Roger McDowell, baseball player, 1985-1996

Roger McDowell

Born: 12/21/1960 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1985-04-11 | Final Game: 1996-08-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Roger Alan McDowell

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Biography

Roger McDowell was a skilled pitcher whose career spanned from 1985 to 1996, making a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his tenure. Born in 1960, McDowell played primarily as a relief pitcher, showcasing a blend of power and finesse that contributed to his teams' successes. Over the course of his career, he achieved a record of 70-70, with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.3. McDowell was particularly effective in high-pressure situations, accumulating 159 saves and striking out 524 batters, which underscored his ability to perform under duress. McDowell's playing style was characterized by a strong fastball and a knack for inducing ground balls, making him a valuable asset in the bullpen during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was known for his competitive spirit and was a key member of the pitching staff for several teams, including the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. As a product of the post-deadball era, McDowell navigated the evolving landscape of baseball during a time when relief pitching began to take on an increasingly prominent role. His contributions to the game have been remembered fondly, and he remains a respected figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
70 70 723 2 0 0 159 1050.0 1045 385 50 410 524 3.30 0

Career ERA 3.30 vs. league average 4.07 across their career seasons — 18.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1985 NYN NL 6 5 62 2 0 0 17 127.3 108 40 37 70 2.83 3.89 (+27%) 1615.4
1986 NYN NL 14 9 75 0 0 0 22 128.0 107 43 42 65 3.02 3.97 (+24%) 2483.5
1987 NYN NL 7 5 56 0 0 0 25 88.7 95 41 28 32 4.16 4.29 (+3%) 232.3
1988 NYN NL 5 5 62 0 0 0 16 89.0 80 26 31 46 2.63 3.73 (+30%) 1600.1
1989 NYN NL 1 5 25 0 0 0 4 35.3 34 13 16 15 3.31 3.71 (+11%) -88.7
1989 PHI NL 3 3 44 0 0 0 19 56.7 45 7 22 32 1.11 3.71 (+70%) 573.9
1990 PHI NL 6 8 72 0 0 0 22 86.3 92 37 35 39 3.86 3.86 (avg) 811.9
1991 PHI NL 3 6 38 0 0 0 3 59.0 61 21 32 28 3.20 3.91 (+18%) 82.9
1991 LAD NL 6 3 33 0 0 0 7 42.3 39 12 16 22 2.55 3.91 (+35%) -
1992 LAD NL 6 10 65 0 0 0 14 83.7 103 38 42 50 4.09 3.75 (-9%) -
1993 LAD NL 5 3 54 0 0 0 2 68.0 76 17 30 27 2.25 4.19 (+46%) -
1994 LAD NL 0 3 32 0 0 0 0 41.3 50 24 22 29 5.23 4.51 (-16%) -
1995 TEX AL 7 4 64 0 0 0 4 85.0 86 38 34 49 4.02 4.45 (+10%) 701.1
1996 BAL AL 1 1 41 0 0 0 4 59.3 69 28 23 20 4.25 4.61 (+8%) -1027.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
725 72 6 16 5 0 0 6 0 5 28 0.222 0.282 0.292 0.574 0.0

Career AVG .222 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.

Career OBP .282 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Career SLG .292 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 26.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.574 vs. league average 0.726 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1985 NYN NL 62 19 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1986 NYN NL 75 18 1 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 0.278 — — — — 0.0
1987 NYN NL 56 13 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1988 NYN NL 63 9 1 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 5 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1989 NYN NL 25 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1989 PHI NL 44 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1990 PHI NL 72 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1991 PHI NL 38 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1991 LAD NL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 LAD NL 65 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1993 LAD NL 54 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1994 LAD NL 32 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1995 TEX AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 BAL AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1988 NLCS NYN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1986 NLCS NYN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1986 WS NYN 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 1 11 0 0 20.3 17 7 8 10 3.10

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1988 NLCS NYN 0 1 4 0 0 6.0 6 3 2 5 4.50
1986 NLCS NYN 0 0 2 0 0 7.0 1 0 0 3 0.00
1986 WS NYN 1 0 5 0 0 7.3 10 4 6 2 4.91

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 3 0 0 0 0 0
P 723 2 118 253 24 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 NYN P 62 2 17 27 4 2
1986 NYN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 NYN P 75 0 17 30 0 0
1987 NYN P 56 0 10 17 0 1
1988 NYN P 62 0 11 19 1 2
1989 NYN P 25 0 10 12 1 2
1989 PHI P 44 0 7 13 2 1
1990 PHI P 72 0 1 23 5 2
1991 PHI P 38 0 4 17 3 2
1991 LAN OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1991 LAN P 33 0 4 8 0 1
1992 LAN P 65 0 8 21 3 2
1993 LAN P 54 0 11 24 3 3
1994 LAN P 32 0 2 7 0 0
1995 TEX P 64 0 8 20 1 3
1996 BAL P 41 0 8 15 1 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 723
Left Field 3
Right Field 1

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1996 BAL AL $750,000
1995 LAN NL $300,000
1995 TEX AL $575,000
1994 LAN NL $1,350,000
1993 LAN NL $1,350,000
1992 LAN NL $2,200,000
1991 PHI NL $2,000,000
1990 PHI NL $1,400,000
1989 PHI NL $762,000
1988 NYN NL $615,000
1987 NYN NL $305,000
1986 NYN NL $185,000
1985 NYN NL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $11,852,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH 1980, 1981, 1982

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1986 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 5.0 336 0
1985 Rookie of the Year NL 6th 2.0 120 0