Jack McDowell

Jack Burns “Black Jack” McDowell (January 16, 1966-) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher and American League Cy Young Award winner (1993). The Boston Red Sox selected the right-hander in the 20th round of the 1984 amateur draft, but McDowell opted instead to attend Stanford University, where he was a member of the 1987 College World Series championship squad. The Chicago White Sox later selected him in the 1st round (5th overall) of the 1987 amateur draft. With the Sox (1987-1994), Black Jack established himself as one of the AL’s most dependable pitchers, making it to three consecutive All-Star Game rosters (1991-1993) and recording more 250 innings each season from 1991 to 1993, while winning 20 games in 1992 and 22 in 1993. He also helped the ChiSox to a postseason appearance before the team fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 ALCS. In what was a banner year for McDowell, he also set a modern (post-1950) record by recording a decision in each of his first 27 starts. His mound presence began to falter following a trade to the New York Yankees (1995), and after appearances with both the Cleveland Indians (1996-1997) and the Anaheim Angeles (1998-1999), retired with a lifetime 3.85 Era and a 127-87 record.