Bruce Sutter obit

Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter dies at 69

 

 He was not on the list.

The St. Louis Cardinals organization, and baseball fans everywhere, were saddened today to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Howard “Bruce” Sutter at the age of 69. Sutter, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, was just the fourth reliever enshrined, and the first player to have never started a game to be elected. Sutter was a six-time All-Star and the 1979 NL Cy Young Award winner. His uniform number 42 is one of 14 numbers retired by the Cardinals.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Bruce Sutter, whose career was an incredible baseball success story," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Bruce ascended from being a nondrafted free agent to the heights of Baseball by pioneering the split-fingered fastball. That pitch not only led him to the Major Leagues, but also made him a Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs and a World Series Champion with the 1982 Cardinals. Bruce was the first pitcher to reach the Hall of Fame without starting a game, and he was one of the key figures who foreshadowed how the use of relievers would evolve.

“Bruce will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in the histories of two of our most historic franchises. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences to Bruce’s family, his friends and his fans in Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta and throughout our game.”

“On behalf of the Cardinals organization and baseball fans everywhere, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the Sutter family,” said Cardinals’ Principal Owner & Chief Executive Officer Bill DeWitt, Jr. “Bruce was a fan-favorite during his years in St. Louis and in the years to follow, and he will always be remembered for his 1982 World Series clinching save and signature split-fingered pitch. He was a true pioneer in the game, changing the role of the late inning reliever.”

Sutter pitched for the Cardinals from 1981 to 1984. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 9, 1980, in exchange for first baseman Leon Durham, third baseman Ken Reitz and minor-league third baseman Ty Waller, Sutter proved to be a key acquisition for general manager and manager Whitey Herzog in his transformation of the Cardinals from underachievers to World Champions.

During the strike-shortened 1981 season, Sutter saved 25 games – the most by a St. Louis pitcher since the save became an officially recognized statistic in 1969. Chants of “Bruuuuuce!” bellowed throughout Busch Stadium every time he ran in from the bullpen. Sutter recorded 36 saves in 1982 and struck out Gorman Thomas of the Milwaukee Brewers to wrap up Game 7 of the World Series.

Sutter debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. He won the 1979 N.L. Cy Young Award after amassing 37 saves and a 2.22 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 101.3 innings pitched. He was only the third reliever to be so honored, following Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974 and Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees in 1977.

In 12 Major League seasons, Sutter totaled 300 saves to rank third on baseball’s all-time list at the time of his retirement.  He worked more than one inning for 188 of his rescues and surpassed 100 innings pitched in a season on five occasions, with one more year at 99. Sutter led the Senior Circuit in saves in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984. He was a six-time All-Star – appearing in four games and earning two wins (1978 and 1979) and two saves (1980 and 1981) while not allowing a run – and received the Rolaids Relief Man Award four times.  His career ended in 1988 after pitching in three seasons for the Atlanta Braves.

Sutter’s four-year St. Louis save total of 127 established a franchise record and now ranks fourth behind Jason Isringhausen (217), Lee Smith (160) and Todd Worrell (129). Sutter was voted the relief pitcher on the All-Busch Stadium II team in 2005 and was an inaugural member of the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame in 2014.

Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sutter briefly attended Old Dominion University and was subsequently signed by the Chicago Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 1971. He played five years for the Cubs, four for the St. Louis Cardinals, and three for the Atlanta Braves, serving as each team's closer during his tenure. His usage in the eighth and ninth innings of games was partly responsible for ushering in a more specialized era for the closer role. In the mid-1980s, Sutter began to experience shoulder problems, undergoing three surgeries before retiring in 1989.

Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, his 13th year of eligibility. He was also honored by the Cardinals with the retirement of his uniform number 42 in 2006 and induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014. Sutter has served as a minor league consultant for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sutter graduated from Donegal High School in Mount Joy, where he played baseball, football and basketball. He was quarterback and captain of the football team and also served as captain for the basketball squad, which won a district championship in his senior season. His baseball team also won the county championship.

After being selected by the Washington Senators in the 21st round of the June 1970 draft, Sutter instead attended Old Dominion University before signing with the Cubs as a free agent in September 1971. He pitched in two games for the Gulf Coast League Cubs in 1972. When he was 19, Sutter had surgery on his arm to relieve a pinched nerve. When he recovered from surgery and returned to the mound a year later, Sutter found that his previous pitches were no longer effective. He learned the split-finger fastball from minor league pitching instructor Fred Martin. Sutter's large hands helped him to use the pitch, which was a modification of the forkball.

Sutter had nearly been released by the Cubs, but found success with the new pitch. Mike Krukow, who was also a Cubs minor league player at the time, said, "As soon as I saw him throw it, I knew he was going to the big leagues. Everyone wanted to throw it after he did." He recorded a 3–3 win–loss record, a 4.13 ERA and five saves in 40 games in Class A baseball in 1973.

Sutter split the 1974 season between the Class A Key West Conchs and the Class AA Midland Cubs. Though he finished the season with a combined 2–7 record, he recorded a 1.38 ERA in 65 innings. He returned to Midland in 1975 and finished the year with a 5–7 record, a 2.15 ERA and 13 saves. Sutter led the team in ERA and saves as they won the Texas League West Division pennant. He started the 1976 season with the Class AAA Wichita Aeros, but he pitched only seven games with the team before being promoted to the major leagues.

