It was also all he needed to pick up the win, the reliever's first in the major leagues.
"My job 90 percent of the time is to get one out," Peters told The Associated Press afterward. "The game was tied and we got a run in the next inning. It's nice. It was very special."
That win ended up being one of three Peters picked up in a major league career that lasted parts of just two seasons, part of a professional career that lasted seven.
His playing career over, Peters has gone on to another career, one ensuring other outs, getting people out of burning buildings in a career as a firefighter.
Peters' professional career began in 1985, taken by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the draft, out of the University of Oklahoma.
He played that first year between rookie Johnson City and single-A St. Petersburg. He started 13 games between them, posting a 2.04 ERA.
Peters split 1986 between single-A Springfield and AA Arkansas. At Springfield, Peters went 10-1 in 15 starts. He played much of 1987 back at Arkansas. But he also got 11 relief outings at AAA Louisville. He also made St. Louis.
Peters debuted with the major league Cardinals Aug. 11, going one inning, giving up two hits, but no runs. In 12 total outings that year, all in relief, Peters got 15 innings of work, giving up just three earned runs.
Coming back to St. Louis for 1988, Peters got into 44 games for the Cardinals. He picked up three total wins and three losses.
In August, Peters formed half of the battery that included Jose Oquendo on the other end, as Oquendo played all nine positions in the same game.
Peters' final outing of the year, Oct. 2, also turned out to be his last in the majors. Peters played the next year entirely at AAA Louisville. He moved to the Padres system and AAA Las Vegas in 1990. The Oklahoma-native's last pro time came in 1991, at AAA Oklahoma City.
His playing career over, Peters stayed in Oklahoma City, changing careers to be a fireman. By 2011, he was a major with the department.
In 2008, Peters was featured in The Oklahoman on the happy occasion of the birth of his new twins, four years after he lost his 17-year-old son in a car accident. It was his wife Amy and his fellow firefighters he turned to to help him through the loss of his son, he told the paper.
"It's not blood, but it's real, real close," Peters told The Oklahoman of his fellow firemen. "It's as close to kin as there is. You really and truly lay your life down. That's what makes it a brotherhood."
- Southeast Missourian, Associated Press, May 29, 1988: Horner hurts ex-mates as Cards prevail
- The Oklahoman, Aug. 10, 2008: Joy of twins soothes ex-Cardinal Steve Peters' despair
Cards Featured: 871/880 - 99.0%
Players/Coaches Featured: 882
Made the Majors: 601 - 68%-X
Never Made the Majors: 281-32%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 268
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 162
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