3/3: To the BBWAA's eternal shame, he wouldn't even last more than one ballot.

Even worse, in 2025, the Eras Committee went with a pitcher with 15 points less of bWAR...and it's not like Stieb achieved that 56.4 because he hung around past his prime.

#Retire37, #BlueJays

2/3: Nobody enjoyed the '98 Dave Stieb comeback more than us, after 5 years away, but it had an unintended consequence on his Baseball Hall of Fame chances. Today in '03, the @baseballhall.org ballot is released. Stieb is on it, but as Jon Bois explains, it wouldn't go well...

2/2: Below is Whitaker v. Stieb, and Stieb v. everyone.

Hitters had a .667 OPS season average v. Stieb, with the league's average of .725.

Lou's OPS v. Stieb (min. 60 PAs) was a paltry .483, well below his career .789 OPS. (Fun fact: Lou faced Stieb in his 2nd career start.)

2/2: Stieb roared back after 2 subpar years in 1986 and 1987. He made the All-Star Game, won 17, had an ERA of 3.04, and finished off 1988 with those back-to-back lost no-hitters with 2 outs in the 9th inning (and a shutout before those two).

3/3: ...Damaso Garcia in 1982 (even though Stieb won A.L. Pitcher Of The Year). Stieb wins 1983 Pitcher and then loses in 1984 to Doyle and then laughably finishes FIFTH on the Jays in 1985. Stieb wins for 1988-90 before Roy Halladay wins his 6th in 2008.

2/3: It's Stieb's 5th Pitcher Of The Year Award in his 11th full season. Still, that seems low, so why? Well, the #BlueJays writers (who vote for this award) only separated the award for position player and pitcher in 1983. So, Stieb won overall MVP in 1981 and somehow lost to...

2/2: Stieb's second half - a 7-3, 3.05 split keying the Jays' respectable 21-27 post-strike finish - heralds a five-year stretch in which he's clearly the AL's best pitcher.

Last month, Stieb was the first pitcher to be named #BlueJays MVP by the Toronto media.

2/2: Below is Murray v. Stieb, and Stieb v. everyone.

Hitters had a .667 OPS season average v. Stieb, with the league's average of .725.

Murray had the 2nd best OPS v. Stieb (min. 60 PAs) at .989 (only bettered by Mattingly) with a .310 BAA & 5 HRs (3rd most, the most being 6).

3/3: Stieb laid out his expensive journey thru multiple agents in his 1986 biography. Comte had failed him thru multiple negotiations up to '82, Stieb had let his contract with Comte run out, but alleges Lemanczyk knifed him in the back, before Lamonte pulled him out of the fire.

2/3: From 1979-82, Dave Stieb had been hamstrung with an ineffective agent, Steve Comte, and in 1983 he's getting sued by him *after* getting sued by "agent" Dave Lemanczyk, after the *real* agent, Bob Lamonte, finally brokered contractual peace with the #BlueJays. 🤯

2/2: Below is Boggs v. Stieb, and Stieb v. everyone.

Hitters had a .667 OPS season average v. Stieb, with the league's average of .725.

Boggs had the 9th most PAs (85) v. Stieb. Based on minimum 60 PAs, Wade had the 4th highest OPS (.885) and only struck out ONCE, best ever.

2/2: "This was a gracious, charming, fun-loving Dave Stieb..."

Stieb reveals what it was like to go from SoCal kid at an Illinois college as an outfielder...to thrust into the spotlight as a pitcher in the #MLB.

And there's the seed being planted of his bio. with Kevin Boland.

3/3: This account’s not advocating for a Stieb win.

We’re just noting that 246/252 ballot points are given to AL West pitchers IN A TWO-DIVISION SYSTEM, when the East division’s best starter keys a spectacular comeback for his last-place team, and gets exactly zero votes for it.

2/3: Stieb’s four-month run (22 starts: 14-5, 2.40 ERA) coincides with Toronto’s phoenix-like rise, from last-place on June 1 (20-31) to MLB’s best record (69-42) afterwards.

Stieb’s the only regular Jay starter with a >.500 record (17-8).

‘80s BBWAA voters loved wins.

Hmm.