Bruce Sutter

At 71 years old, Bruce Sutter has this physical status:

Howard Bruce Sutter (born January 8, 1953) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 1988.

He was one of the sport's best relievers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, utilizing the split-finger fastball to its fullest.

Sutter, a six-time All-Star and 1982 World Series champion, made his second-most appearance and 300 saves in his career, the third-most in MLB history at the time.

Sutter received the National League's (NL) Cy Young Award in 1979 as the country's best pitcher, and the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award was given four times.

He was the only pitcher to lead the National League in saves five times (1979–1982, 1984). Sutter, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, briefly attended Old Dominion University and was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 1971.

He spent five years with the Cubs, four for the St. Louis Cardinals, and three for the Atlanta Braves, as each team's closer during his tenure.

His participation in the eighth and ninth innings of games was partially responsible for ushering in a more specialized period of play.

Sutter began to experience shoulder pains in the mid-1980s and underwent three surgeries before retiring in 1989. In 2006, Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his 13th year of eligibility.

He was also honoured 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 been a Philadelphia Phillies minor league consultant.

Early life

Sutter was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Howard and Thelma Sutter. In Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, his father owned a Farm Bureau warehouse. Bruce was the sixth child of six children.

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

Personal life and death

After retirement, Sutter and his wife and three sons stayed in Atlanta. Chad's uncle was a catcher for Tulane University and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round (711th overall) of the 1999 amateur draft. Chad spent one season in the minor leagues and later joined the Tulane baseball staff.

Sutter was appointed as a Philadelphia Phillies minor league consultant on August 23, 2010. He was hired to evaluate pitching prospects at the team's Class AA and AAA affiliates.

Sutter died at the age of 69 at a hospice in Cartersville, Georgia, on October 13, 2022, following a recent diagnosis of cancer.

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Career

Sutter then attended Old Dominion University after being picked by the Washington Senators in the 21st round of the 1970 MLB draft. He dropped out of school and returned to Lancaster to play semi-professional baseball. In September 1971, Ralph DiLullo, a Chicago Cubs scout, registered Sutter as a free agent. In 1972, he pitched in two games for the Gulf Coast League Cubs. Sutter had surgery on his arm to relieve a pinched nerve when he was 19 years old. Sutter discovered that his previous pitches were no longer effective a year after recovering from surgery and returning to the mound. Fred Martin, a minor league pitching coach, taught him the split-finger fastball. Sutter's huge hands aided him in using the pitch, which was a forkball modification.

Sutter had nearly been released by the Cubs, but the Cubs were able to use the new pitch. "I knew he'd be playing in the big leagues as soon as I saw him throw it," Mike Krukow, a Cubs minor league player at the time, said. After he did, everyone wanted to throw it away. He set a 3–3 record, a 4.13 earned run average (ERA), and five saves in 40 games in Class A baseball in 1973.

Sutter split the 1974-19 season between the Class A Key West Conchs and the Class AA Midland Cubs. Despite having a combined 2–7 record, he had a 1.38 ERA in 65 innings. He returned to Midland in 1975 and ended the year with a 5–7 record, a 2.15 ERA, and 13 saves. When the team won the Texas League West Division pennant, they dominated the team in terms of ERA and savings. He played seven games for the Class AAA Wichita Aeros in 1976, but he was promoted to the major leagues only after being promoted to the major leagues.

In May 1976, Sutter joined the Cubs. He played in 52 games and finished with a 6–3 win-loss record and ten saves. He had a 1.34 ERA, won an All-Star Game pick, and finished sixth and seventh in NL Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player Award voting, respectively, in 1977. In the ninth inning of a 10-inning 3–2 victory over the Montreal Expos on September 8, 1977, Sutter struck out all three batters on nine total pitches, becoming the 12th NL pitcher and the 19th pitcher in major-league history to win with a batting inning. Sutter had already struck out the side (but not on nine pitches) upon entering the game in the eighth inning, giving him six straight strikeouts, tied for a reliever in the NL.

Sutter's ERA increased to 3.19 in 1978, but he made 27 saves. The Cubs acquired relief pitcher Dick Tidrow in May 1979. Tidrow would get to the game and pitch a few innings before Sutter came in for the save. Sutter owed a large part of his triumph to Tidrow. Sutter was a member of the National Football Association (1972) and Rollie Fingers (1978), tying the NL record held by Clay Carroll (1972) and Rollie Fingers (1978), and winning the NL Cy Young Award. He also played in the league for the first time in four seasons (four consecutive) in which he led the league in saves this year. Sutter has received the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award as well as the Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award. Sutter earned a 2.64 ERA and finished with a 5–8 record in 60 games, in comparison to a league-leading 28 saves in 1980. His strikeout number, which had been high in the previous three seasons, decreased to 76 this 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 who was to be named later in December 1980. In 1981, he played in his fifth straight All-Star Game. He made 25 saves, registered a 2.62 ERA, and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

In 1982, Sutter earned 36 saves, placing third in the Cy Young Award voting. In the pennant-clinching victory in the NLCS, Sutter earned the save. Sutter is the Cardinals' second save in the 1982 World Series, including the Series-clinching save in Game 7 which ended with a strikeout of Gorman Thomas.

Sutter's 1983 win-loss record and a 4.23 ERA, the first time he had won, while his save total fell to 21. Sutter executed a rare unassisted pickoff play in April of this year: Bill Madlock of the Pittsburgh Pirates took a long lead off first base when he was distracted by Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez, causing him to be disengaged. Madlock was tagged out by Sutter, who staggered off the field to find him out.

Sutter, who received both the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and the Sports News Reliever of the Year Award 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, but Lee Smith (47) took down his NL record in 1991.) He pitched a career-high 122+239 innings during Sutter's record-breaking season. It was one of five seasons in which Sutter threw more than 100 innings.

Sutter was a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in December 1984. Sutter's six-year employment paid him $4.8 million and put another $4.8 million into a deferred payment account with a 13 percent interest. After the initial six seasons of the deal, the newspaper projected that the account would cost Sutter $1.3 million per year for 30 years. Because of Atlanta's scenery and his admiration for Ted Turner and Dale Murphy, Sutter said he was attracted to the Braves.

Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals' president, debated going without Sutter at the start of the 1985 season. "Bruce is the best there ever was," Herzog said. "Losing him is like losing Dan Quisenberry in Kansas City..." I told Bruce, "You've taken care of your children and grandchildren, as well as your great-grandchildren." Now, if I'm 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 had 49 saves as a team, but less than Sutter's total. Sutter's ERA increased to 4.48 in 1985, but his savings fell to 23. He was bothered by nerve impingement in the right shoulder by the end of the season. He underwent shoulder surgery early in the season and recovered in time to participate in spring training in mid-March 1986.

Sutter wrote about his recovery after the 1986 season, saying, "I'm throwing the ball as hard as I could," Sutter said, but it isn't getting there as quickly. I'm not sure what's going to happen. I just have to keep throwing and seeing. So far, there have been no setbacks. Today, I felt great, there were no problems." Sutter had a 2–0 record and a 4.34 ERA in 16 games to start the season. Due to arm injuries, he was put on the disabled list in May. Sutter will probably not return to pitching in that season, according to manager Chuck Tanner on July 31.

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

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