Sam McDowell Passes Away At 84 — Alcohol Ruined Career 60 Years Ago

The Fast Track To Stardom

McDowell was born on Sept. 21, 1942 in Pittsburgh. His father Tommy had been a quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh, but did not allow Sam to play football. MLB scouts took notice when Sam pitched two no-hitters and a one-hitter in a Colt League “World Series” in Los Angeles in 1959.

He excelled in baseball, basketball and track at Central Catholic High School. As a senior, McDowell went 8-0, striking out 152 batters in 63 innings and surrendering ZERO earned runs.

“I’ve wanted to pitch for a major-league team since I was 8 years old,” he told Joe Bradis in an Associated Press national story on June 3, 1960. “All the scouts have talked to my parents. I really don’t know (which team he would sign with). This much I’ll tell you, my idols are Harvey Haddix and Warren Spahn.”

Haddix was with Pittsburgh and McDowell had pitched batting practice to the Pirates at age 16. “I couldn’t get the ball past those guys, especially Ted Kluszewski,” he said.

The Pirates pressed hard for McDowell, arranging meetings with several stars.

McDowell said 15 of the 18 MLB teams at the time made offers. Only the Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs did not.

Former MLB infielder Hoot Evers, Cleveland’s farm director in 1961, said the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Braves may have made bigger offers but a factor in McDowell choosing Cleveland was the chance to get to the majors quickly.

Evers said he personally caught McDowell in a story on June 24, 1960 by Central Press Sports Editor Walter L. Johns. “We think he’s got a good fastball, has the makings of a good curveball and is highly coordinated. He hasn’t filled out yet.”

McDowell signed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. His $75,000 bonus was a team record, $15,000 more than Cleveland gave lefty Herb Score on his 17th birthday, June 7, 1952.

An All-Star For Cleveland

Six days before his 18th birthday, McDowell made his MLB debut on Sept. 15, 1961, working 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins. He walked five, fanned five, gave up three hits and made 99 pitches. At bat, he struck out twice against lefty Jack Kralick, who would later become his Indians teammate.

During spring training, he was nicknamed “Sudden Sam” McDowell by The Plain Dealer sportswriter Bob Dolgan. McDowell loved it, but in 1965, the two got into a pool-room fight. Dolgan later wrote about his time on the baseball beat in Cleveland in a book titled, “The Sportswriter Who Punched Sam McDowell”.

During his 11 seasons in Cleveland, McDowell was the most feared pitcher in the game. Feared because he usually was unhittable and so wild that he could hurt a batter at any moment.

On April 11, 1968, fear became reality. A wayward McDowell fastball hit California Angels slugger Don Mincher in the face. Though he only missed nine games, the big first baseman experienced dizzy spells all year and was never the same.

McDowell led the American League in strikeouts five times, including 325 in 1965 and 304 in 1970 when he was a 20-game winner (20-12) for the only time. He also led the AL in walks five times including a whopping 153 in 1971.

He was the AL leader in ERA three times, but also paced the way in wild pitches three times.

He later admitted that his drinking problem contributed to such up-and-down performances. Still, he was a beloved figure in Cleveland, going 122-109 with a 2.99 ERA for the perennial also-ran Indians.

In 1971, he and new teammate Ken (Hawk) Harrelson performed their version of Abbott & Costello’s comedy routine, “Who’s On First?” for a local TV program. Years later, show co-hosts “Big Chuck” Schodowski and “Little John” Rinaldi revealed that McDowell drank an entire 24-bottle case of beer during taping.

“Then he went out and pitched a complete game,” Rinaldi said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Turning Around His Life

In retirement, McDowell’s battle with alcoholism came to a head. After finally entering rehab, McDowell proudly earned an associate’s degree in sports psychology and additions from the University of Pittsburgh.

In 1982, he was certified as a counselor. He used his education and experience to mentor and advise MLB, NFL and NHL athletes. From 1987-2016, McDowell served as a recovery consultant for the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.). In 2022 he was recognized with the B.A.T Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I am amazed and humbled by the miracles that B.A.T. performs on a daily basis,” he said. “I’ve seen cases where a newborn needs a heart transplant, terminal illnesses with seemingly no help, individuals living in the street, alcoholics/drug addicts and individuals with mental and physical illnesses/diseases.

“Thousands of family members were saved or at the very least are now able to live normal lives due to B.A.T. We’ve been able to help individuals from birth to as old as 95 years old.

“When Commissioner Peter Uebberoth and the 22 former players started this program it was to help the few elderly former players experiencing serious financial problems such as losing their home and living in the streets.

“My life was changed for the better with the very first call for help I received from Joe Garagiola of B.A.T. After my own recovery from alcoholism/drug addiction, I was determined to find out why, what, where, and how I became an alcoholic.

“A call came in that a former player was in the middle of attempting suicide. I called the player, stabilized him and got help for the individual. Today he is an ordained minister working with children at risk.

“I truly believe God designed this program, pushed me into the proper training and helped me seek help from the proper centers and individuals throughout my life.”

McDowell started 346 of the 425 MLB games in which he appeared and thre 103 complete games. He had 14 career saves.

After turning around his life Sam McDowell got hundreds of saves as a counselor, an achievement far more important.