The niece of late Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Duane Ward reacted to his sudden death over the weekend on a reunion trip with a group of his former teammates.
“Rest in peace to one of the biggest influences in my life, next to my father,” Naomi Ward shared via Facebook on Thursday, July 23. “I love you so much Uncle Duane I can’t believe you’re gone…”
Duane’s body was found on the afternoon of Saturday, July 18, when police in Toronto were called about a wellness check. He was 62.
No cause of death has been publicly released. Duane’s former teammate, Todd Stottlemyre, said on social media that Duane “went to sleep and never woke up.”
The Blue Jays said Duane died of “natural causes” when they announced his death on Sunday, July 19.
Naomi shared a post from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which also remembered Ward after his death. Ward was a 2020 inductee.
“From 1988 to 1992, Duane teamed with Tom Henke to form the most overpowering and beloved bullpen combination in Blue Jays’ history,” the organization wrote. “In 1993, he became the Blue Jays closer and set a franchise record with 45 saves and helped the Blue Jays to their second straight World Series title. On top of his accomplishments on the field, Duane was a loyal ambassador for the Blue Jays.”
The post continued, “He was an active member of the club’s alumni in many charitable efforts and in recent years, he had been one of the lead instructors at baseball clinics across Canada. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates.”
Duane’s former teammate Tom Henke recalled the final conversation he had with Duane the night before his death, admitting that he did not seem like himself.
“It was a long trip for him [to Toronto from Ward’s home in Nevada],” Henke, 68, told Sportsnet on Sunday. “He said he was kind of tired and was going to go to bed and get some rest for the next day. It was quite a shock.”
Paul Beeston, the current President Emeritus of the Blue Jays, told Sportsnet that Duane’s death “wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“I’m shocked and really, really sad about it,” Beeston, 81, said. “He came up here to celebrate and this was Wardo at his best, he’s got all his teammates around him and he’s celebrating and he passes. … He was with us and was with the guys that he went to battle with. With the guys he smiled with and had fun with. I don’t know what to say. It’s not supposed to happen at 62 years old.”
