1992 Profile: Steve Howe

"Few words can aptly describe Steve Howe's '91 season. But the adjectives sensational, remarkable and inspirational certainly come to mind.
The left-hander arrived at the Yankees' spring training site in '91 with an impressive resume but no job. He proceeded to dazzle onlookers with a biting fastball that eventually earned him a trip North.
After a brief stint in Triple-A Columbus to start the season, Howe moved onto New York and displayed his talents of old. The former Rookie of the Year pitched in 37 games, mainly as the left-handed closer, and collected a stingy 1.68 ERA and three saves.
'I feel thankful that I got the opportunity,' Howe says. 'I was walking around hoping it wasn't a cruel trick nature played.'
The only cruel trick was played by Howe on opposing batters."

-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook

"Howe was one of the premier left-handed relief pitchers in 1991. It was his first uninterrupted season in the majors since 1982.
He walked into spring training camp in Ft. Lauderdale on February 19 and then again on the 20th, impressing Yankee brass with the 90-plus MPH fastball he threw on the sidelines. Howe was invited to spring training by the Yankees on February 21.
He started the season with Columbus and had his contract purchased on May 9. At the time of his promotion, he was 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA (18.0 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 0 ER) and was tied for the International League lead in saves (5). The Clippers were 10-2 in the 12 games he pitched.
Steve made his Yankee debut on May 11 against Oakland, pitching a scoreless inning. It was his first appearance in the majors since October 4, 1987, when he was with the Rangers. It was his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since October 28, 1981, when Steve saved the sixth (and clinching) game of the World Series as a Dodger.
Overall in May he pitched eight times (12.0 IP, 6 ER) and was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Steve earned his first win on May 19 against Seattle, pitching 1.1 innings in a 3-2 Yankee win.
His finest month was June, going 0-0 with two saves in as many opportunities and a blistering 0.47 ERA over 19.0 innings. He walked only two and struck out 17.
Steve earned his first save on June 19 at Toronto in a 3-0 Yankee win. It was his first save since September 12, 1987. He ended the month by not allowing an earned run over his final nine appearances (12.1 IP), lowering his ERA from 1.45 to 0.87.
At the break he was 2-0 with two saves in as many situations and a 1.31 ERA (34.1 IP) over 23 games. He made 10 appearances in July and was 1-1 with one save (only opportunity) and a 3.86 ERA (11.2 IP).
Steve's final 1991 win came on July 12 at California and his final save came on July 18 at Oakland. The only home run he allowed all year came on July 27 against California (Bobby Rose), the first he allowed since 1987. Steve has not allowed a homer to a left-handed hitter since a July 4, 1983 circuit clout by Jose Cruz at the Astrodome.
He made four appearances in August (4.2 IP, 0 ER), from August 2-10, before landing on the disabled list on August 11 with tenderness in his left elbow. After a period of rest and rehabilitation, he was activated on September 2 after missing 22 games. Steve made his two final appearances of 1991- on September 4 at Texas (0.1 IP) and on September 6 at Minnesota (0.2 IP).
He missed the final 29 games of the season with a sore elbow. He was 1-1 with a save and a 2.57 ERA (14.0 IP) after the break.
Opponents hit .222 against Howe in 1991. Left-handed batters hit a club-low .128 (6-for-47) with only one walk (Dave Bergman) and 13 strikeouts. Right-handed hitters batted .256. He had a 2.28 ERA at home and a 1.09 ERA on the road.
Steve walked only seven hitters (two intentionally), averaging 1.3 walks per nine innings. He averaged 4.9 strikeouts for every walk. He retired the first hitter he faced upon entering a game 30 of 37 times (81%).
He signed a one-year contract in November 1991.
After sitting out the 1988 and 1989 seasons, Steve spent 1990 at Class-A Salinas, an independent team in the California League. With the Spurs he appeared in 10 games and made two starts, posting a 0-1 record and a 2.12 ERA (17.0 IP, 19 H, 5 BB, 14 K).
He had minor surgery on June 9 at the Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center in Lancaster, CA. Steve was expected to be out a short period of time but developed a near-fatal blood clot in his lung as a result of the surgery and did not return until August 8.
Prior to the surgery, he pitched nine scoreless innings. He was appointed player-pitching coach a month into the season when the Salinas pitching coach left.
Steve played winter ball for Mazatlan in the Mexican League. He appeared in 11 regular-season games and had a 1.23 ERA over 14.2 innings (15 H, 3 BB, 9 K). He had two saves and finished six games. Steve appeared in seven postseason games and was 0-0 with a save and a 4.26 ERA over 12.2 innings. Combined for the season, he was 0-1 with three saves and a 2.63 ERA (27.1 IP, 27 H).
In 1979, Howe was the number one selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the June draft and the 16th player taken overall. The pick was Pittsburgh's originally but was obtained by the Dodgers when the Pirates signed free agent Lee Lacy. Howe spent the second half of the year with San Antonio in the Texas League, going 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA.
He was invited to the Dodger camp in 1980 as a non-roster player. He won a job out of spring training with a 94 MPH fastball.
Steve was 3-1 with a 0.00 ERA in July. For the season he set a Dodger rookie record with 17 saves, breaking the club record set by Joe Black (1952). His save total was ninth in the National League. Steve allowed only one home run over 85.0 innings, to Houston's Joe Morgan on June 24.
