The trade turned out to be a disaster for the Giants. In 1972, McDowell had his worst season as a starting pitcher, posting his highest earned run average since 1963 at 4.33 while posting a 10-8 record. Although his control settled down a bit, as he posted a 4.7 BB/9 in 164.1 innings, he pitched just four complete games and failed to post a shutout for the first time since 1962, while his K/9 fell to 6.7, his worst to date. Meanwhile, Perry posted 24 wins with a 1.92 earned run average for Cleveland, winning his first Cy Young Award.
