Drabowsky's 1964 season got off to a good start, as he pitched into the eighth inning in his first start and gave up just one run in a 3–1 victory over the Washington Senators. After that, he would lose seven decisions in a row before getting another win on June 8 (again against the Senators). He pitched out of the bullpen for a few games in June; by the end of July, he was being used almost exclusively as a reliever. Drabowsky appeared in the most games of his career that season (53), starting 21 times and logging innings. He struck out 119, the most since his rookie season. However, his record was 5–13, and his ERA was 5.29, a jump from the 3.05 mark the year before.