BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : WORLD SERIES : They Have No Fond Memories of Phillies

The feelings of bitterness and resentment have subsided for Dave Stewart and Nick Leyva, but it’s only natural for them to wonder how their lives would have changed if the Philadelphia Phillies hadn’t given up on them.

For the first time since Stewart was released in 1986, and Leyva was fired in 1991, they will be looking across the field at the team they once detested.

Leyva, third base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays, will be staring across the field at the Phillies beginning tonight in Game 1 of the World Series at the SkyDome. Stewart will have his opportunity for revenge Sunday when he starts Game 2.

“I never even played there as far as I’m concerned,” Stewart said. “It was just a coffee stop along the way. I don’t even count the days as playing. As a matter of fact, they can deduct the days off my major league pension as far as I’m concerned, and it won’t hurt me.”

Stewart pitched only 16 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for the Phillies before he was released May 9, 1986. Their blunder turned into the Oakland Athletics’ stroke of genius. The Athletics signed Stewart two weeks later and were rewarded when he won 84 games over the next four years and led them to three American League pennants and one World Series title.

“I’d much rather forget that I was ever there,” Stewart said. “A lot of things weren’t above board. They weren’t honest with me.

“(Manager John Felske) promised me a couple more starts, and the next thing I know, I’m packing my bags. If they’d given me the time, I could have done there what I did in Oakland.”

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Leyva was manager of the Phillies for two seasons before being fired 13 games into the 1991 season. Yet, Leyva said this group of Phillies is more talented than any team he inherited.

“You can have a lot of good guys,” Leyva said, “but if you don’t have the talent, what difference does it make? I was frustrated, mad at first (after being fired), but then you realize it’s part of the game.

“When you take the job, you know you’re going to get fired eventually, you just hope not so quick.”

Leyva, who was hired in 1992 to be the Blue Jays’ triple-A Syracuse manager, joined the big league team at the All-Star break when coach Rich Hacker was injured in a car accident.