Former Ports Pitcher Steve Dalkowski has Passed Away

The Stockton Ports are saddened to acknowledge the passing of former pitcher Steve Dalkowski at the age of 80 in his hometown of New Britain, Connecticut.

Dalkowski pitched for the Ports in two separate seasons in 1960 and 1964 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization.

He was a hard-throwing left-hander who many believed threw harder than 100 mph with his fastball regularly. Unfortunately, nobody was pointing radar guns at the mound during the time to know for sure.

Dalkowski's legend soon grew throughout the game as he caught attention from such greats as Red Sox slugger Ted Williams for his incredible velocity and complete lack of command.

Baseball fans worldwide have a connection to the flame throwing pitcher that might come as a surprise to many. Former Ports player and now legendary Hollywood director Ron Shelton came up with the idea of the iconic baseball movie "Bull Durham" during his time as a minor leaguer.

The film starred Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon as well as Tim Robbins who played top prospect Nuke LaLoosh, who was based off Dalkowski. Both pitchers had terrifyingly good fastballs, but what scared opponents most was that neither pitcher truly knew where the ball was going to end up.

During his time in Stockton, Dalkowski put together his best season as a professional during the 1964 campaign, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.93 ERA while striking out 141 hitters in 108 innings of work. The strikeout total is staggering for the time as hitters weren't nearly as concerned with working the count and forcing the pitcher to throw a lot of pitches.

He battled health issues later in life and spent the last 26 years of his life at an assisted living facility in Connecticut. He contracted COVID-19 that combined with his other preexisting conditions was too much to overcome.

The Stockton Ports organization asks that you please keep Steve and his family in your thoughts during this difficult time.