#220 Sam McDowell - Cleveland Indians

Samuel Edward McDowell
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  190
Born:  September 21, 1942, Pittsburgh, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1961-71; San Francisco Giants 1972-73; New York Yankees 1973-74; Pittsburgh Pirates 1975

Bolstering the Indians' starting pitching rotation through the mid to late-1960s, Sudden Sam McDowell was a six-time All-Star, won the ERA title in 1965 and led the league five times in strikeouts.  He was a superstar with the Indians, and his sneaky fastball contributed to eight seasons in a row with at least nine or more wins between 1964 and 1972.  His best season came in 1970 when he finished third in the American League Cy Young voting behind Jim Perry (#146) and Dave McNally (#340).  That season, McDowell went 20-12 with a 2.92 ERA over 305 innings pitched, which led the league.  He also led the league with 304 strikeouts, the second time in his career he had reached the 300 strikeout plateau in a season.  While he missed out on the Cy Young, The Sporting News named him their American League Pitcher of the Year.

McDowell struggled somewhat with his control throughout his career and those struggles intensified following the 1971 season when he demanded a trade from the Indians.  McDowell was dealt to the Giants for future Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry (#485) and the two pitchers' careers headed in opposite directions.  McDowell pitched briefly for the Yankees and Pirates before retiring.  He struggled with alcoholism before entering a rehabilitation facility and then eventually earning a college degree in sports psychology and addiction.  McDowell served as a sports addiction counselor with the Blue Jays and Rangers, earning a 1993 World Series ring with the Blue Jays.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #608
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4. 

I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop.  This was the 13th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 49th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

This same exact photo was used on McDowell's 1967 Topps card.  The back of the card highlights a few memorable events from the 1968 season - McDowell's 283 league-leading strikeouts and his scoreless inning in the All-Star Game.  He struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, retiring Tom Haller (#310), Willie Mays (#190) and Willie McCovey (#440), as the American League won the game, 1-0.

Accuracy Index:  McDowell's card sinks to a +1 given the repeat photo.

Inserts:  McDowell is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
From McDowell's SABR biography, written by Joseph Wancho: 

Heading into the 1969 season, McDowell was happy pitching for the Indians and his manager.  In spring training he was confident that the Tribe could contend for the pennant.   "As a strategist, [manager Al] Dark (#91) shows me things I never dreamed of before," he said.  "He has it all, and because he does, we’ve got a shot at the pennant this year - you better believe it."  But it did not turn out that way.  McDowell with an 18-14 record, led the team in victories and had a 2.94 ERA.  He led the league in strikeouts with 279.  But [Luis] Tiant (#560) finished with a record of 9-20, and led the league in losses.  (New Commissioner Bowie Kuhn had restored the 10-inch height of the pitching mound and shrunk the strike zone.)  Neither [Dick] Ellsworth (#605) nor [Juan] Pizarro (#498) [acquired in a preseason trade with the Red Sox] did much to help the staff.  On June 27, McDowell threw the 1,500th strikeout of his career, whiffing Yankees center fielder Ron Woods (#544).  But Sam’s prediction for the team fell flat; as they finished 46 1/2 games behind first place Baltimore.

1962 Topps #591

1967 Topps #295

1970 Topps #650

1973 Topps #511

1974 Topps #550

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #591
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1962-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Golden Age #71
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  161 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#219 Freddie Patek - Pittsburgh Pirates / #221 Art Shamsky - New York Mets

#560 Luis Tiant - Cleveland Indians

Luis Clemente Tiant
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  November 23, 1940, Marianao, Cuba
Acquired:  Purchased by the Cleveland Indians from the Mexico City Tigers before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1964-69; Minnesota Twins 1970; Boston Red Sox 1971-78; New York Yankees 1979-80; Pittsburgh Pirates 1981; California Angels 1982

World Series Appearances:  Boston Red Sox 1975
Died:  October 8, 2024, Wells, ME (age 83)

Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant, affectionately nicknamed El Tiante, pitched in 19 big league seasons primarily with the Indians and Red Sox.  He was a three-time All-Star and won his league's ERA title twice, in 1968 with a 1.60 mark and in 1972 with a 1.91 mark.  1968 was perhaps his finest season, as he went 21-9 for the Indians, pitching 19 complete games and leading the league with nine shutouts.  He'd fall back to Earth and suffer a 20-loss season in 1969.  After a few rough years, Tiant had a career resurgence with the Red Sox in the 1970s, winning at least 20 games for the club in three different seasons.  He started three games for Boston in the 1975 World Series against the Reds, going 2-0 with two complete games and a shutout, but the Reds ultimately won the Series in seven games.  Tiant wrapped up his major league career with the Angels in 1982, but he'd go on to pitch a few more seasons in Mexico and then again in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989.

Tiant's career record was 229-172 over 573 games with a 3.30 ERA, 187 complete games, 49 shutouts and 2,416 strikeouts.  His strikeout total is currently 49th on the all-time leaders list, while his shutouts rank 21st all-time.  Tiant was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum in 2002 and the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #578
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  

I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop.  This was the 19th of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the 19th of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $4 after the dealer discount.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This has always seemed like an iconic card from the 1969 Topps set, and the odd cropping is needed in order for the photo to work well with the set's design.  The photo would have been taken in early 1969 as Tiant is showing off the MLB patch all teams wore during the season to celebrate the league's centennial.  Just a few of his accolades from 1968 are shown on the back - his nine shutouts and the 19 batters he struck out on July 3, 1968.  

Accuracy Index:  Tiant's card definitely earns its +5 rating.

Inserts:  Tiant is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
Coming off his career year in 1968, Tiant was 9-20 with a 3.71 ERA in 38 games for the Indians, exceeding 200 innings pitched for the third season in a row.  The Al Dark-managed (#91) club finished in last place in the American League East with a 62-99 record.  On December 10th, the Indians traded the popular Tiant with Stan Williams (#118) to the Twins for Dean Chance (#620), Bob Miller (#403), Graig Nettles (#99) and Ted Uhlaender (#194).

1965 Topps #145

1975 Topps #430

1976 Topps #130

1981 Topps #627

1983 Topps #178

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #145
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1965-71, 1973-83
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2024 Topps Living
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  392 in the Beckett online database as of 10/12/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#559 Cardinals Rookie Stars / #561 Ron Clark - Minnesota Twins

#9 1968 A.L. Pitching Leaders - McLain / McNally / Tiant / Stottlemyre

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1969 Topps set.  League leader cards can be found at the beginning of each Topps set issued in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969.

Building the Set / Card #560
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  

I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  

I took my time and found 32 commons and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to my second stop.  This was the first of 36 total cards bought from America's Pastime, and the first of 91 cards for set added overall on the day, and it cost a little over $3 after the dealer discount.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Orioles Team Set / Indians Team Set / Yankees Team Set

This is the only League Leaders card in the set featuring four players.  Given the rarity of 20-game winners in today's game, it's still incredibly impressive to turn this card over and see 31 wins next to Denny McLain's (#150) name.  No one else was even close to him.  Dave McNally (#340) won his 22nd game on the penultimate day of the 1968 season, giving him sole possession of the card's middle panel.  

Luis Tiant (#560) and Mel Stottlemyre tied for third place with 21 wins each.  Tiant won his 21st in Indians' Game 160 on September 25th, and Stottlemeyre (#470) reached his 21st win in Yankees' Game 159 on September 24th.  There was enough room on the back of the card to highlight each American League pitcher with at least seven wins in 1968.  The eight tied with six wins, and omitted from the back of the card due to space constraints, were Steve Barber (#233), Gene Brabender (#393), Jim Lonborg (#109), Sparky Lyle (#311), Juan Pizarro (#498), Pete Richert (#86), Diego Segui (#511) and Joe Verbanic (#541).

#8 1968 N.L. ERA Leaders / #10 1968 N.L. Pitching Leaders

#11 1968 A.L. Strikeout Leaders - Sam McDowell / Denny McLain / Luis Tiant

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1969 Topps set.  League leader cards can be found at the beginning of each Topps set issued in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969.

