McDowell, Samuel E. T.
Baseball
b. Sept. 21, 1942, Pittsburgh, PA
"Sudden Sam," as he was known because of his great fastball, was a left-handed pitcher who led the American League in strikeouts five times in a six-year period. Wildness and the tendency to fall in love with other pitches that weren't as effective for him, such as the curve and the change-up, unfortunately prevented him from becoming a great pitcher.
After brief stints with the Cleveland Indians in 1961, 1962, and 1963, McDowell became regular starter in 1964, when he had an 11-6 record and a 2.70 ERA. The following year, he led the league with 325 strikeouts and a 2.18 ERA while compiling a 17-11 record.
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound McDowell had some arm trouble in 1966, but was still the AL strikeout leader with 225 in only 194 1/3 innings. He led in strikeouts three years in a row, with 283 in 1968, when he was 15-14 with a 1.81 ERA; with 279 in 1969, when he was 18-14 with a 2.94 ERA; and with 304 in 1970, when he had a 20-12 record and a 2.92 ERA.
McDowell began to decline in 1971, when his ERA increased to 3.40 and his record dropped to 13-17. He went to the San Francisco Giants in 1972, to the New York Yankees during the 1973 season, and to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1975. He spent one season in Pittsburgh before retiring.
In 15 seasons, McDowell had a 143-134 record with 23 shutouts and a 3.17 ERA. He struck out 2,453 hitters and walked 1,312 in 2,492 1/3 innings.