Sam McDowell
1942 - 2026
Seeing the news last night of the death of Sam McDowell strikes a chord for all graduates of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. Sam was a classmate of my older brother Bill, Class of 1960, and even as a nine year old, I can remember that McDowell was quite the sports story in Pittsburgh back in his senior year in high school. He pitched for Central, and was one of the most highly scouted high school players of that time. This was before the days of the Major League entry draft, so promising prospects like McDowell were able to sign with any team, usually the team that offered the most money to these "Bonus Babies", and at the age of seventeen, shortly before graduation, Sam McDowell signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians for the then astronomical signing bonus of $75,000. I remember my Dad telling the story that at Central's Commencement Ceremony that spring, McDowell received a standing ovation when his name was called to receive his diploma.
McDowell went on to have fifteen year career in the majors from 1961-75, eleven of those season with the Indians. He was everything he was supposed to be. He once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Faster Than Koufax?" He led the league in strike outs five times, twice posting over 300 K's in a season. He started 346 games and had 103 complete games (will anyone ever have the many again given how the game is played today?), and had 23 shutouts. His career W-L record was 141-134 with a 3.17 ERA. He was traded by the Indians in 1972 and then spent two seasons with the Giants, two with the Yankees, and closed his career in 1975 when he appeared in 14 games with his hometown Pirates (2-1, 2.86 ERA).
For all of that, McDowell's career also comes with regret for what "could have been". At some point during that career, McDowell became a victim of alcoholism, and, by his own account, it derailed and ultimately ended his career. To his credit, McDowell became sober and spent his post baseball life offering counseling services for those victimized by alcohol and substance abuse. In that role, there is no telling how many lives that he may have saved.
Let me close by sharing a couple of "two degrees of separation" stories about Sam McDowell.
I mentioned that my brother Bill was a Central classmate of Sam's. When recounting stories about him Bill would recall how when school ended in their junior year, McDowell was just another boy at Central, but when he returned that fall for his senior year, he had somehow turned into a full grown man over the summer. Bill also recalls how everyone looked in awe whenever Sam threw snowballs across the Quadrangle that year.
Like most really good amateur schoolboy players, McDowell pitched for the Little Pirates, a traveling amateur team that was sponsored by the Pirates. My brother-in-law Jim was a catcher who also played for the Little Pirates, although he was three years younger than McDowell. One year on our Outer Banks vacation I asked Jim if he played with McDowell on the Little Pirates. Indeed he did, he told me, and that his first year with the team was McDowell's final season, and that he, then 14 year old Jim, had to catch a game that was being pitched by 17 year old Sam McDowell. Sixty years after the fact, Jim would like say that he can still show you the bruises he got trying to catch McDowell's fast ball. I asked Jim was it obvious that on a team of very, very good high school age players, was it obvious that McDowell was better that everyone else? "It wasn't even close" was his response.
RIP Sam McDowell.