Sutter joined the Cubs in May 1976. He pitched in 52 games and finished with a 6–3 win–loss record and 10 saves. In 1977 he had a 1.34 ERA, earned an All-Star Game selection, and finished sixth and seventh in NL Cy Young Award and MVP Award voting, respectively. On September 8, 1977, Sutter struck out all three batters on nine total pitches in the ninth inning of a 10-inning 3–2 win over the Montreal Expos, becoming the 12th NL pitcher and the 19th pitcher in major-league history to achieve an immaculate inning. Sutter had also struck out the side (although not on nine pitches) upon entering the game in the eighth inning, giving him six consecutive strikeouts, tying the NL record for a reliever.

Sutter's ERA increased to 3.19 in 1978, but he earned 27 saves. In May 1979, the Cubs acquired relief pitcher Dick Tidrow. Tidrow would enter the game and pitch a couple of innings before Sutter came in for the save. Sutter credited Tidrow for much of his success. Sutter saved 37 games for the club, tying the NL record held by Clay Carroll (1972) and Rollie Fingers (1978), and won the NL Cy Young Award. This year also marked the first of five seasons (four consecutive) in which he led the league in saves. Sutter also won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and The Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award. In addition to a league-leading 28 saves in 1980, Sutter recorded a 2.64 ERA and finished with a 5–8 win–loss record in 60 games. His strikeout total, which had been over 100 the previous three seasons, fell to 76 that year and he never finished with more than 77 strikeouts in any of his remaining seasons.

Sutter was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leon Durham, Ken Reitz and a player to be named later in December 1980. He made his fifth consecutive All-Star Game in 1981. He recorded 25 saves, registered a 2.62 ERA and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Sutter registered 36 saves in 1982, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting. The Cardinals won the 1982 World Series and Sutter is credited with two saves in that Series, including the Series-clinching save in Game 7 which ended with a strikeout of Gorman Thomas. He received a leaping hug after that game by catcher and World Series MVP Darrell Porter. Sutter also earned the save in the pennant-clinching victory in the NLCS.

In 1983, Sutter recorded a 9–10 win–loss record and a 4.23 ERA; his save total declined to 21. In April of that year, Sutter executed a rare unassisted pickoff play: as Bill Madlock of the Pittsburgh Pirates took a long lead off first base, he became distracted by Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez. Sutter ran off the mound to tag Madlock out.

Sutter, who won both the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award again in 1981, 1982, and 1984, tied Dan Quisenberry's major league record for most saves in a season (45) in 1984. (His MLB record was broken by Dave Righetti (46) in 1986 and his NL record was broken by Lee Smith (47) in 1991.) During Sutter's record-breaking season, he pitched a career-high 122+2⁄3 innings. It was one of five seasons in which Sutter threw more than 100 innings.

Sutter joined the Atlanta Braves in December 1984 as a free agent. The New York Times reported that Sutter's six-year contract paid him $4.8 million and placed another $4.8 million into a deferred payment account at 13 percent interest. The newspaper estimated that the account would pay Sutter $1.3 million per year for 30 years after the initial six seasons of the contract. Sutter said that he was attracted to the Braves because of Atlanta's scenery and his respect for Ted Turner and Dale Murphy.

Before the start of the 1985 season, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog commented on facing the season without Sutter. "To me, Bruce is the best there ever was," Herzog said. "Losing him is like Kansas City losing Dan Quisenberry...I told Bruce, 'Look, you've taken care of your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren. Now, if I get fired in July, will you take care of me and Mary Lou?'"

When Sutter arrived in Atlanta, only two Braves pitchers had ever earned 25 or more saves in a season; the Braves in 1984 had recorded 49 saves as a team, just four more than Sutter's own total. In 1985, Sutter's ERA rose to 4.48 and his saves total decreased to 23. By the end of the season, he was bothered by nerve impingement in the right shoulder. He underwent surgery on the shoulder after the season, and recovered in time to appear in spring training in mid-March 1986.

Near the end of March 1986, Sutter commented on his recovery, saying, "I'm throwing the ball as hard as I ever have, but it's just not getting there as fast. I don't know what's going to happen. I just have to keep throwing and see. So far, there have been no setbacks. Today I felt great, no problems." Sutter started the season with a 2–0 record and a 4.34 ERA in 16 games. He was placed on the disabled list in May due to arm problems. On July 31, manager Chuck Tanner announced that Sutter would probably not return to pitching in that season.

Sutter underwent shoulder surgery in February 1987, the third procedure performed on his arm, in an attempt to remove scar tissue and to promote nerve healing. To recover from the surgery, he was required to miss the entire 1987 season. He returned to limited action with the Braves in 1988. In late May, Sutter earned saves on consecutive nights and sportswriter Jerome Holtzman characterized his pitching as "vintage Sutter". He finished the year with a 1–4 record, a 4.76 ERA and 14 saves in 38 games pitched. In late September, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.