David Wells turns 63 today.
David Wells was born in Torrance, California. Stories claim his mother was a ‘biker chick’ with five children from four fathers, and that he was raised by Hell’s Angels. True or not, it adds color to his background.
The Blue Jays picked him in the second round of the 1982 draft. Barry Bonds went nine picks later, and Bo Jackson and Barry Larkin were also picked in the same round.
A 6’4” left-hander, Wells was known for his size and fondness for beer, not fitness. Despite doubts, he pitched in the majors until age 44.
He had Tommy John surgery while in the minors. I read that he was the third pitcher to have it.
In 1987, Wells was called up to the Jays from Syracuse at the end of June, made two terrible starts, and then was sent back down. They brought him back to Toronto as a September call-up and pitched well as a reliever. He earned a spot in the Jays’ bullpen out of spring training in 1988 and made 41 appearances, saved 4 games with a 4.62 ERA. He was sent down to Syracuse in early July and then recalled late in the season.
1989 was David’s first full season with the Jays, and he had a heck of a year, pitching in 54 games, all in relief and finishing 7-4 with a 2.40 ERA. He started the season as a long reliever, going three or more innings several times, but he was used more as a setup man as the season went on. After the All-Star break, he was 5-0 with a 0.90 ERA. He had one appearance in our ALCS loss to Oakland.
In 1990, Wells started in the bullpen but moved to the rotation in late May, after Mike Flanagan was released. And Wells stayed there the rest of the season. He made 25 starts and 18 relief appearances; he was 7th in ERA at 3.14, going 11-6.
Boomer started in 1991 in the rotation but moved to the pen in September, after a bad stretch of 5 starts, all losses. He had an 8.89 ERA in those games. The Jays went to a four-man rotation down the stretch. He had an excellent season, going 15-10 with a 3.72 ERA in 28 starts and 12 relief appearances. He also led the league in picking off runners first, 13, a total that was higher than any other team. In our five-game loss to the Twins in the ALCS, Wells had four relief appearances and a 2.45 ERA.
In our first World Series season, 1992, Wells started the rotation and made two starts, but Stieb returned from injury, and Boomer went back to the pen. He returned to the rotation to make 12 starts from the end of July to the end of August, when Todd Stottlemyre went down with an injury and then went back to the pen again when the Jays picked up David Cone. Wells didn’t have a great season, going 7-9 with a 5.40 ERA, though his ERA was ruined from a game on August 20 when Cito Gaston left him in the game to allow 13 earned runs to save the bullpen. He pitched in 4 games of our World Series win over Atlanta, giving us 4.1 shutout innings.
In spring 1993, the Jays released Boomer, reportedly due to a poor relationship with manager Cito Gaston. Instead of trading him for value, personal differences led to his release.
The Detroit Tigers quickly signed him and made him a full-time starter. From Detroit, he went to the Reds, then the Orioles, and then to the Yankees. He had two good seasons with the Yankees, going 34-14, and winning a World Series ring. He also became the 15th pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game.
After the 1998 season, the Yankees traded Wells, Homer Bush, and Graeme Lloyd to the Jays for Roger Clemens. At the time, I wasn’t too happy about it, as even though Wells had pitched well in two of the previous seasons before the trade, but not at the level Clemens had. Add in that Wells was 36, and since he didn’t take care of himself, I thought he wouldn’t end well. But Boomer was terrific for us, and Roger wasn’t as fantastic for the Yankees.
In 1999,, Wells went 17-10 for us with a 4.82 ERA while setting career highs in innings pitched (231.2), leading the league, and strikeouts (169), a club record at the time for a lefty. He also led the league in complete games with 7, as well as hits allowed. But with his excellent control, he could allow many hits and still be an effective pitcher, and in 1999, he walked only 2.41 batters per 9 innings.
2000 was even a better season for David, finishing 20-8 in 35 starts, with a 4.11 ERA. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting, and he started the All-Star game, pitching two shutout innings. He also received MVP votes. He tied Tim Hudson for the league lead in wins, was 6th in ERA, 2nd in innings pitched, 1st in complete games and shutouts, and in walk rate, walking only 1.21 batters per 9 innings. He was also the first Jay lefty to win 20 games.
