Oddibe McDowell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oddibe McDowell |
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| Center fielder | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: August 25, 1962 Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||||||||
| May 19, 1985, for the Texas Rangers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| August 10, 1994, for the Texas Rangers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .253 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 266 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Oddibe McDowell (born August 25, 1962) is a former American baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned from 1985 to 1994. He played for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves.
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Oddibe McDowell: A Rising Star
Oddibe McDowell was a talented athlete from Hollywood, Florida. He was good at many sports at McArthur High School. In 1979, he even won a state wrestling championship.
College Baseball Achievements
McDowell played college baseball at Arizona State University (ASU). In 1984, he won the Golden Spikes Award. This award goes to the best amateur baseball player each year. He wore the unique uniform number 0 at ASU. Later, ASU honored him by retiring his number. They also put him in their athletic hall of fame in 1991.
International Play
Oddibe also played for the United States national team. In 1981, he won a gold medal at the World Games I. He was also part of the 1984 United States Olympic Team. After his college success, the Texas Rangers picked him in the first round of the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.
Professional Baseball Career
Oddibe McDowell started his professional career with the Texas Rangers. He was known for wearing the unusual uniform number 0. Later, he wore number 20 with the Indians and number 1 with the Braves. When he returned to the Rangers, he wore number 8.
Hitting for the Cycle
On July 23, 1985, McDowell made history for the Rangers. He was the first player for the team to hit for the cycle. This means he got a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game. The Rangers won that game 8–4 against the Cleveland Indians.
Other Rangers players have also hit for the cycle since then. These include Mark Teixeira, Gary Matthews, Jr., Ian Kinsler, and Adrián Beltré. In 2024, Wyatt Langford became the first Rangers rookie since McDowell to hit for the cycle. Oddibe finished fourth in the voting for the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award in 1985.
Leadoff Home Runs
McDowell was also good at hitting leadoff home runs. These are home runs hit by the first batter in a game or inning. For a long time, he was tied for second among all Rangers players for career leadoff homers.
His first name is pronounced "owed a bee" or "oh-ta-bee."
After Playing Baseball
In 2011, Oddibe McDowell was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. This honor recognized his great college career.
As of 2022, Oddibe McDowell is a baseball coach. He is the head coach for the varsity baseball team at McArthur High School. This is the same high school he attended in Hollywood, Florida.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
