"Sudden Sam" McDowell, six-time All-Star and Cleveland strikeout king, dies at 84
Six-time All-Star 'Sudden Sam' McDowell, Cleveland's 1960s strikeout king and the inspiration for Cheers' Sam Malone, has died aged 84. He went 141-134 with a 3.17 ERA and 2,453 strikeouts, then rebuilt his life as an addiction counsellor.
Sam “Sudden Sam” McDowell, the six-time All-Star left-hander who starred for Cleveland from 1961 to 1971, has died at his home in The Villages, Florida, aged 84. No cause of death was given; KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh first reported his death on Monday (Beacon Journal, AP).
McDowell compiled a 141-134 record with a 3.17 ERA and 2,453 strikeouts in 425 games (346 starts) over 15 seasons (1961-75) with Cleveland, the Giants, Yankees and Pirates. Nicknamed “Sudden Sam” for his brilliant fastball, he led the American League in strikeouts multiple times, with two 300-strikeout seasons, and topped the league in ERA once (Reuters, Beacon Journal).
In 1965 he went 17-11, leading the AL in ERA (2.18) and strikeouts (325); in 1970 he was 20-12 with 304 strikeouts, third in Cy Young voting. His 2,159 strikeouts with Cleveland are second in club history behind Bob Feller (AP, Reuters).
“The Cleveland Guardians family is deeply saddened by the loss of one of the great pitchers in baseball history, Sam McDowell,” said Bob DiBiasio, the club’s senior vice president of public affairs. “Most importantly, Sam’s life was a story of redemption.” (Reuters).
McDowell’s career and post-career sobriety inspired Sam Malone, the Ted Danson character on Cheers; an NBC publicist told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1986 that Malone was “a combination of Sam McDowell and another former pitcher, Jim Lonborg” (Beacon Journal). He quit drinking in 1980, counselled athletes battling addiction, and was inducted into Cleveland’s Hall of Fame in 2006 (AP).
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