Sam McDowell, baseball player, 1961-1975

Sam McDowell

Born: 9/21/1942 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-09-15 | Final Game: 1975-06-24

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Samuel Edward McDowell

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Biography

Sam McDowell, born in 1942, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1961 until his retirement in 1975. Known for his powerful fastball and devastating curveball, McDowell was a dominant force on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 141-134 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.17. His ability to strike out batters was particularly notable; he recorded a remarkable 2,453 strikeouts over his career, showcasing his status as one of the premier strikeout pitchers of his era. McDowell was selected as an All-Star six times, reflecting his consistent excellence and popularity among fans and peers alike. Competing during a time when pitching was highly valued and offensive statistics often dictated game outcomes, McDowell's contributions were crucial to his teams, particularly with the Cleveland Indians. He played a key role in the evolution of pitching in the 1960s and early 1970s, an era characterized by a focus on strikeouts and a shift towards more specialized relief pitching. In addition to his strikeouts, McDowell recorded 14 saves, demonstrating his versatility and ability to close games when necessary. His legacy endures not only through his statistics but also as an influential figure in the development of modern pitching techniques.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
141 134 425 346 103 23 14 2492.3 1948 879 164 1312 2453 3.17 0

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 3.58 across their career seasons — 11.3% 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
1961 CLE AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 6.3 3 0 5 5 0.00 — 0.0
1962 CLE AL 3 7 25 13 0 0 1 87.7 81 59 70 70 6.06 3.96 (-53%) -2079.2
1963 CLE AL 3 5 14 12 3 1 0 65.0 63 35 44 63 4.85 3.46 (-40%) -514.4
1964 CLE AL 11 6 31 24 6 2 1 173.3 148 52 100 177 2.70 3.58 (+25%) 2850.7
1965 CLE AL 17 11 42 35 14 3 4 273.0 178 66 132 325 2.18 3.50 (+38%) 10218.0
1966 CLE AL 9 8 35 28 8 5 3 194.3 130 62 102 225 2.87 3.52 (+18%) 4100.7
1967 CLE AL 13 15 37 37 10 1 0 236.3 201 101 123 236 3.85 3.30 (-16%) -271.1
1968 CLE AL 15 14 38 37 11 3 0 269.0 181 54 110 283 1.81 2.98 (+39%) 5212.8
1969 CLE AL 18 14 39 38 18 4 1 285.0 222 93 102 279 2.94 3.61 (+19%) 9970.0
1970 CLE AL 20 12 39 39 19 1 0 305.0 236 99 131 304 2.92 3.89 (+25%) 6628.3
1971 CLE AL 13 17 35 31 8 2 1 214.7 160 81 153 192 3.40 3.47 (+2%) -3956.4
1972 SFG NL 10 8 28 25 4 0 0 164.3 155 79 86 122 4.33 3.26 (-33%) -
1973 SFG NL 1 2 18 3 0 0 3 40.0 45 20 29 35 4.50 3.75 (-20%) -
1973 NYY AL 5 8 16 15 2 1 0 95.7 73 42 64 75 3.95 3.75 (-5%) -
1974 NYY AL 1 6 13 7 0 0 0 48.0 42 25 41 33 4.69 3.63 (-29%) -
1975 PIT NL 2 1 14 1 0 0 0 34.7 30 11 20 29 2.86 3.71 (+23%) 930.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
429 774 34 119 7 2 2 36 0 16 306 0.154 0.171 0.176 0.347 -5591.0

Career AVG .154 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 38.6% below league average.

Career OBP .171 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.

Career SLG .176 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.347 vs. league average 0.689 across their career seasons — 49.7% 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
1961 CLE AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1962 CLE AL 25 26 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1963 CLE AL 15 19 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1964 CLE AL 31 56 2 8 1 0 0 2 0 5 25 0.143 .250 (-43%) .312 (-32%) .377 (-57%) .690 (-46%) -404.5
1965 CLE AL 43 95 5 12 1 0 0 4 0 1 35 0.126 .245 (-49%) .310 (-56%) .371 (-63%) .682 (-60%) -930.3
1966 CLE AL 36 60 2 12 0 1 0 1 0 1 27 0.200 .248 (-20%) .309 (-32%) .376 (-38%) .685 (-35%) -359.5
1967 CLE AL 37 82 5 15 1 0 1 6 0 1 28 0.183 .242 (-25%) .306 (-38%) .357 (-35%) .663 (-36%) -489.5
1968 CLE AL 38 85 5 13 0 0 0 6 0 3 35 0.153 .236 (-35%) .298 (-37%) .340 (-55%) .638 (-47%) -601.5
1969 CLE AL 39 92 3 16 3 0 0 6 0 0 31 0.174 .248 (-30%) .320 (-46%) .369 (-44%) .689 (-45%) -706.2
1970 CLE AL 40 105 5 13 0 0 1 2 0 2 42 0.124 .253 (-51%) .325 (-57%) .385 (-60%) .711 (-59%) -1045.6
1971 CLE AL 35 73 1 13 0 0 0 4 0 1 26 0.178 .249 (-29%) .316 (-40%) .365 (-51%) .682 (-46%) -540.9
1972 SFG NL 28 59 3 7 1 1 0 4 0 1 21 0.119 .243 (-51%) .310 (-57%) .353 (-52%) .664 (-54%) -513.0
1973 SFG NL 18 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYY AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYY AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 PIT NL 14 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
P 425 346 79 328 33 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 CLE P 1 1 0 2 0 0
1962 CLE P 25 13 4 14 2 0
1963 CLE P 14 12 4 7 0 0
1964 CLE P 31 24 7 20 2 1
1965 CLE P 42 35 6 46 4 0
1966 CLE P 35 28 11 30 2 2
1967 CLE P 37 37 9 31 5 2
1968 CLE P 38 37 10 30 4 7
1969 CLE P 39 38 5 39 4 5
1970 CLE 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1970 CLE 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1970 CLE P 39 39 3 35 4 1
1971 CLE P 35 31 3 26 4 2
1972 SFN P 28 25 8 21 1 0
1973 SFN P 18 3 3 5 0 0
1973 NYA P 16 15 4 15 0 1
1974 NYA P 13 7 1 2 1 0
1975 PIT P 14 1 1 5 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 425
First Base 1
Second Base 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1970 TSN All-Star LHP
1970 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1970 Cy Young Award AL 3rd 45.0 120 4
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 22.0 336 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 7.0 280 0