Athletes - Sam McDowell

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	Athletes - Sam McDowell

Samuel Edward Thomas McDowell (born September 21, 1942 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, playing his first 10 seasons for the Cleveland Indians before a 1971 trade to the San Francisco Giants and subsequent stints with the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. A tall (6 feet, 5 inches) and powerful left-hander whose blazing fastball led to his memorable nickname: "Sudden Sam". His strikeout prowess was sometimes nullified by periodic control problems, but the true decline of what many thought would be a Hall of Fame career was the result of alcoholism.

After signing with the Indians in 1960 for a six-figure bonus, McDowell appeared in his first big league game one year later, one week before his 19th birthday.

After struggling over the next two seasons, McDowell returned in 1964 to became a starter, and became a workhorse over the next 8 seasons. He tossed over 200 innings in seven of those years and ranked among the American League leaders in strikeouts (twice exceeding 300 strikeouts in a season).

A six-time All-Star (1965-66, 1968-71), McDowell was also the league leader in ERA and strikeouts in 1965, led in strikeouts and shutouts in 1966, and led the league in strikeouts again in 1968 and 1969. In 1970 he put together his best season when he was named "Pitcher of the Year" by The Sporting News, once again leading in strikeouts while winning 20 games for the first and only time of his career.

He was traded to the San Francisco Giants for star pitcher Gaylord Perry and light-hitting shortstop Frank Duffy and had a moderately good 1972, followed by relatively modest contributions with the 1973 Giants, the 1973-1974 New York Yankees, and the 1975 Pittsburgh Pirates.

McDowell was known to be a heavy drinker, with his sometimes erratic behavior the end result of his alcohol problem. He later said that he was "the biggest, most hopeless, and most violent drunk in baseball", and Indian teammate Dick Radatz said "We thought he was stupid. It turned out he was never sober."

He finished with 2,453 career strikeouts and an average of 8.86 strikeouts per inning, behind only Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax.

After undergoing treatment following his retirement, McDowell became a drug and alcohol counselor, often working with major league teams to combat drug abuse.

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Athletes - Sam McDowell

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