Roger McDowell
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1996)
Roger McDowell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1996 for 5 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 12 seasons. Across 723 career appearances, he went 70-70 with a 3.30 ERA, 524 strikeouts, and 159 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 7885.4.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1985-04-11
- Last Game
- 1996-08-14
Full name: Roger Alan McDowell
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NYN | NL | 6 | 5 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 127.1 | 108 | 40 | 37 | 70 | 2.83 | 3.89 (+27%) | 1615.4 |
| 1986 | NYN | NL | 14 | 9 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 128.0 | 107 | 43 | 42 | 65 | 3.02 | 3.97 (+24%) | 2483.5 |
| 1987 | NYN | NL | 7 | 5 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 88.2 | 95 | 41 | 28 | 32 | 4.16 | 4.29 (+3%) | 232.3 |
| 1988 | NYN | NL | 5 | 5 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 89.0 | 80 | 26 | 31 | 46 | 2.63 | 3.73 (+30%) | 1600.1 |
| 1989 | NYN | NL | 1 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 35.1 | 34 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 3.31 | 3.71 (+11%) | -88.1 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 3 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 56.2 | 45 | 7 | 22 | 32 | 1.11 | 3.71 (+70%) | 573.9 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | 6 | 8 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 86.1 | 92 | 37 | 35 | 39 | 3.86 | 3.86 (avg) | 811.9 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | 3 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 59.0 | 61 | 21 | 32 | 28 | 3.20 | 3.91 (+18%) | 82.9 |
| 1991 | LAN | NL | 6 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 42.1 | 39 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 2.55 | 3.91 (+35%) | 42.4 |
| 1992 | LAN | NL | 6 | 10 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 83.2 | 103 | 38 | 42 | 50 | 4.09 | 3.75 (-9%) | 318.2 |
| 1993 | LAN | NL | 5 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 68.0 | 76 | 17 | 30 | 27 | 2.25 | 4.19 (+46%) | 348.7 |
| 1994 | LAN | NL | 0 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41.1 | 50 | 24 | 22 | 29 | 5.23 | 4.51 (-16%) | 178.2 |
| 1995 | TEX | AL | 7 | 4 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 85.0 | 86 | 38 | 34 | 49 | 4.02 | 4.45 (+10%) | 701.1 |
| 1996 | BAL | AL | 1 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 59.1 | 69 | 28 | 23 | 20 | 4.25 | 4.61 (+8%) | -1015.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 70 | 70 | 723 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 159 | 1,050.0 | 1,045 | 385 | 410 | 524 | 3.30 | — | 7,885 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 725 | 72 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 28 | .222 | .282 | .292 | .574 | 0 |
Career AVG .222 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.
Career OBP .282 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.
Career SLG .292 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 26.6% below league average.
Career OPS .574 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NYN | NL | 62 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | NYN | NL | 75 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | NYN | NL | 56 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | NYN | NL | 63 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | NYN | NL | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 44 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | 72 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | LAN | NL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1992 | LAN | NL | 65 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | LAN | NL | 54 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1994 | LAN | NL | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1995 | TEX | AL | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1996 | BAL | AL | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 725 | 72 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 28 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | NLCS | NYN | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1986 | NLCS | NYN | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1986 | WS | NYN | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 3.10 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1448 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 334 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | .258 |
| Away | 391 | 41 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 4 | .195 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 333 | 505.2 | 475 | 164 | 175 | 250 | 2.92 |
| Away | 390 | 544.1 | 570 | 221 | 235 | 274 | 3.65 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-08-14 | BAL | MIL | — | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-08-11 | BAL | CHW | — | 1.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-08-10 | BAL | CHW | SV | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-08-08 | BAL | MIL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-08-04 | BAL | CLE | — | 0.2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-08-03 | BAL | CLE | — | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996-07-11 | BAL | NYY | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-07 | BAL | BOS | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-04 | BAL | BOS | — | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-01 | BAL | TOR | — | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 723 | 2 | 118 | 253 | 24 | 23 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NYN | P | 62 | 2 | 17 | 27 | 4 | 2 |
| 1986 | NYN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | NYN | P | 75 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | NYN | P | 56 | 0 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 | NYN | P | 62 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| 1989 | NYN | P | 25 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 1989 | PHI | P | 44 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 1990 | PHI | P | 72 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 2 |
| 1991 | PHI | P | 38 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| 1991 | LAN | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | LAN | P | 33 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | LAN | P | 65 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 1993 | LAN | P | 54 | 0 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 3 |
| 1994 | LAN | P | 32 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | TEX | P | 64 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| 1996 | BAL | P | 41 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 723 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | BAL | AL | $750,000 |
| 1995 | LAN | NL | $300,000 |
| 1995 | TEX | AL | $575,000 |
| 1994 | LAN | NL | $1,350,000 |
| 1993 | LAN | NL | $1,350,000 |
| 1992 | LAN | NL | $2,200,000 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | $1,400,000 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | $762,000 |
| 1988 | NYN | NL | $615,000 |
| 1987 | NYN | NL | $305,000 |
| 1986 | NYN | NL | $185,000 |
| 1985 | NYN | NL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $11,852,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green | OH | 1980, 1981, 1982 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1985 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 6th | 2.0 | 120 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Roger McDowell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Roger McDowell: the record in brief
According to the bio, Roger McDowell debuted on April 11, 1985 and played a final game on August 14, 1996. McDowell played for the New York Mets (1985 through 1989), the Philadelphia Phillies (1989 through 1991), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1991 to 1994), the Texas Rangers (1995), and the Baltimore Orioles (1996). At 6 feet, 1 inch and 175 pounds, McDowell is listed as a pitcher. McDowell threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. McDowell was born on December 21, 1960, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. On the record, Roger McDowell was born Roger Alan McDowell.
The pitching table credits McDowell with a 70-70 record and a 3.30 ERA in 723 games. McDowell had 524 strikeouts and 159 saves. Against a 4.07 league ERA for the same years, McDowell was 18.9% better. The best win total was 14, in 1986. McDowell struck out 70 batters in 1985, a career high. The most saves in one season was 25, in 1987.
Frequently Asked Questions about Roger McDowell
- What years did Roger McDowell play?
- Roger McDowell played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1996.
- Was Roger McDowell a pitcher?
- Yes. Roger McDowell pitched in the major leagues, recording 70 wins and 524 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Roger McDowell hit?
- Roger McDowell hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
- What was Roger McDowell's career batting average?
- Roger McDowell batted .222 over his career, with 16 hits in 72 at bats.
- How many RBI did Roger McDowell have?
- Roger McDowell drove in 6 runs in his career.
- What was Roger McDowell's career ERA?
- Roger McDowell finished with a 3.30 career ERA, going 70-70 with 524 strikeouts.