Building the Set / Card #547
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)

On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, and after adding a few more star cards, the remaining cash I had was starting to burn a hole in my wallet.  I had noticed the common/semi-star boxes at the tables of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles, and I found 14 more cards for our 1969 Topps set and six cards for our not-yet-officially collecting 1959 Topps set.  This is the second of those 14 cards.  After the obligatory dealer discount, I handed over the last of my cash, and we exited the show for the drive home.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Tigers Team Set

I initially thought maybe this was the first League Leaders card to feature no Hall of Famers, but looking back there are actually five cards in the 12-card League Leaders subset that fit into that category.  On September 26, 1968, the penultimate day of the regular season, Denny McLain (#150) had 276 strikeouts, Luis Tiant (#560) was third with 264 and Sam McDowell (#220) had 272.  McDowell turned in an 11 strikeout performance against the Orioles in a four-hit shutout, catapulting him into the lead.  McLain would strike out four in his final start of the season the next day, a tune-up for the World Series against the Cardinals.  McDowell led the league in strikeouts five times, peaking with a career-high 325 in 1965.  McLain never before and never again came close to his 1968 tally of 280.  The same can be said for El Tiante, who crossed the 200 strikeout plateau three times during his career, in 1967 with 219, in 1968 with his career-high 264 and in 1973 with 206. 

The Orioles' Eddie Watt (#652) got cheated out of recognition on the card, as he was one of three American League pitchers with 72 strikeouts in 1968.  Topps included Wilbur Wood (#123) twice, showing him with 74 and 72 strikeouts, and the latter was meant to be Watt.  And I found one more uncorrected error in that Clyde Wright (#583) only had 71 strikeouts per Baseball Reference.

#10 1968 N.L. Pitching Leaders / #12 1968 N.L. Strikeout Leaders

#597 A.L. Rookie Stars - Bob Floyd / Larry Burchart / Rollie Fingers

Robert Nathan Floyd
Baltimore Orioles
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 20, 1943, Hawthorne, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1968-70; Kansas City Royals 1970-74

Larry Wayne Burchart
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  February 8, 1946, Tulsa, OK
Drafted:  Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 3rd round of the 1967 amateur draft, June 6, 1967
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1969

Roland Glen Fingers
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 25, 1946, Steubenville, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent, December 24, 1964
Major League Teams:  Oakland Athletics 1968-76; San Diego Padres 1977-80; Milwaukee Brewers 1981-82, 1984-85

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-74
Hall of Fame Induction:  1992

Bobby Floyd put in seven seasons in the majors as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter, appearing in a career-high 61 games with the Royals in 1971.  Blocked by Mark Belanger (#299) in Baltimore and Freddie Patek (#219) in Kansas City, Floyd started sparingly while in the majors.  He spent the entire 1969 season on the Orioles roster, but did not see any action in that year's ALDS or World Series.  Dealt to the Royals in June 1970 for Moe Drabowsky (#508), Floyd was a key reserve for the team between 1970 and 1974.  His best season came in 1973 when he batted .333 in 51 games for the Royals.  In 214 big league games, Floyd batted .219 overall with 18 doubles and 26 RBIs.  Floyd would manage in the Mariners and Mets minor league systems following his retirement as a player until the early 2000s.  He served on the Mets' coaching staff in 2001 and 2004.

After a successful collegiate career at Oklahoma State University, and two successful seasons in the Dodgers' minor league system, Larry Burchart was selected by the Indians in the 1968 rule 5 draft.  He'd join Cleveland's bullpen for the 1969 season, appearing in 29 games and pitching to a 4.25 ERA in 42 1/3 innings pitched.  Burchart had his season, and likely his career, cut short following a violent collision at first base with the Red Sox' George Scott (#574).  Having torn muscles in his pitching shoulder, Burchart pitched for two more seasons in the minor leagues before retiring from baseball.

With his signature handle-bar mustache, Rollie Fingers authored a 17-season Hall of Fame career, winning three World Series rings with the Athletics and earning both American League MVP and Cy Young Award honors in 1981.  Fingers helped usher in the modern closer role, dominating at the back-end of the bullpen, and leading the league in saves in 1977 (35), 1978 (37) and the strike-shortened 1981 (28).  He was a seven-time All-Star, including four straight appearances with the Athletics between 1973 and 1976.  That run corresponded with the Athletics dynasty that won three straight World Championships between 1972 and 1974.  Fingers was the MVP of the 1974 series, after winning the first game and saving the final three wins.  He departed Oakland in 1976 as a free agent, and after four dominant seasons with the Padres, Fingers joined the Brewers for the final act of his career.

