(2 of 2)
Last year McDowell finally went to Cleveland to stay. It was a bad year for the Indians: the team to beat in the American League was supposed to be the defending champion New York Yankees, and the Indians did that all right—they wound up fifth while the Yankees finished sixth. But McDowell established himself as the American League's top pitcher, winning 17 games against eleven losses, posting an earned-run average of 2.18, striking out 325 batters in 273 innings—more per inning than the Los Angeles Dodgers' Sandy Koufax.
Wet Guess. Now there are hitters around the American League who insist that Sam is even more sudden than Sandy—but nobody knows for sure, because McDowell refuses to have his fastball timed. "Koufax is one of my idols," he explains, "and I'd hate to find out that I'm faster than he is. Of course, I'd hate to find out I'm slower too." Because Sam's "hummer" breaks sharply—down instead of up—he has also been accused of throwing an illegal spitball. Not so, says McDowell: "I wouldn't know how. But if people want to think I'm throwing a spitter, that's fine with me. It'll keep them guessing up there, and that's what my job is all about."