With Major League Baseball in limbo with the coronavirus, we decided to take a look into the past of the Cleveland Indians, looking at the players who got us started in loving the game of baseball.
As a left-handed kid growing up in the 1960’s, our first Tribe hero was the hard, throwing southpaw “Sudden” Sam McDowell.
McDowell made his Major League debut as an 18-year-old (he would be 19 in a few days) in 1962, throwing 6-1/3 scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins, whose lineup included future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (0 for 2, 3 walks) and future manager Billy Martin.
He didn’t come up to stay though until 1964, when he made 24 starts for the Indians, going 11-6 with a 2.77 ERA. He struck out 177 hitters in 173 innings, but also walked 100 at age 21.
His first big season, (and the first year we can recall) came the following season, in 1965. The lefty went 17-11 and led the AL in ERA at 2.18, and also led the league in strikeouts with 325 and in walks with 132.
For today’s stat conscious people, Sudden Sam also led the Junior Circuit in ERA+, FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), hits per 9 innings, and home runs per 9 innings.
He made his first All Star team, the first of six he would make with the Indians.
You have to remember, at this point, the Indians were just six years from their last year of contention (1959) and 11 seasons from their last World Series appearance (1954) and 17 years from their last World Series title in 1948.
McDowell was the first star of what was supposed to be the next wave of great pitching put together by the Cleveland front office. Baseball folks have said the 1964 Portland Beavers’ pitching staff, the Tribe’s then AAA affiliate, might have been the greatest minor league staff of all time.
It featured McDowell (early in the season), Luis Tiant (229 MLB wins), Tommy John (288), Sonny Siebert (140), and another hard thrower in Steve Hargan, who stayed in the bigs until 1977.
1966 started the same for the big lefty, throwing back-to-back one hitters on April 25th (Kansas City A’s) and May 1st (White Sox), fanning 18 and walking 11 in the two wins. He was 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA after the second of the gems.
He developed some arm problems that plagued him through ’66 and ’67, but still led the league in strikeouts and made the All Star team in ’66. But his ERA rose to 3.85 in ’67.
He rebounded in 1968, the “Year of the Pitcher” when he combined with Tiant to lead the Indians to a 3rd place finish, the highest the franchise would have until 1994, when they moved into Jacobs Field.
Sudden Sam led the AL in strikeouts each season from ’68-’70, the latter year compiling his only 20 win season (20-12, 2.92 ERA). He also led the league in FIP in the latter two seasons, as well as in innings pitched in 1970, with 305.
At 27 years old, that was his last dominant year. After throwing 269, 285, and then 305 frames in a three year span, his numbers started to decline, except for walks.
He was dealt to San Francisco for Gaylord Perry after ’71, but never won more than 10 games or pitch more than 164 innings for the Giants. He wound up pitching for the Yankees and Pirates before hanging them up in ’75 at age 32.
Our first baseball hero was no longer an Indian. Our first education that players don’t stay forever.
Shoulder and back issues plagued him the rest of his career.
McDowell had problems with alcoholism throughout his career as well. He finally sought help in 1980 and became a counselor helping others with the disease.
Sudden Sam ranks 14th on the Indians all time list in WAR, ranking between Larry Doby and Early Wynn, and is 5th among pitchers behind Bob Feller, Stan Coveleski, Mel Harder, and Addie Joss. He was named to the team’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
All those pitchers on the ’64 Portland team? Siebert was moved early in ’69 in the Ken Harrelson deal, Tiant after the ’69 season, John, of course in ’65 for Rocky Colavito, and Hargan in ’72 after a series of arm troubles.
Even then, the Tribe couldn’t keep good players around for a long time.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 