Stefan Wever

Stefan Matthew Wever (April 22, 1958 – December 27, 2022) was a German-born American professional baseball pitcher, who played a single Major League Baseball game with the New York Yankees in 1982, recording the loss, a 27.00 earned run average (ERA), and two strikeouts in that game.

Born in West Germany, Wever moved to the United States as a child and began playing baseball. He played in high school and the University of California, Santa Barbara, which led to him being drafted by the New York Yankees. After four seasons in the minor leagues, Wever made his major league debut on September 17, 1982. In his debut, he suffered a shoulder injury, which he tried to pitch through for two years before having surgery in 1984. He tried to come back from the injury in 1985 but retired. After retiring, he opened a bar in San Francisco, which he continued to run.

Early life and education Wever was born in Marburg, West Germany, in 1958. He immigrated to the United States with his mother and twin sister at six and lived in Boston until he was 12 when he moved to San Francisco. He attended Lowell High School, where he played on the school's baseball team. During his senior year, Wever helped lead the Lowell Cardinals to the city championship game, and he graduated in 1976.

After graduating from high school, Wever was not looked at by college recruiters due to a lack of competition he faced. As a result, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara on an academic scholarship, and walked on to the school's baseball team. After his junior year, Wever was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft. He was given a signing bonus of $16,000, and officially signed with the team shortly after the draft concluded. In the Yankees' championship series against the Geneva Cubs, he pitched a shutout and threw nine strikeouts to win the first game and help the Yankees win the NYPL Championship. The following year, Wever was promoted to the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League. That year, he had a 7–3 record, a 3.64 ERA and 94 innings pitched in 15 games. He improved to a 16–6 record, a 2.78 ERA, and 191 strikeouts, won the Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award, and accomplished the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Partway through the third, after three more runs allowed, Wever was taken out of the game. He pitched for innings and had eight earned runs, two strikeouts, and three wild pitches. He married Melinda in 1988, and three years later opened up the Horseshoe Tavern, a bar in San Francisco's Marina District, which he continues to run. He went on to continue coaching youth baseball camps and leagues and was bench coach for the San Rafael Pacifics in 2013.

Personal life and death Wever later spent three days a week feeding the homeless at SF's St. Anthony's Dining Room.

In 2019, Wever moved to Portland, Oregon, to be near his daughter. He continued to volunteer and traveled to San Francisco once a month to continue volunteering at St. Anthony's and to look after his business.

Wever died on December 27, 2022, at the age of 64.