Tall (6 feet, 5 inches) and powerful, his left-handed fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion which led to his memorable nickname, "Sudden Sam".

[1] He attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, where he played baseball, basketball, football and track, graduating in 1960.

[5] After spending 1960 with the Class-D Lakeland Indians, he was promoted to the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League.

His second start was not as good as his first: although the Indians won 9-3, McDowell did not make it out of the fifth inning, once again walking five batters and failing to qualify for a win.

[8] Although he improved his ERA to 4.85 and his BB/9 to 6.1 while increasing his K/9 to 8.7, McDowell was sent down to the Indians top farm club (now the Jacksonville Suns) at the end of June and spent the rest of the season there.

He continued to show flashes of brilliance during the season, finishing with a record of 11-6 with an ERA of 2.70, seventh-best in the American League.

His control was perhaps the only flaw on his excellent season, as he also led the league in most walks allowed with 132, even though his BB/9 rate continued to drop, to 4.4.

Together with Sonny Siebert, Sam was the first American League starting pitcher duo to post K/9 rates over 9.

[citation needed] The Indians pitching staff as a whole led the AL with 1156 strikeouts, leading the league for the first of what would be five straight seasons.

He also failed to lead the league in K/9 for the first time since becoming a full-time major leaguer, finishing second to teammate Luis Tiant with a 9.0 rate.

He also was selected to the All-Star Game for the fourth time, striking out four batters in two innings, including Roberto Clemente.

During a July 6 game against the Senators, McDowell became the last left-handed player to earn a fielding chance at second base.

[4] The contract he did sign was voided by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn because it contained illegal incentive clauses, and McDowell decided to leave the team again.

At the end of the season, McDowell demanded a trade, and Indians general manager Gabe Paul obliged.

[4] On November 29, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Gaylord Perry and shortstop Frank Duffy.

He had contemplated retirement during the offseason due to persistent back and neck pains, but he felt better after treatment and returned to the team.

A slipped disc cost him two months of the season,[4] and even when he was available to pitch, he was used sparingly, appearing in only 13 games, seven of them starts.

His results on the field continued to decline, as he posted career-worsts in K/9 (6.2) and BB/9 (7.7), winning just one game while losing six with a 4.69 ERA.

[4] McDowell did not sign a contract until almost Opening Day in 1975, finally catching on with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 2 after having to fight for a job during spring training.

[14] A failed business venture had left McDowell $190,000 in debt, and by early 1980 was living with his parents at his childhood home in Pittsburgh while selling insurance.

[15] After repaying his debts, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned associate degrees in sports psychology and addiction.

Eventually, McDowell returned to the major leagues as a sports addiction counselor with the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.

[14] McDowell married a second time after meeting Eva, a Slovak tourist, when asking for directions in Florida.

[15] The character of Sam Malone, the alcoholic ex-Red Sox pitcher portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Ted Danson in the television program Cheers, was based on the baseball life of McDowell.

[17] At the time of his retirement, his strikeout rate was bested by only two pitchers: Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax.

[18] He ranks eighth all time on the list of career ten or more strikeout games with 74, tied with Bob Gibson.