Jack McDowell is born in Van Nuys, California.
“Black Jack”, the tall right-hander out of Stanford, was a first round pick by the Chicago White Sox and the fifth pick overall in the 1987 draft. He debuted with the club later that season, posting a 3-0 record in four starts with a 1.93 ERA. He developed into one of the better starters in the American League in the early 1990s, making three straight All-Star teams with the White Sox from 1991 to 1993 while leading the league in complete games twice, wins and shutouts once, and twice reaching the 20-win plateau. His success in 1993 earned him a Cy Young Award.
After one season in New York with the Yankees following a trade from Chicago, he signed with Cleveland for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. He was 13-9 with a 5.11 ERA for the Indians in 1996 while making 30 starts, but appeared in just eight games in the first two months of the next season, going 3-3 with a 5.09 ERA, before injury shut him down for the year. He left following the season and played two more years with the Anaheim Angels before calling it a career.
So what happened on this day in 1966?
McDowell’s birth may be more significant to him and some of the other organizations that he pitched for than specifically the Indians. Consider it a slow news day.