Sam McDowell

Samuel Edward Thomas McDowell (born September 21, 1942) 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 (6 feet, 5 inches) 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 (though it has also been stated he was 8–0 and had signing bonus offers from all 16 major league teams. 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 (ERA). 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 (K/9), but also 7.8 bases on balls per nine innings (BB/9).

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. 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 (a rate of 7.2 BB/9), 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 (now the Jacksonville Suns) 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 (2.18), strikeouts (325), K/9 (10.7), hits per nine innings (5.9) and home runs per nine innings (0.3). 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 (MVP). 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. 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. On June 27, he notched his 1,500th career strikeout.

New York Yankees

McDowell was moved back into the starting rotation for the Yankees, and his numbers improved somewhat. He started off hot, winning five of his first six starts, but failed to win another game after that. With the Yankees in 1973, he went 5-8 with a 3.95 ERA.

In 1974, McDowell was again hampered by injuries. A slipped disc cost him two months of the season, A failed business venture had left McDowell $190,000 in debt, and by early 1980 was living with his parents at his childhood home in Pittsburgh while selling insurance.

After repaying his debts, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned associate degrees in sports psychology and addiction. Eventually, McDowell returned to the major leagues as a sports addiction counselor with the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers. In a 2011 interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, McDowell joked "I would say I'm better with women than [Sam Malone] was." At the time of his retirement, his strikeout rate was bested by only two pitchers: Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. His ratio of 7.03 hits allowed per nine innings also places him ninth all-time as of 2011. He ranks eighth all time on the list of career ten or more strikeout games with 74, tied with Bob Gibson. His 2,159 strikeouts as an Indian place him second all time on the team's career list, behind Bob Feller.

References

External links

Sam McDowell at the SABR Baseball Biography Project

Baseball Historical Almanac