Sam McDowell


Samuel Edward Thomas McDowell is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a starting pitcher from 1961 to 1975, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. A six-time All-Star, McDowell led the American League in strikeouts five times. Tall and powerful, his left-handed fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion which led to his memorable nickname, "Sudden Sam".

Early life

McDowell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1942, one of six siblings. His father Thomas was a heat inspector for U.S. Steel. He attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, where he played baseball, basketball, football and track, graduating in 1960. He had an 8–1 won–loss pitching record his senior year, with 152 strikeouts in 63 innings and no earned runs. McDowell had a total of 9 no-hitters in high school. He pitched in the Colt World Series in 1960, throwing two no-hitters and a one-hitter. In 1960, he was considered the top baseball prospect in the country, and had signing bonus offers from all 16 major league teams.

Professional career

1960-61: Minor leagues and major league debut

During the 1960 season, as a high school graduate, McDowell signed with the Indians for a $75,000 bonus. McDowell made the signing announcement at the conclusion of his appearance in the third segment of To Tell the Truth aired on June 16, 1960.
He spent the 1960 season with the Class D Lakeland Indians, where he had a 5–6 record, with a 3.35 earned run average. He struck out 100 batters in 104.2 innings pitched, but also had 80 bases on balls. He picked off 43 base runners, modeling his technique on Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn, who had given McDowell pickoff tips when he was in Pittsburgh.
In 1961, McDowell was promoted to the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. He finished the year there with a record of 13–10 and a 4.42 ERA. He had 156 strikeouts and 152 bases on balls in 175 innings pitched; averaging 8 strikeouts per nine innings, but also 7.8 bases on balls per nine innings.
This was enough to earn him a promotion to the majors in September, and one week before his 19th birthday he made his MLB debut for the Indians. Starting against the Minnesota Twins, McDowell pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits. He had to leave the game because he broke two ribs throwing a pitch. However, in a harbinger of things to come, he struck out five batters and also walked five batters before being relieved by Frank Funk. Funk gave up three runs in the 9th inning to lose the game, 3-2. McDowell did not pitch again in 1961, after the one appearance for Cleveland.

1962–63: Struggle to establish himself

McDowell started the next season in Salt Lake City, but was quickly called up in mid-April for a start against the New York Yankees. His second start was not as good as his first: although the Indians won 9-3, McDowell did not make it out of the fifth inning, once again walking five batters and failing to qualify for a win. McDowell remained with the Indians as a swingman until the end of May, when he was sent back to the minors with a 6.04 ERA and 24 walks in 25.1 innings. After posting a 2.02 ERA in 6 games, he was recalled in July. The results were similar, as he finished with an ERA of 6.06 and 70 walks, but also 70 strikeouts in 87.2 innings.
McDowell's 1963 season represented something of an improvement over 1962. He started out well, pitching his first major league complete game on April 16 against the Washington Senators. McDowell gave up just two hits while striking out 13, but his control continued to be an issue as he also walked seven hitters. Although he improved his ERA to 4.85 and his bases on balls per nine innings to 6.1 while increasing his strikeouts per nine innings to 8.7, McDowell was sent down to the Indians top farm club at the end of June and spent the rest of the season there. He also threw seven wild pitches, ninth-most in the league, despite only pitching 65 innings.

1964: Breakout season

In 1964, the Indians again switched farm teams, this time assigning McDowell to the Portland Beavers. McDowell started out the season on fire, winning all eight of his decisions in only nine starts, including a no-hitter, with an impressive ERA of 1.18. Perhaps more impressively for Sam, he struck out 102 batters while walking just 24 in 76 innings. Once again, he was called up to the majors. It would be the last time McDowell would spend in the minor leagues.
After winning a game in relief on May 31, McDowell pitched a complete game on June 2 against the Chicago White Sox, beating the White Sox 3-2. In a sign that his control might be coming around, he walked just three in the game while striking out 14.
He continued to show flashes of brilliance during the season, finishing with a record of 11-6 with an ERA of 2.70, seventh-best in the American League. He also led the league in K/9 with 9.2, striking out 177 in 173.1 innings. His strikeout total was good for eighth in the AL. His BB/9 also continued to improve, dropping to 5.2, although he still walked an even 100 hitters, the fourth-highest total in the league.

