Sam McDowell
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1975)
Sam McDowell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1975 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 15 seasons. Across 425 career appearances, he went 141-134 with a 3.17 ERA and 2,453 strikeouts. He also batted .154 with 2 home runs. Sam McDowell was a 6-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 29988.7.
- 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'5" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1961-09-15
- Last Game
- 1975-06-24
- Awards
- 6× All-Star
Full name: Samuel Edward 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | CLE | AL | 3 | 7 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 87.2 | 81 | 59 | 70 | 70 | 6.06 | 3.96 (-53%) | -2042.4 |
| 1963 | CLE | AL | 3 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 65.0 | 63 | 35 | 44 | 63 | 4.85 | 3.46 (-40%) | -507.6 |
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 11 | 6 | 31 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 173.1 | 148 | 52 | 100 | 177 | 2.70 | 3.58 (+25%) | 2850.7 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 17 | 11 | 42 | 35 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 273.0 | 178 | 66 | 132 | 325 | 2.18 | 3.50 (+38%) | 10218.0 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 9 | 8 | 35 | 28 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 194.1 | 130 | 62 | 102 | 225 | 2.87 | 3.52 (+18%) | 4100.7 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 13 | 15 | 37 | 37 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 236.1 | 201 | 101 | 123 | 236 | 3.85 | 3.30 (-16%) | -258.6 |
| 1968 | CLE | AL | 15 | 14 | 38 | 37 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 269.0 | 181 | 54 | 110 | 283 | 1.81 | 2.98 (+39%) | 5212.8 |
| 1969 | CLE | AL | 18 | 14 | 39 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 285.0 | 222 | 93 | 102 | 279 | 2.94 | 3.61 (+19%) | 9970.0 |
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 20 | 12 | 39 | 39 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 305.0 | 236 | 99 | 131 | 304 | 2.92 | 3.89 (+25%) | 6628.3 |
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 13 | 17 | 35 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 214.2 | 160 | 81 | 153 | 192 | 3.40 | 3.47 (+2%) | -3789.0 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 10 | 8 | 28 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 164.1 | 155 | 79 | 86 | 122 | 4.33 | 3.26 (-33%) | -1146.4 |
| 1973 | SFN | NL | 1 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 40.0 | 45 | 20 | 29 | 35 | 4.50 | 3.75 (-20%) | -544.6 |
| 1973 | NYA | AL | 5 | 8 | 16 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 95.2 | 73 | 42 | 64 | 75 | 3.95 | 3.75 (-5%) | 482.3 |
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 1 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48.0 | 42 | 25 | 41 | 33 | 4.69 | 3.63 (-29%) | -2116.1 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 2 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 30 | 11 | 20 | 29 | 2.86 | 3.71 (+23%) | 930.4 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 141 | 134 | 425 | 346 | 103 | 23 | 14 | 2,492.1 | 1,948 | 879 | 1,312 | 2,453 | 3.17 | — | 29,989 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 429 | 774 | 34 | 119 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 16 | 306 | .154 | .171 | .176 | .347 | -5,229 |
Career AVG .154 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 38.6% below league average.
Career OBP .171 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.
Career SLG .176 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.
