Samuel Edward Thomas McDowell (born September 21, 1942), is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a starting pitcher from 1961 to 1975, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. A six-time All-Star, McDowell led the American League in strikeouts five times. Tall (6 feet, 5 inches) and powerful, his left-handed fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion which led to his memorable nickname, Sudden Sam.
With the Indians
1960–61: Major league debut
During the 1960 season, as a high school graduate, McDowell signed with the Indians for a $75,000 bonus. McDowell made the signing announcement at the conclusion of his appearance in the third segment of To Tell the Truth aired on June 16, 1960. After spending 1960 with the Class-D Lakeland Indians, he was promoted to the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. He finished the year there with a record of 13-10 and a 4.42 earned run average.
This was enough to earn him a promotion to the majors in September, and one week before his 19th birthday he made his MLB debut for the Indians. Starting against the Minnesota Twins, McDowell pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits. However, in a harbinger of things to come, he also walked five batters before being relieved by Frank Funk. Funk gave up three runs in the 9th inning to lose the game, 3-2. McDowell did not pitch again in 1961.
1962–63: Struggle to establish himself
McDowell started the next season in Salt Lake City, but was quickly called up in mid-April for a start against the New York Yankees. His second start was not as good as his first: although the Indians won 9-3, McDowell did not make it out of the fifth inning, once again walking five batters and failing to qualify for a win. McDowell remained with the Indians as a swingman until the end of May, when he was sent back to the minors with a 6.04 ERA and 24 walks in 25.1 innings. After posting a 2.02 ERA in 6 games, he was recalled in July. The results were similar, as he finished with an ERA of 6.06 and 70 walks (a rate of 7.2 BB/9), but also 70 strikeouts in 87.2 innings.
McDowell's 1963 season represented something of an improvement over 1962. He started out well, pitching his first major league complete game on April 16 against the Washington Senators. McDowell gave up just two hits while striking out 13, but his control continued to be an issue as he also walked seven hitters. Although he improved his ERA to 4.85 and his BB/9 to 6.1 while increasing his K/9 to 8.7, McDowell was sent down to the Indians top farm club (now the Jacksonville Suns) at the end of June and spent the rest of the season there. He also threw seven wild pitches, ninth-most in the league, despite only pitching 65 innings.
1964: Breakout season
In 1964, the Indians again switched farm teams, this time assigning McDowell to the Portland Beavers. McDowell started out the season on fire, winning all eight of his decisions in only nine starts, including a no-hitter, with an impressive ERA of 1.18. Perhaps more impressively for Sam, he struck out 102 batters while walking just 24 in 76 innings. Once again, he was called up to the majors. It would be the last time McDowell would spend in the minor leagues.
After winning a game in relief on May 31, McDowell pitched a complete game on June 2 against the Chicago White Sox, beating the White Sox 3-2. In a sign that his control might be coming around, he walked just three in the game while striking out 14.
He continued to show flashes of brilliance during the season, finishing with a record of 11-6 with an ERA of 2.70, seventh-best in the American League. He also led the league in K/9 with 9.2, striking out 177 in 173.1 innings. His strikeout total was good for eighth in the AL. His BB/9 also continued to improve, dropping to 5.2, although he still walked an even 100 hitters, the fourth-highest total in the league.