Baseball fans are mourning the passing of pitcher Sam McDowell, a six-time MLB All-Star who led the American league in strikeouts on four separate occasions. He was 84.
For the majority of his career as a professional athlete, McDowell pitched for the Cleveland Guardians.
“Sam spent 11 of his 15 seasons in a Cleveland uniform as one of the game’s most feared hurlers,” Guardians senior vice president of public affairs Bob DiBiasio said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“A strikeout king,” DiBiasio added. “He was a cherished member of our Alumni Ambassador program and loved sharing stories with our fans when he visited Progressive Field. Most importantly, Sam’s life was a story of redemption.”
The Inspiration for ‘Cheers’
For McDowell, redemption came when he embraced sobriety after a battle with alcohol.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, McDowell quit drinking in 1980, and then went to school, earning an associate’s degree in sports psychology and addictions from the University of Pittsburgh. That led him to work as a counselor to athletes suffering from issues with depression and addiction.
He went on to serve as a recovery consultant for the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), and was recognized with the B.A.T Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
His post-baseball trajectory inspired the character of Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson) in classic TV sitcom “Cheers,” in which Danson’s character was a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a recovering alcoholic.
A Stunning Baseball Career
While fans of “Cheers” will recall his connection to the show, baseball fans are remembering McDowell’s amazing prowess as a pitcher.
As THR points out, during the course of his 15-year career in the major leagues — from 1961-74 — he racked up a 141-134 record in 425 games, including 346 starts.
Over the course of his professional career, he had 2,453 strikeouts, 103 complete games and 23 shutouts.
While he spent the majority of his career with the Guardians, he also pitched for the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A Story of Redemption
While McDowell performed wonders in the baseball diamond, his drinking had left his personal life in shambles.
“I was the biggest, most hopeless and most violent drunk in baseball,” McDowell told the New York Post in a 2001 interview.
After his baseball career ended in 1974, his life fell apart.
As he told the Post, he recalled one day in 1978, flat broke and sitting on a curb in Pittsburgh after his car ran out of gas while selling insurance, a job he loathed.
Down to his last 35 cents, he had to decide whether to put gas in his car and drive to meet his next client, or spend his remaining money on a hamburger.
“I lost everything — my family, my career,” said McDowell, revealing he chose the burger. “I lost it all.”
He eventually decided to seek treatment and get sober, and wound up turning his life around.
“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 told the Post. “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.”
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Baseball Legend Who Inspired Beloved ‘Cheers’ Character Has Passed Away at 84