Career OPS .347 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 49.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CLE | AL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | CLE | AL | 25 | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .154 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CLE | AL | 15 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .211 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 31 | 56 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 25 | .143 | .250 (-43%) | .312 (-32%) | .377 (-57%) | .690 (-46%) | -382.5 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 43 | 95 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 35 | .126 | .245 (-49%) | .310 (-56%) | .371 (-63%) | .682 (-60%) | -861.7 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 36 | 60 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | .200 | .248 (-20%) | .309 (-32%) | .376 (-38%) | .685 (-35%) | -337.0 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 37 | 82 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 28 | .183 | .242 (-25%) | .306 (-38%) | .357 (-35%) | .663 (-36%) | -458.1 |
| 1968 | CLE | AL | 38 | 85 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 35 | .153 | .236 (-35%) | .298 (-37%) | .340 (-55%) | .638 (-47%) | -562.0 |
| 1969 | CLE | AL | 39 | 92 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 31 | .174 | .248 (-30%) | .320 (-46%) | .369 (-44%) | .689 (-45%) | -658.6 |
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 40 | 105 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 42 | .124 | .253 (-51%) | .325 (-57%) | .385 (-60%) | .711 (-59%) | -973.5 |
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 35 | 73 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .178 | .249 (-29%) | .316 (-40%) | .365 (-51%) | .682 (-46%) | -508.0 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 28 | 59 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | .119 | .243 (-51%) | .310 (-57%) | .353 (-52%) | .664 (-54%) | -487.7 |
| 1973 | SFN | NL | 18 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | NYA | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 429 | 774 | 34 | 119 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 16 | 306 | .154 | — | — | — | — | -5,229 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (854 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 210 | 378 | 18 | 53 | 1 | 9 | .140 |
| Away | 219 | 396 | 16 | 66 | 1 | 27 | .167 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 207 | 1297.1 | 997 | 448 | 654 | 1261 | 3.11 |
| Away | 218 | 1195.0 | 951 | 431 | 658 | 1192 | 3.25 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-24 | PIT | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-06-21 | PIT | NYN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-06-17 | PIT | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-10 | PIT | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-06-03 | PIT | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-06-01 | PIT | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-20 | PIT | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-14 | PIT | SDP | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-11 | PIT | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-02 | PIT | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-24 | PIT | PHI | — | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1975-06-21 | PIT | NYN | — | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1975-06-17 | PIT | STL | — | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-10 | PIT | CIN | W | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1975-06-03 | PIT | CIN | — | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-01 | PIT | ATL | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-20 | PIT | SFG | — | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1975-05-14 | PIT | SDP | W | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-05-11 | PIT | LAD | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-05-02 | PIT | PHI | — | 4.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 425 | 346 | 79 | 328 | 33 | 23 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CLE | P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | CLE | P | 25 | 13 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963 | CLE | P | 14 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | CLE | P | 31 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| 1965 | CLE | P | 42 | 35 | 6 | 46 | 4 | 0 |
| 1966 | CLE | P | 35 | 28 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 2 |
| 1967 | CLE | P | 37 | 37 | 9 | 31 | 5 | 2 |
| 1968 | CLE | P | 38 | 37 | 10 | 30 | 4 | 7 |
| 1969 | CLE | P | 39 | 38 | 5 | 39 | 4 | 5 |
| 1970 | CLE | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CLE | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CLE | P | 39 | 39 | 3 | 35 | 4 | 1 |
| 1971 | CLE | P | 35 | 31 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 2 |
| 1972 | SFN | P | 28 | 25 | 8 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | SFN | P | 18 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | NYA | P | 16 | 15 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974 | NYA | P | 13 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | PIT | P | 14 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 425 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | TSN All-Star | LHP |
| 1970 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cy Young Award | AL | 3rd | 45.0 | 120 | 4 |
| 1970 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 22.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 7.0 | 280 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sam McDowell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Sam McDowell
Sam McDowell: the record in brief
Sam McDowell played a first major league game on September 15, 1961 and a last one on June 24, 1975. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Indians (1961 through 1971), the San Francisco Giants (1972 through 1973), the New York Yankees (1973 through 1974), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1975). McDowell played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 21, 1942, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and a listed size of 190 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame. The given name on file is Samuel Edward McDowell.
The pitching table credits McDowell with a 141-134 record and a 3.17 ERA in 425 games. The totals include 2,453 strikeouts, 103 complete games, 23 shutouts, and 14 saves. Against a 3.58 league ERA for the same years, McDowell was 11.3% better. 1970 brought McDowell a season-high 20 wins. 1965 produced McDowell's most strikeouts, 325. 1968 was McDowell's sharpest full season, a 1.81 ERA against the league's 2.98.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam McDowell
- What years did Sam McDowell play?
- Sam McDowell played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1975.
- Was Sam McDowell a pitcher?
- Yes. Sam McDowell pitched in the major leagues, recording 141 wins and 2453 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Sam McDowell hit?
- Sam McDowell hit 2 career home runs with 119 hits.
- What was Sam McDowell's career batting average?
- Sam McDowell batted .154 over his career, with 119 hits in 774 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sam McDowell have?
- Sam McDowell drove in 36 runs in his career.
- What was Sam McDowell's career ERA?
- Sam McDowell finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 141-134 with 2,453 strikeouts.