"Incredible as it sounds, Al Downing's ERA at the end of last June was a generous 7.07 in 12 2/3 innings. Plagued by a sore shoulder and then by tendinitis in the elbow, possibly from not pitching enough, Al went to the Mayo Clinic in August where doctors found nothing wrong with his arm. Maybe that diagnosis cleared his head or just gave him greater incentive, but Al managed to pitch his way back into the starting rotation by the end of the season. Though he didn't throw with his usual speed, he did eventually wind up with three wins and an ERA of 3.54.
An All-Star pitcher in 1967 when he was 14-10, Al holds the club record for strikeouts by a southpaw with 217. Still possessing the potential and skills to be a big winner, he'll have his old friend Elston Howard back as a coach this year, and the Yankees hope Ellie will be able to get Al on the right track again."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1969
"Last year, Al had a recurrence of his old arm trouble and it ruined the season for him. He pitched briefly for Binghamton to get the arm in shape and when he came back to the Yankees he was 3-3. Al is only 27; when he is injury-free, he is a winning pitcher - a potential 20-game winner. He has the desire, poise and strikeout pitch of a hurler who could pitch the Yankees to a championship.
In the '67 season - which reflects the real Downing - he had a high of 14 wins and an ERA of 2.63. He had the ability to get the big out when the pressure was on and was downright stingy with walks - an average of 2.7 per game. That year he tied Stottlemyre for the club lead in complete games (10) and shutouts (4). On four occasions Al struck out 10 or more batters in a game. His single game-high is 14 strikeouts in 1963.
Al's military duties made it hard for him to get back into the groove last year. He was up in the air a lot. On one occasion he made a round-trip coast-to-coast flight to pitch two innings. He hadn't pitched for a month and Ralph Houk was anxious to see how the arm was progressing. Ralph had to take Al out after two innings to make sure he would catch his plane.
Downing attended Rider College and has done a lot of good work in the off-season with young people, urging them to stay in school and try harder when the breaks aren't going their way. Al, a native of Trenton, New Jersey, lives in Jamaica, New York."
-The New York Yankees Official 1969 Yearbook
"1968 is a year Al would just as soon forget. He was bothered by arm trouble all year. He was placed on the disabled list from May 18 to June 18, and the arm still bothered him. He finally was sent to Binghamton on July 15 and was recalled on August 12. Al did hurl a complete game in his next to last start of the season on September 14 at Washington and won 4-1.
It seemed like Al was on the verge of real stardom as he was coming off the best year of his career. He had a career high in wins in 1967 with 14 and tied for the club lead in complete games (10) and shutouts (4). He led the club in strikeouts with 171. More important, Downing seemed to mature as a pitcher, as he repeatedly got the big out; he averaged just 2.7 walks per game, lowest of his career, and allowed just 13 homers. In addition, he made the 1967 All-Star Game and fared well as he hurled two scoreless innings and struck out two.
Downing has always been rated as having as much potential as anyone around, ever since his first year in Organized Baseball at Binghamton in 1961. He posted a 9-1 mark in just half a season and jumped from the Class A Eastern League right to the Yankees in June of the same year when the Yankee staff faltered. When in 1963 the Yankee staff again needed help, Al got the call- this time he stayed as he posted a 13-5 mark.
In 1964, he led the American League in strikeouts with 217. This figure is the second highest by a Yankee in one season- Jack Chesbro had 240 in 1904. Al has struck out 10 or more in one game 16 times, with his single game high being 14, accomplished in 1963."
-1969 New York Yankees Information Guide
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