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Roger McDowell
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 90 of 1252 players
Roger Alan McDowell
Born: December 21, 1960 at Cincinnati, O.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.01 Weight: 175

Roger McDowell has been the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup 12 times, most recently on June 7, 2018.

First Mets game: April 11, 1985
Last Mets game: June 16, 1989

Share your memories of Roger McDowell HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY: Mark Maroon Roger was a great character of the game! All the pranks from the hot-foot to putting bubbles on his teammates hats were awesome. He livened up his team but when he came in, you knew the Mets were going to win! NJHank Roger was a great reliever. But he brought so much more to the team and the fans! Remember when he put on the tool belt in the dugout, or put his uniform on upside down? An original. wes Yes, I agree with everyone else when they say that Roger was a great Met. However let's not forget that September game in 1987 when the Mets were within one out of closing the Cardinals lead to 1 game with 2 outs in the ninth inning, when old reliable Roger gave up a 2-run homer to Terry Pendleton. The Mets never had a chance for the post season after that. Sid Finch I liked McDowell. But, is it me, or did his clown act get a bit tiresome after awhile? Yeah, yeah, Rog. Another hot foot. Hah. Hah. Okay, I get it: you like to wear wigs during MTV's Rock and Jock softball. Okay, very funny. But, nevertheless, he and Orosco were a pretty good lefty/righty tandem there for awhile. Mr. Sparkle Roger was a funny dude and gave us all some good memories. But my lasting memories are how he cried after being traded and started slamming the Mets organization and saying how happy he was to be gone and how they were going down hill and were a lousy organization. Sour grapes or what?? He sounded like a jilted lover trying to get back at HER mate. You knew he was devastated by the trade and instead of having some class, he chose to be a jerk. murphy May 7, 2001 His rookie year, the Mets were on Monday Night Baseball against the Dodgers. McDowell came in and his pitches were moving all over the place. It looked like he was throwing a whiffle ball. He was absolutely unhittable that night. Gave the best hot foot in Mets history. Danny Erickson August 16, 2001 Roger was a vital cog for the 1986 World Championship team. He also had a great looking wife. jeff September 12, 2001 I'll let you know right up front, that I'm bias to Roger, since he's my brother. I say that with a lot of respect and love.I'm so proud of his accomplishments and feats on the baseball diamond, but even more so as a father and family man. The fans do not see and have no clue what a professional ballplayer experiences on a daily basis. Yeah, I know....they make so much money that they have no real crisis or problems that it doesn"t matter....if you believe that,...well, it's not worth going there...They all deserve where they are at...(don't forget our childhood dreams)...I know I wish I had made the Bigs, and thats the point--not everyone can handle the Majors,....they may play great ball--but can't hang with the responsibility!!! Sure, they make errors and dish up neckbreakers, but my brother was more successfull than failure...and as a father and family man, he has all my respect and admiration. SUE ELLEN November 7, 2001 One of my favorite Met players ever. I still have an autographed baseball card. scrappy December 10, 2001 While all the other girls my age were in love with the New Kids, Roger McDowell was my celeb crush. I got teased pretty bad in 7th grade for wearing his jersey to school, but was consoled when he was traded to the Phillies during my social studies final. =) Even though that was half a lifetime ago, I'll never forget that angst-ridden years of enduring braces, zits, junior high and escaping reality with my crush on Rog. Although he doesn't know it, he made my life at 12 worth living! NL October 20, 2002 One of my least favorite Mets. By his last couple of years, he was all schtick - could give a world class hot foot but couldn't get major league hitters out. If he was so great, why was Jesse Orosco the guy on the mound to close out both the Astros and Red Sox in '86? ROB March 26, 2003 McDowell was the best on and off the mound. In 1994 Marge Schott told her players that only fruits wear earrings. McDowell, pitching with the Dodgers, buys earrings for the whole team. Great humor. Hope to see McDowell as a big league pitching coach soon. steve April 16, 2003 I had the opportunity to meet Roger at Shea last year. He was voted Right-handed relief pitcher for the Mets All Amazin' Team.What a great guy! He signed an autograph for my son and talked some baseball with us. Noledreamer24 May 3, 2003 Roger McDowell was a pretty good pitcher. However, why did he always have to be such a clown? His jokes got old after a while. He needed some new material. He was hardly Tug McGraw. I have mostly good memories of him. He did pitch 5 scoreless innings in game 6 of the 1986 NLCS against the Astros. For that I will always be thankful. Still, he did often choke in the clutch. I will never forget Sept 11, 1987. I was at that Mets-Cards game when all McDowell had to do was get one more strike and the Mets would have been 1/2 game behind the Cardinals. Of course you all remember that he gave up a two-run home run to Terry Pendelton who had all of one homer the previous year. And there was the extra-inning home run to Kirk Gibson in game 4 of the 1988 NLCS. Granted, he was not like Armando when it came to blowing games. However, I can't remember Randy Myers ever blowing such big games like those. John May 20, 2003 Roger McDowell is one of my all time favorite relievers. He had really great stats, regardless of that Pendleton homer. The reason that Orosco was on the mound for the clincher vs Houston MIGHT be that Roger had pitched something like 5 scoreless innnings earlier. Anyway, I was real bummed when he was traded along with Dykstra, but it really helped our team. Oh, wait a minute. Sorry, it made us much, much worse. I bet McDowell wouldn't have given up that homer to Randolph. Just a thought... KMT April 5, 2005 Great guy to have around. Kept everyone loose! Sad thing is he'll be remembered as part of the worst trade in Met history! Pendleton aside, Roger had a great career with the Mets, and we couldn't have won in '86 without his