In 1981 Steve led the Dodgers in saves (8) and appearances (41). He appeared in seven postseason games and had a 2.45 ERA. He won Game 4 of the World Series on October 24 and pitched the final 3.2 innings to earn the save in the sixth and deciding game on October 28 at Yankee Stadium.
Steve led the Dodgers in games (66) and saves (13) in 1982 while posting the lowest ERA  (2.08) on the staff. He matched his career best with seven wins and was the only Dodger pitcher to be involved in 20 of he club's victories.
He was selected to the National League All-Star team after going 5-1 with a 1.69 ERA in the first half. He had a 1.84 ERA over 11 games in September. After the 1982 season, Steve spent five weeks at the Meadows, a drug rehabilitation facility in Wickenburg, Arizona.
Steve started out on fire in 1983, going 2-0 with seven saves and not allowing an earned run through May 17. At that time he entered the CareUnit in Orange, CA for further treatment. He returned to the active list on June 29 and was placed on a probationary program.
He was suspended by the Dodgers for the first time on July 16 after reporting three hours late for a game the previous day but was reinstated on July 17 after tests failed to show any prohibited substances. He was suspended for a second time on September 23 and missed the remainder of the season.
Despite his problems, Steve set career bests with 18 saves and a 1.44 ERA. He allowed just five bases on balls in 68.2 innings, giving up only two home runs.
He sat out the 1984 season, serving a one-year suspension for substance abuse imposed in December of 1983 by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Howe filed a grievance out of court and it was agreed that he would sit out the remainder of the season to concentrate on his rehabilitation. As part of the agreement, the suspension was lifted.
Howe spent one month in the Arizona Instructional League that fall and was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA over five games (8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). On October 22, 1984, he signed a contract to play in the Dominican Winter League. He was pitching for Licey when after three appearances, he experienced a sore left elbow. On January 9 Steve underwent surgery to reroute the ulnar nerve in his left elbow.
He started the 1985 season with the Dodgers. On June 23 Steve did not arrive until the 7th inning of a game and was fined by the club. On June 29, he failed to appear at a charity dinner for which he was the chairman and did not appear for the Dodgers the following day. He was placed on the restricted list by the Dodgers on July 1 and released on July 3.
Steve was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a free agent on August 12. He made his American League debut that night and picked up the win, pitching 3.2 scoreless relief innings against Oakland. He pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in his first two appearances for the Twins. Steve's other win came with 3.2 scoreless innings against Milwaukee on September 3.
With the club's approval, he missed a team flight from Chicago to Cleveland on September 12 so he could appear on ABC's Nightline. He missed the team's five-game series in Cleveland before contacting club officials and admitting a relapse. Steve was released by the Twins on September 17.
Prior to the 1986 season, Steve signed with the Class-A San Jose Bees, an independent team in the California League. He was sidelined on May 1 when a drug test administered by the Commissioner's Office proved positive. Howe contested the results of that test and pitched without permission on May 14 resulting in a suspension by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. He was reinstated on June 24 after undergoing additional therapy.
Howe was suspended again three weeks later when another test proved positive. A second test taken later that day showed no trace of drugs. Overall in '86, he was 3-2 with two saves and a 1.47 ERA for San Jose.
In 1987 Steve pitched briefly in June for Tabasco in the Class-AAA Mexican League, allowing four hits and no runs over 23.0 innings. He left when his wife Cindy was expecting the couple's second child. Signed by the Texas Rangers to a AAA Oklahoma City contract on July 12, Steve appeared in seven games (3 GS) and was 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA over 20.2 innings (26 H, 5 BB, 14 K).
He had his contract purchased by Texas on August 6 after not allowing a run in his final three appearances (7.1 P). He appeared in 24 games (all relief) for the Rangers and posted a 4.31 ERA. Steve ended the season by not allowing a run over his final six games (8.1 IP). He was released on January 17, 1988, following the violation of his After-Care Program for substance abuse.
Steve is the all-time winningest pitcher at the University of Michigan despite playing just three years for the Wolverines. He was 27-8 with a 1.79 ERA (265.2 IP, 53 ER) over 41 games. He also fanned 196 batters.
He was 9-3, 1.87 as a freshman (1977); 11-3, 1.78 as a sophomore (1978) and 7-2, 1.76 as a junior (1979). As a sophomore, he shared the Ray L. Fisher Most Valuable Player award with teammate Rick Leach. Steve pitched a 1-hit shutout over Baylor in a 4-0 win to open the 1978 College World Series. He was an All-Big Ten selection in his last two seasons.
Steve graduated from Clarkson High School (Pontiac, MI) in 1976. He enjoys carpentry and hunting."

-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide

Named left-handed pitcher on The Sporting News College Baseball All-America Team, 1979.
Named National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America, 1980.

-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide