chicago_suntimes
CLEVELAND — Before the first pitch of Game 5 between the White Sox and Guardians on Saturday night, Major League Baseball will pause to remember Sam McDowell, a six-time All-Star pitcher who starred for Cleveland in the 1960s and early 1970s. McDowell died Monday at the age of 84.
Beyond his accomplishments on the mound, McDowell dedicated his post-playing career to helping athletes struggling with addiction, a battle he himself fought. In 1985, he described himself as "the biggest, most hopeless and most violent drunk in baseball during my 15 years in the majors." He stopped drinking in 1980 and, after completing rehab, earned an associate's degree in sports psychology and addictions from the University of Pittsburgh.
McDowell went on to serve as a recovery consultant for the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) and was honored with the B.A.T. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
On the field, McDowell was a dominant force, leading the American League in strikeouts four times. His 9.21 strikeouts per nine innings remain a Cleveland franchise record, and his 2,159 strikeouts with the club rank second in team history.
In his 2022 autobiography, McDowell revealed that he attempted suicide in 1963 but survived because the gun's chamber contained a single dead shell among live rounds when he pulled the trigger.
A moment of silence was also held for McDowell at Rate Field.
Contributing: AP.
Originally reported by chicago_suntimes.