Yankees' Mel Stottlemyre. He also finished 17th in the voting for Most Valuable Player. His control was perhaps the only flaw on his excellent season, as he also led the league in most walks allowed with 132, even though his BB/9 rate continued to drop, to 4.4. The Indians were also improving, as they finished the season with their first winning record since 1959, with McDowell leading the way. Together with Sonny Siebert, Sam was the first American League starting pitcher duo to post K/9 rates over 9. The Indians pitching staff as a whole led the AL with 1156 strikeouts, leading the league for the first of what would be five straight seasons. 1966–67: Bumps in the road McDowell slumped somewhat in 1966. Although he started hot, he missed several games due to arm problems during the year. While he led the league in strikeouts for the second straight season, his total dropped to 225, as he managed just 194.1 innings. He posted a 2.87 ERA but won only nine games against eight losses. Of those nine wins, five were shutouts, a total that also led the league. He also made his second All-Star team, although he did not appear in the game. In 1967, although he didn't miss any time, McDowell's numbers continued to decline. He won 13 games while losing 15, and he led the league in walks allowed, earned runs allowed, and wild pitches while posting a below-average 3.85 ERA. He also failed to lead the league in K/9 for the first time since becoming a full-time major leaguer, finishing second to teammate Luis Tiant with a 9.0 rate. The team as a whole set a record by striking out 1189 batters. One of his few personal highlights came not as a pitcher, but as a batter, as he hit his first major league home run on May 21 off Boston Red Sox pitcher Bucky Brandon. 1968–69: Returning to form In 1968, the last season before the lowering of the pitcher's mound to 10 inches above ground, Major League Baseball went through what is often called the "Year of the Pitcher". Fittingly, it was also the year McDowell began to return to his pre-1966 form. He posted a career-best 1.81 ERA, second to Luis Tiant, who posted a 1.60 mark. He also returned to his place atop the leader boards in strikeouts (283) and K/9 (9.5).