Sam McDowell, a former Yankees pitcher and six-time All-Star with Cleveland, died on Monday, per KDKA in Pittsburgh.
He was 84.
McDowell, who had to end his career due to substance abuse, debuted on the mound at 18 years old in 1961 for the then Cleveland Indians, now Guardians. Four years later, the lefty hurler led the AL in ERA (2.18) and earned his first All-Star nod while recording a career-high 325 batters. He went on to lead the American League in strikeouts five times.
The Pittsburgh native played for Cleveland for 11 years before having stints with the Giants (1972 and ’73), Yankees (1973 and ’74) and Pirates (1975).
Across his 15-year career, he struck out 2,453 batters, which put him eighth on baseball’s career list at the time he retired and currently No. 46 all-time.
The career for “Sudden Sam” was cut off at 32 years old in 1975 when he was tossed from the MLB due to a struggle with alcohol.
“I was the biggest, most hopeless and most violent drunk in baseball,” McDowell said to The Post regarding the days that included jumps off hotel balconies into swimming pools.
The man who was the youngest southpaw to ever strike out 300 batters in a season recalled sitting on a curb in his hometown in 1978, broke and needing something to eat as well as gas in his car. He was selling insurance for a living three years after being one of the most unhittable pitchers in the game.
“I lost everything — my family, my career,” said McDowell. “I lost it all.”
That same year, he opted into an alcohol rehabilitation program and began to turn around his life.
McDowell returned to college and became a licensed therapist in sports psychology and addictions. He later worked for the Rangers and Blue Jays and became the Baseball Assistance Team’s addiction and recovery consultant from 1987-2016.
He counseled many athletes, including beyond MLB, who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.
“I remember when I got out of rehab, I must have called that man every day, at every hour of the night, for four straight months,” former big league pitcher Mike York told the Los Angeles Times. “I mean, I was calling him at 5 in the morning, midnight, it didn’t matter. He was always there when I needed him.”
Additionally, McDowell paid off all his debt, which totaled over $190,000. He wrote to each creditor, promising to pay them back. In 1988, all was paid off.
“I truly believe with all my heart, the greatest thing that ever happened to me was that I was an alcoholic and found out about it,” McDowell said. “Had I never known and had not been thrown out of baseball, I would not have the great life I have now. I would not have the education. I would not have learned how to live and love. Every day is a kick.”
Much of McDowell’s struggle is covered in his memoir, “The Saga of Sudden Sam: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Sam McDowell” that was published in 2022.