After the season, Gord Ash, showing why he shouldn’t have been GM, traded Wells and Matt DeWitt to the White Sox for Mike Sirotka, Kevin Beirne, Brian Simmons, and Mike Williams. Sirotka was injured and never pitched in the majors again. Ash didn’t make the trade contingent on a medical examination, and MLB ruled against the Jays and upheld the trade. The Jays soon fired Ash.
After pitching a season for the White Sox, Boomer continued his tour of major league teams, taking a second tour with the Yankees, then playing for the Padres, Red Sox, and finally, the Dodgers. A fellow whose idea of working is a series of 12-ounce curls, he had a long career, pitching 21 seasons and pitching in the majors till age 44. He made it to post-season play with six different teams.
He finished with a 239-157 record in 660 games, 489 of them starts. The Jays started his career as a reliever, which is an excellent way to get a pitcher into the big leagues and learn to pitch in low-leverage spots, but the Jays couldn’t seem to put David into the starting rotation and leave him there. Partly because Cito didn’t like him, and likely some of Cito’s dislike was because he didn’t feel the need to keep himself in shape.
He was a big pitcher with great control, a great curve, an above-average fastball early in his career, not so above average later, a slider, and a changeup. Since he pitched into his 40s, it is hard to say he would have had a better career if he had kept himself in better shape. But then he has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, so there are other reasons to stay in shape.
Wells has an ‘autobiography’ called ‘Perfect I’m Not: Boomer on Beer.’ Among other things, it said he pitched his perfect game while hungover. He later said he was misquoted in the book, a strange claim for an autobiography.
Boomer, married with two sons, is a cult hero for middle-aged men who don’t fit the typical athletic mold. He shows that athletes can succeed without traditional fitness standards.
Wells is married and has two sons. He has done commentary on the YES Network and TBS. He does charity work for diabetes research.
He’s number 9 on the teams all-time list in pitcher bWAR and number 6 in wins.
Todd Stottlemyre turns 61 today. I don’t know why that makes me feel older than Wells turning 63. I guess I still see Stottlemyre as the young guy he was when he joined the Jays.
Todd’s most memorable moment came in Game 4 of the 1993 World Series, when his inexperience as a base runner led to an awkward, chin-scraping slide into third base and an easy out. The NL didn’t use the DH in those days, but the AL did. World Series games used the rules of the home team.
During that series, Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell boasted he could hit Stottlemyre. Todd joked he’d strike the mayor out, later telling him to ‘kiss my ass’ at the Jays’ victory rally.
Stottlemyre was born May 20th, 1965, in Yakima, Washington. The Blue Jays drafted Todd in the first round (3rd pick) of the 1985 Amateur Draft, June Secondary phase, out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the son of former Yankees pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, a 5-time All-Star and brother of Mel Jr, who pitched in 13 games with the Royals in 1990. So he had the bloodline and the raw talent to be a good prospect. His father’s book, Pride and Pinstripes, is a good read.
A 6’3” right-hander, Stottlemyre was a durable, league-average pitcher famous for his intensity on the mound.
Todd’s rookie season was 1988. He made 16 starts and 12 relief appearances and finished with a 4-8 record and a 5.69 ERA in 98 innings pitched. He walked too many (46) and gave up way too many home runs (15).
In 1989, Stottlemyre helped the Blue Jays reach their first playoffs, starting in the ALCS but taking the loss in Game 2.
In 1990,, he became a full-time starter, making 33 starts with a 13-17 record and a 4.34 ERA over 203 innings. How he ended up with a losing record despite the 2nd-best run support (5.81 runs/9 innings) in the league, I have no idea. His strikeout rate dropped to 5.1 per 9 innings.
In 1991, Stottlemyre posted a 15-8 record and a career-best 3.78 ERA as the Jays reached the playoffs, though they lost to the Twins in the ALCS.
