS with a best-of-7 format 🤬. Stieb's control is off a bit (5 BBs + 2 IBBs to Brett), but allows only 1 run in 6.2IP (a 0.61 ERA over 14.2IP in the series). 🚨

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 1d

October 12, 1985 (P1) - 🚨 On three days' rest, Dave Stieb leads the #BlueJays to a win vs. Kansas City, and a 3-1 ALCS series lead. He's practically unhittable again - a disputed play at first is the only #Royals hit through five; one of only two all game🤯.

Watch on... 🚨

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 1d

October 8-16, 1985: 🚨 Airing during the 1985 ALCS, youth counsellor Dave Stieb steps away from his regular job with the Blue Jays to help turn North America's youth away from the demons of temptation. 📽️

#DaveStiebSays #SayNoToDrugs #PSA #Drugs 💉💊

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

3/3: In addition to his affable W5 chat with journo Eric Malling, Stieb throws a little in the SkyDome outfield before G4, and lobs one final 1991 pitch to the plate before G5 (a little high, per one report).

“I still feel that I’m part of the team. But it’s been no fun.”

(1992 says hold my beer.)

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

2/3: The FULL interview is on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/V5k6sUJrD3s?...

Stieb gets ink nearly every day.

Minnesota papers note a healthy Stieb would’ve likely been G1’s starter (Cito Gaston’s notion to deploy a knuckleballer explodes when a nervous Tom Candiotti implodes).

March 15, 1992: Dave Stieb interview with Eric Malling for W5 (CTV's current affairs program)

YouTube video by DaveStiebToday

youtu.be

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

October 11-13, 1991 (1/3) - The #BlueJays crash out of the ‘91 ALCS with three straight SkyDome losses to Minnesota. It’s a bleak, dispiriting week.

Dave Stieb, injured since May, hovers on the periphery: throwing out G5’s ceremonial first pitch; interviewed for CTV’s W5 program.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

2/2: This newspaper piece sums up where Dave Stieb is in '86. The book is a reclamation project for Stieb's brand but, unfortunately, it comes after the disappointment of his worst season & #BlueJays reverse of fortune. And the scribes' knives are out to jab this point home.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

October 11, 1986 (1/2) - 🚨 Dave Stieb's 18-day book tour rolls into Kingston. His "Tomorrow, I'll Be Perfect" biography is selling well across Canada, even after a challenging 1986... 🚨

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

3/3: Itchy Jones, from Stieb's SIU alma mater, predicts the ALCS MVP for his ex-student; the NY Post's infamous hardliner Dick Young weighs in on Stieb's kissing bandit.

Bobby Cox's still weighing whether to start Stieb in G4.

The Jays bring a 2-0 series lead into Kansas City tonight.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

2/3: "Won-lost records don't reflect an accurate picture... it was just the man with the $25-million arm having the kind of night he was due," one paper writes.

"The only thing different about [Game One, as opposed to the 1985 season] is that we gave him six runs." - pitching coach Al Widmar.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

October 11, 1985 (1/3) - Days later, Dave Stieb's brilliant G1 start's still drawing ink.

We'll tell you it remains the best start in #BlueJays' 71-game playoff history. By Game Score and RE24, it is.

The Toronto top 10's in the next tweet: Marco Estrada, meet Trey Yesavage.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 3d

3/3: Look at American writers graded out the 1982 Cy Young potentials.

At least Peter Gammons & others says Stieb "probably" should win. But the grip "pitcher wins" have on 1980s baseball writers is crazy, so Pete Vuckovich will win with the worst stats ever for that award. 🤷🏽‍♂️

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 3d

2/3: Star writers, Alison Gordon & Neil MacCarl, grade out the 1982 #BlueJays. They name one of Stieb's two-hitters, Sept 6 vs Oak, as the best game. Damaso Garcia wins Player Of The Year (before they split position/pitcher).

Also, some fun facts about the year-end banquet. 🤣

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 3d

October 10, 1982 (1/3): 🚨 Dave Stieb & the #BlueJays get a postmortem on their best season ever by the Toronto Star...as talk ramps up on whether Stieb will win the 1982 Cy Young. Read on (but spoilers in the image below)... 🧵 🚨

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

3/3: Ernie Whitt: "Dave's got nothing to be ashamed of. He kept us there...that's all you can ask."

The Oakland Tribune concurs: "He was on his game."

A’s Catcher Terry Steinbach: "It was a lot harder this year [than sweeping Boston in '88]. Toronto wore the guys out. We need the time off."

Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

2/3: "I thought I pitched fine. It was a day everything went their way and nothing went ours." - Stieb

The Jays hit A's starter Dave Stewart hard, but go a desultory 0-for-6 with RISP.

Stieb, despite a two-hitter into the seventh, isn't so lucky: three of his four walks score.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 2d

October 8, 1989 [print ed.] (1/3) - The 1980s end for the Blue Jays in a five-game ALCS loss to MVP Rickey Henderson's eyes, legs, arms and wiles. He's just put together one of baseball's greatest single-series performances.

Stieb’s line: 6IP 4H 4R 4ER 4BB 4K; GSc 48, RE24 -1.23

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 4d

October 8, 1989 [P3] - A late Jays surge produces some tension (a one-run game; Cito Gaston v. Dennis Eckersley) and salvages pride, but this LCS is a mismatch.

It hurts less than 1985's... but only a little.📽️

Sadly - he's injured in both '91 and '92 - it's Dave Stieb's final playoff appearance.

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 4d

October 8, 1989 [P2] - It's 2-0 Oakland into the seventh.

The Jays knock Dave Stewart "all over the lot" [Bob Costas, NBC], but cannot score, while Stieb - much sharper than in G1 - permits but two hits through six and retires 10 straight at a point.

It's ALCS death by paper cuts.📽️

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 4d

October 8, 1989 remembered (P1) - The late '80s' predominant supervillain, the A's, close the #BlueJays and a valiant Dave Stieb out for 1989 at SkyDome.

It's been a showcase between two different tiers of ballclubs (the one with Rickey Henderson vs. the one without).

🚨Three-part video:📽️

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Today In Dave Stieb History @davestiebtoday.bsky.social · 4d

3/3: Stieb misses a shutout bid when Bobby Cox elects to work Tom Henke. (Toronto confirms it’s using a three-man rotation for the LCS afterward.)

The Costas/Kubek T.V. team’s electrified by Stieb’s surgically precise breaking stuff all game.

Stieb’s line: 8IP 3H 0R 0ER 1BB 8K; GSc 83, RE24 4.25

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