Stewart Walker Cliburn (born December 19, 1956) is an American former professional baseball

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

who played for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) in all or parts of three seasons spanning 1984–1988. He is currently the

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the

Chicago Dogs The Chicago Dogs are an independent professional baseball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2018 and p ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

Career

The

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

selected Cliburn in the fourth round of the

1977 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The White Sox surprised some when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill ...

out of

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultu ...

. He spent five seasons in their Minor League system as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

, before being released at the end of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

in 1982. He signed with the Angels three weeks later, and by 1984 he had converted into a reliever. He made his major league debut as a September call-up that year, appearing in one game against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

, pitching two innings and giving up three runs. The 1985 season was Cliburn's best, as he had a 9-3 record and a 2.09

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Com ...

along with six saves. However, he suffered from arm problems in 1986 and wound up back in the minor leagues. He then was released by the Angels after the 1987 season, but was re-signed a month later. The year 1988 saw Cliburn return to the Angels, in what would prove to be his only full season at the major league level. Working as a long reliever, he had a 4-2 record and a 4.07 ERA. He returned to the minor leagues in 1989, pitching two more seasons for the Angels and Texas Rangers organizations. After that, he had a brief stint with the Daytona Beach Explorers of the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in 1990, where he formed a

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

with his brother Stan. Cliburn has been a minor league

since 1991, spending two seasons in the Angels' organization before joining the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

in 1993, spending that season with the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their major league affiliate. The team playe ...

of the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from J ...

. He has coached at every minor league level for the Twins, reaching their Triple-A affiliate

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

in 2006-08. Stew returned to their double-A affiliate

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They playe ...

in 2009 to aid the development of younger pitchers. As of the 2016 season, Stew returned with the Red Wings as their pitching coach. His brother was also a coach in the Twins' organization. He was hired as the pitching coach of the

for the 2021 season.

Personal life

He is the twin brother of

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

Stan Cliburn Stanley Gene Cliburn (born December 19, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player and current manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was previous the manager of the New Brita ...

, who also played in the majors.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
Stew Cliburn at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cliburn, Stew 1956 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Mississippi Baseball players from Jackson, Mississippi Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players California Angels players Daytona Beach Explorers players Delta State Statesmen baseball players Edmonton Trappers players Holyoke Millers players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland Angels players Minor league baseball coaches Nashua Angels players Oklahoma City 89ers players Palm Springs Angels players Portland Beavers players Salem Pirates players Shreveport Captains players Spokane Indians players Sportspeople from Fort Myers, Florida Sportspeople from Jackson, Mississippi Twin sportspeople