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 Motivator extraordinaire Stewart: The man behind the Padres mound men
Posted: Saturday October 10, 1998 01:14 AM
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- He's a motivator, technical advisor, and sometimes fatherly figure to the San Diego Padres pitching staff. Dave Stewart doesn't take much credit for the way Padres pitchers have been dominating the NL playoffs, but he may deserve it. In his first year as a major league pitching coach, Stewart has watched his pitchers shut down first the Houston Astros in the divisional playoffs, then the Atlanta Braves in the opening two games of the NL championship series. Kevin Brown has pitched like he usually does, but Andy Ashby, Sterling Hitchcock and the San Diego relievers turned in passable imitations of Brown. The Padres have allowed just nine runs in six playoff games, and the bulk of those came in a 5-4 loss at Houston in Game 2 of that series. "They're probably making me look a whole lot smarter than I am," Stewart said with a smile. One of baseball's best pitchers in the late 1980s, Stewart seems to have helped instill a new attitude among the Padres' pitchers since moving down to the field last October from his job as special assistant to the general manager. He combines a dash of confrontation, some encouraging words, and a measure of purely technical tips as he tailors a pitcher-by-pitcher approach to coaching. "The most important part of my job is emphasizing motivation and focus. I challenge them in different areas," said Stewart, known for his concentration and competitiveness when winning 20 games four times in the '80s. He gave Joey Hamilton a nudge earlier this season by saying if he didn't step up and do his job, somebody else would. He tutored Ashby on changing speeds on his pitches. The coach pointed out to Hitchcock, who faces Atlanta's Greg Maddux in Game 3 on Saturday, that he wasn't keeping his head in the game. "Sometimes he would float and when he did, he would have a bad inning," Stewart said. "I challenged him to focus on each inning, each batter, each pitch. He did and he started improving." Asked about Brown, Stewart smiled again and said, "He does it all for himself." Stewart said he told the pitchers in spring training that he wanted them to feel like a unit. He said they hang around with each other a lot now, and have the attitude that the Padres' winning or losing depends on them each and every game. He also said that, when one of them needs a pat on the back, he's happy to provide that. Stewart is obviously appreciated by the San Diego pitchers. Hitchcock, who credits Stewart with improving his concentration, was asked how he would react if Stewart left his coaching job to become a GM. "Please don't go," Hitchcock said. "It's hard to say how much of an impact he's had on the staff over last year. I know with Ash and Joey and I, I think he's had a huge impact." Hitchcock added that he, Ashby and Hamilton all were disappointed after so-so years in 1997, and that Stewart helped them get a new outlook. "The new intensity and the mental focus that Stew has added on to us, I think has made the three of us better pitchers this year. I think everybody has learned a little something from Stew, and I would hate to see him leave," said Hitchcock, who beat Randy Johnson and the Astros 6-1 with a strong outing in the divisional series clinching game. Stewart said, "As a staff, we found an identity of our own. We're pretty tough on hitters."
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