1992 was our first World Series win. Todd went 12-11 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 starts, but in the playoffs, he pitched out of the bullpen, as we had a pretty loaded rotation that season with Jack Morris, Jimmy Key, Juan Guzman, and late-season pickup David Cone. He had 1 appearance in our 6-game ALCS win over Oakland, and 4 shutout appearances in our 6-game World Series win over Atlanta.
The 1993 championship season saw Stottlemyre struggle in the regular season and playoffs, but the Jays still won the title.
Stottlemyre’s last season with the Jays was shortened by the lockout/strike that led to the World Series. He started 19 games and had 7 more relief appearances that year, with a 7-7 record and a 4.22 ERA. With the Jays, his strikeout-to-walk rate was never great, but it improved after leaving the team.
After the 1994 season, he signed as a free agent with the A’s. He pitched there one year, then they traded him to the Cardinals. In the third season, they moved him to the Rangers at the trading deadline. After the 1998 season, he signed a 4-year, $32 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They didn’t get much for their investment; he only made 39 starts over those 4 seasons because of arm troubles.
His 14-year career ended in 2002 with a 138-121 record and a 4.27 ERA. Never really a star, but he had a nice career. In his seven seasons as a Blue Jay, he was 69-70, with a 4.39 ERA in 206 games, 175 starts.
Todd is married and has five children. He now works as a life coach and has written two books.
We talked to him a few years ago, when his first book, Relentless Success, came out. The interview is in two parts: part one and part two. He was amiable, a very nice interview. As I mentioned, he wore his emotions on his sleeve. I asked, What advice would he give a 19-year-old Todd Stottlemyre:
Todd: Wow. Great question. Well, I tell people all the time that number one, it takes time. And success isn’t gonna happen overnight, and the focus should be every single day getting a little bit better. And you have to come to a place of resolve, where ‘quit’ is never an option. So I would probably start there, with me at 19. And I probably would’ve told myself at 19, instead of speaking or acting on all my emotions, I probably would’ve told me, Todd, pour all those emotions out on paper, in a journal, and that’ll keep you out of a lot of trouble.
In his book, he talked a lot about his relationship with his dad. His dad pitched for the Yankees in the 1960s and 70s. He had a streak of nine seasons with more than 250 innings. Unfortunately, at age 32, he had arm issues (not a surprise). The strange part was that they sent him to have his arm radiated as treatment, which didn’t work. I’m not sure if a direct line exists, but his dad battled cancer for years, and it finally killed him in 2019.
I asked Todd about some advice his dad gave him:
I was frustrated because it was my second time being sent down in the second consecutive year. I remember calling my father and I was frustrated, aggravated, complaining. I remember my dad letting me pour it all out, and when I was done, and at the time he was the pitching coach for the New York Mets, and he said “You know Todd, we’d love to have you as a starting pitcher here in New York.” And then he kinda took a breath, and then he says “But not the way you’re pitching today.” And it was kind of that wake-up call that I needed.
In his book, Todd also tells a story about being arrested with Dave Stewart in Dunedin for battery on a policeman. As Todd tells the story, a policeman was unhappy with Stewart, feeling he was disrespectful or something. There had been some dispute about a $3 entry fee at a bar. Stewart said he paid for it but didn’t want to wear a wristband. Todd got jumped by the police. Todd says he and Stewart were taken somewhere other than the police station and held there. He felt the police were using the time to get their story straight. An officer claimed that Stewart punched him. Stewart said, “If I close-fist hit anybody, you can believe that they would get more than just a gash.” They were found not guilty of all charges.
Todd is tied for 18th on our all-time list in bWAR for pitchers and 8th in Wins.
Jayson Werth turns 47 today.
Werth was a first round draft pick by the Orioles in 1997. We traded John Bale for him in 2000. He played parts of two seasons for the Jays (41 games in all) before we traded him to the Dodgers for Jason Frasor.
Jayson played for 6 major league teams over 15 seasons. In all, he played 1583 games with a .267/360/455 batting line and 229 home runs. He made one All-Star teams and received MVP votes four time
Happy Birthday David, Todd and Jayson.
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