While he led the league in walks allowed with 110, he posted his best BB/9 rate to date with a 3.7. McDowell's own record was 15-14. In 1969, McDowell won 18 games, his best total thus far, while losing 14. He continued to lead the league in strikeouts (279) and K/9 (8.8). Although it was the first season McDowell had posted a strikeout rate of less than 9, he also posted a career-low BB/9 at 3.2, and for the first time did not lead the league in total walks allowed without missing time due to injuries or time in the minors, finishing sixth with 102. His 18 complete games were the third-most in the AL, and his four shutouts were fourth-most. He also was selected to the All-Star Game for the fourth time, striking out four batters in two innings, including Roberto Clemente. On June 27, he notched his 1,500th career strikeout. 1970: Pitcher of the Year In 1970, McDowell put together some impressive totals. For the first and only time in his career, he reached the 20-win mark, posting a record of 20-12. He also led the American League in innings pitched, topping the 300 mark (also for the first and only time) at 305. He reached the 300-strikeout mark as well for the first time since 1965 at 304, just barely missing out on a K/9 rate of 9.0, although he led the league in both those categories again. He also threw a career-high 19 complete games, second in the league to Mike Cuellar, giving him 37 complete games in the last two seasons. All this, combined with a fifth-best 2.92 ERA, led to his selection as "AL Pitcher of the Year" by The Sporting News. However, there were still some warning signs, as McDowell's BB/9 jumped back up to 3.9, and he led the league in walks allowed with 131. He led the league in wild pitches again with 17, the first time he had done so since 1967. He also gave up a career-high 25 home runs. During a July 6 game against the Senators, McDowell became the last left-handed player to earn a fielding chance at second base. 1971: End of the line in Cleveland 1971 started on a rocky note for the newly minted Pitcher of the Year. He held out during spring training, hoping for a six-figure contract. The contract he did sign