help. Jath August 27, 2005 The worst thing I remember about growing up is moving out of NYC in 1985. I was so heartbroken when they won it all in 1986 and I wasn't there to celebrate. However I did go back in 87 and catch a couple of games at Shea. Roger is now pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51s and I managed to get his autograph on a baseball. I told him my story and he responded with "Those were good times." Great guy. jamey bumbalo December 9, 2005 Roger was a great reliever and always had fun playing baseball. There aren't too many guys who seem to realize how lucky they are to be a major league ballplayer and just enjoy playing the game. I hope he does well as the Braves' pitching coach--and that someday he's again wearing a Mets uniform. Mark Corrao December 23, 2005 I believe Roger was one of the first players ever to wear his uniform pants full lenth, without stirrup socks showing. Ron Darling would soon follow this trend, and it became more popular around the league. Today, you don't see many player wearing stirrup socks, thanks to Roger. Jonathan Stern January 3, 2006 The King of Hot-Foot has mighty shoes to fill: successor to Leo Mazzone as pitching coach of the Atlanta Braves. Hard to root for him if, like me, you are a Mets fan. And yet, I don't REALLY want him to fail. He was one of the more likeable players in franchise history. Tough call. Mr. Sparkle February 22, 2006 I wrote about his sour grapes after being traded about 5 years ago but the more I think about him the more I think about the fond memories I have of him. He was the ultimate practical joker and always made the team laugh. Plus, he was probably the right handed side of the best closer tandem the Mets ever had. He and Jesse worked great together and McDowell was a tough guy to hit. I can't say I'll wish him well in Atlanta of all places but I gotta admit he was a character and a pretty damn good pitcher. Putbeds 1986 February 25, 2006 I remember Roger wrote a diary for a magazine that no longer publishes: Inside Sports. It was for the 1986 World Series. The guy who wrote for the Red Sox p-o-v: Bill Buckner. Roger wrote about him and his wife going to McDonalds in Boston after one of the Fenway games and he wrote that he had worked at one when he was a teenager. I still can't believe that he's gonna be the pitching coach of one of our hated rivals: The Braves. Oh well, It coulda been worse, Roger coulda wound up in the same position for the Bronx Evil Empire. Jay and Dylan August 18, 2006 My most recent memory of Roger McDowell just occurred about 3 hours ago. In an effort to replace a fading autograph on his '86 card that hangs in my son's room, I went with my son to a Marlins game tonight against the Atlanta Braves. We were among about 50 people in the entire stadium during the pregame warmup. Roger baby rebuked my 7-year-old sons's effort at the rail in the bullpen in a rude manor. It is evident he would rather shag flys than sign an autograph. I guess he wants to keep his signature in short supply until Steiner Sports charges $40 in November at the '86 Met reunion autograph show. It is good to see some other Met memories about Mr. McDowell that are just as unflattering. He's no Leo Mazzone and will be on the unemployment line at season's end. Daniel J. Erickson November 11, 2006 I was greeted quite warmly by Roger last week at an autograph signing at Last Licks in Huntington, New York last weekend. I gave him a copy of my book titled 1986 Mets Memories. A Fan's View of The World Champions. If you would like a copy its available at www.e-booktime.com, barnesand noble.com, and amazon.com. Pete January 16, 2011 Roger gave us some great memories of those '80s teams but my lasting memory of him, unfortunately, is him goading Gregg Jefferies into a fight shortly after he was traded to the Phillies. I think it was at Shea when Jefferies faced Roger and he grounded out to end the game. Roger yelled at Jefferies as he ran down the 1st base line. Jefferies then confronted Roger and the benches emptied. McDowell had to know that most of the Mets, in their hearts, were on his side so I thought it was a pretty cheap shot to take at Jefferies. Quality Met April 29, 2011 I liked this guy when he was with the Mets, but I'm not too crazy about him now. How could he have the audacity to say to someone that kids don't belong at the ballpark? Roger, if that was true, then baseball would not exist! It has always been the young ones that made our great game the National Pastime. It's not children who should have to stay away from the ball park. Perhaps Roger should stay away from it and find a new profession! Shickhaus Franks May 2, 2011 I was so upset about Roger's recent uncalled for homophobic rant in San Francisco. I used to love Roger for his great relief pitching and his zany antics but now... May he and Lenny Dykstra get humbled by working at a filthy gas station somewhere in Canada or picking up litter on a highway. Being in Major League Baseball whether it's as a player, coach, umpire, announcer or front office is a privilege and NOT a right! Let's hope Roger learns from his recent misdeed and then some! Sparkman July 7, 2020 Roger was the biggest clown on the entire '86 Mets team. His antics of wearing masks on the bench, pulling off hot foot pranks and putting his uniform on upside down are things of legend. McDowell could have been considered a troublemaker with this kind of personality, but with nearly half the guys on his team winding up on the wrong side of the law, he came off as a normal human being by comparison. MetsTV July 21, 2020 Roger made a cameo appearance in the same 'Seinfeld' episode that featured Keith Hernandez. When both Kramer and Newman accused Hernandez of spitting on them, it was McDowell that turned out to be the guilty one. He was seen in a film of the incident taking place and identified by Keith. This episode came out at a time when Roger was pitching for the Dodgers. It was taped in Los Angeles and he was right in town. This was probably the main reason he got to play the role of the "second spitter." ex-reporter March 1, 2021 I was stringing for a newspaper in 1987 or 88 and was covering a Mets game. McDowell gave up a late HR to Bob Horner that turned out not to be pivotal but did bring the Braves closer. I was in the locker room and asked McDowell what his intention was with the pitch. He dead-eyed me and said "to get it hit out of the park." He didn't like that question!

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