He helped pitch the Brewers to their first postseason berth in 1981, going 6-3 with a 1.04 ERA in 78 innings pitched.  Fingers retired following the 1985 season as the all-time saves leader with 341, the record until surpassed by Jeff Reardon in 1992.  He was 114-118 lifetime with a 2.90 ERA in 1,701 1/3 innings pitched, and his 709 career games finished still ranks fifth all-time.  Fingers was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, the second reliever in the Hall, after Hoyt Wilhelm (#565).  His #34 was retired by both the Athletics and the Brewers.

Building the Set / Card #543
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables.  The aim was simple:  Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664.  In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and over the past seven months, I've composted a post for each of the 98 commons and semi-stars I pulled from the binder.

But I had one more card to purchase from Uncle Dick's Cards.  My Dad taught me one particular negotiation tactic at some of the earliest baseball card shows we attended together, held inside the Ocean City Music Pier in the early to mid-1980s.  I had already expressed interest in this Hall of Fame rookie card before diving into the last binder of commons.  After totaling the cards I had committed to purchase, I asked the dealer what kind of a deal he could give me on the Fingers card, seeing as I had just shown him I was an interested buyer.  The suggested price offered was lower than the sale price on the sticker, and I added this key card from the set to my day's haul.

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Indians Team Set / Athletics Team Set

Floyd Accuracy Index -3 / Burchart Accuracy Index +5 / Fingers Accuracy Index +5
No offense to Floyd or Burchart, but this card is rightfully known as the "Rollie Fingers rookie card," and I would have been hard pressed to name the other two players with Fingers before adding this card to our set.  Topps has reprinted the card a few times over the years, both with Floyd and Burchart and without.  They created a great "card that never was" in 2018 for Fingers to sign as part of the Topps Heritage release.

Accuracy Index:  Burchart and Fingers both score a +5, and Floyd loses points for the mystery jersey and lack of a hat.

1969 Season - Floyd
Floyd appeared in 39 games for the Orioles, batting .202 with four doubles.  He made 19 starts all season - 12 at shortstop, backing up Belanger, five at second base and two at third base.  His other appearances came as a late inning defensive replacement, and he made one pinch-hitting appearance all season, going 0 for 1.

1970 Topps #101

1971 Topps #646

1972 Topps #273

1974 Topps #41

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Floyd
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1969-72, 1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1997 Topps Stars Rookie Reprints #5
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  30 in the Beckett online database as of 8/3/25.

Sources - Floyd:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Burchart
Burchart had to remain on the Indians' roster all season given they had picked him up in the rule 5 draft.  He appeared in five games for the Indians in April, before his collision with Scott during the game on April 18th.  Burchart would miss two months while recovering, and likely should have taken more time to heal.  He'd pitch fairly well upon his return though, and for the season Burchart was 0-2 with a 4.25 ERA.

1969 Season - Fingers
Following a September call-up in 1968, Fingers came up for good in 1969.  He began the season as a fifth starter for the Athletics, but found most of his work from the bullpen.  In 60 appearances, including eight starts, Fingers was 6-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 119 innings pitched.  No other reliever was used more frequently than him, and Fingers led the club with 12 saves.

1970 Topps #412

1997 Topps Stars Rookie Reprints Autographs #5

2001 Topps Archives #281

2018 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RF

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Burchart
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1997 Topps Stars Rookie Reprints #5
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  6 in the Beckett online database as of 8/3/25.

Sources - Burchart:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Fingers
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1969-86
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RF
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  966 in the Beckett online database as of 8/3/25.

Sources - Fingers:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1970 Topps #502

1975 Topps #21

1978 Topps #140

1981 Topps Traded #761

1986 Topps #185

#596 Chuck Hartenstein - Pittsburgh Pirates / #598 Ruben Amaro - California Angels