1965: All-Star

In 1965, McDowell was selected to the All-Star Team, the first of six such selections over his career. He pitched two innings in the 1965 All-Star Game and wound up taking the loss for the AL. At the end of the year, "Sudden Sam" was at the top of several American League leader lists, including ERA, strikeouts, K/9, hits per nine innings and home runs per nine innings. The strikeout total stands as the second-highest in franchise history to Bob Feller's 348 in 1946. His 273 innings pitched were second only to the Yankees' Mel Stottlemyre. He also finished 17th in the voting for Most Valuable Player. His control was perhaps the only flaw on his excellent season, as he also led the league in most walks allowed with 132, even though his BB/9 rate continued to drop, to 4.4.
The Indians were also improving, as they finished the season with their first winning record since 1959, with McDowell leading the way. Together with Sonny Siebert, McDowell was the first American League starting pitcher duo to post K/9 rates over 9. The Indians pitching staff as a whole led the AL with 1,156 strikeouts, leading the league for the first of what would be five straight seasons.

1966–67: Bumps in the road

McDowell slumped somewhat in 1966. Although he started hot, he missed several games due to arm problems during the year. While he led the league in strikeouts for the second straight season, his total dropped to 225, as he managed just 194.1 innings. He posted a 2.87 ERA but won only nine games against eight losses. Of those nine wins, five were shutouts, a total that also led the league. He also made his second All-Star team, although he did not appear in the game.
In 1967, although he didn't miss any time, McDowell's numbers continued to decline. He won 13 games while losing 15, and he led the league in walks allowed, earned runs allowed, and wild pitches while posting a below-average 3.85 ERA. He also failed to lead the league in K/9 for the first time since becoming a full-time major leaguer, finishing second to teammate Luis Tiant with a 9.0 rate. The team as a whole set a record by striking out 1189 batters. One of his few personal highlights came not as a pitcher, but as a batter, as he hit his first major league home run on May 21 off Boston Red Sox pitcher Bucky Brandon.

1968–69: Returning to form

In 1968, the last season before the lowering of the pitcher's mound to 10 inches above ground, Major League Baseball went through what is often called the "Year of the Pitcher". Fittingly, it was also the year McDowell began to return to his pre-1966 form. He posted a career-best 1.81 ERA, second to teammate Luis Tiant, who posted a 1.60 mark. He also returned to his place atop the leader boards in strikeouts and K/9. While he led the league in walks allowed with 110, he posted his best BB/9 rate to date with a 3.7. McDowell's own record was 15-14.
In 1969, McDowell won 18 games, his best total thus far, while losing 14. He continued to lead the league in strikeouts and K/9. Although it was the first season McDowell had posted a strikeout rate of less than 9, he also posted a career-low BB/9 at 3.2, and for the first time did not lead the league in total walks allowed without missing time due to injuries or time in the minors, finishing sixth with 102. His 18 complete games were the third-most in the AL, and his four shutouts were fourth-most. He also was selected to the All-Star Game for the fourth time, striking out four batters in two innings, including Roberto Clemente. On June 27, he notched his 1,500th career strikeout.

1970: Pitcher of the Year

For the only time in his career, McDowell reached the 20-win mark, posting a record of 20-12. He also led the American League in innings pitched, topping the 300 mark at 305. He reached the 300-strikeout mark as well for the first time since 1965 at 304, just barely missing out on a K/9 rate of 9.0, although he led the league in both those categories again. He also threw a career-high 19 complete games, second in the league to Mike Cuellar, giving him 37 complete games in the last two seasons. All this, combined with a fifth-best 2.92 ERA, led to his selection as "AL Pitcher of the Year" by The Sporting News.
However, he led the league in walks allowed with 131, and in wild pitches with 17, the first time he had done so since 1967. He also gave up a career-high 25 home runs. During a July 6 game against the Senators, McDowell became the last left-handed player to earn a fielding chance at second base.

1971: End of the line in Cleveland

1971 started on a rocky note for the newly minted Pitcher of the Year. He held out during spring training, hoping for a six-figure contract. The contract he did sign was voided by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn because it contained illegal incentive clauses, and McDowell decided to leave the team again. He eventually returned to the team, only to be suspended again later in the season.
Among all the turmoil, McDowell's performance suffered. His record slipped to 13-17, and his ERA jumped to 3.40. His K/9 was just 8.0, lowest since 1962, although it was still second in the league. However, his control problems returned full-force, as he walked a career-high 153 batters in just 214.2 innings for a BB/9 of 6.4, also his worst since 1962. At the end of the season, McDowell demanded a trade, and Indians general manager Gabe Paul obliged. On November 29, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Gaylord Perry and shortstop Frank Duffy.