Don Sutton, R.I.P.

Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster Don Sutton died last night in his sleep after more than a decade long ordeal with kidney cancer. He was 75. 

Born in Alabama to sharecroppers, Sutton's family would eventually move to Florida where he would excel in athletics. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1964 and after only one season in the minors would make the big league roster in 1966 winning 12 games in his rookie campaign as the Dodgers would win the NL pennant although he would not appear in the Fall Classic.

Sutton would pitch in four World Series - three for the Dodgers (1974, 1977 and 1978) and once with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 although would not earn a World Series ring until 1988 when he returned to the Dodgers though he did not pitch in that Series. He had a steady, unspectacular career. Between 1972 and 1976, Sutton finished in the top five in NL Cy Young balloting and would win at least 10 games every season between 1966 and 1982. He also had stints with the Houston Astros, Oakland A's and California Angels. In 23 MLB seasons, Sutton went 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA striking out 3,574 batters. In 1998, Sutton would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his fifth year on the BBWAA ballot.

However, Sutton might be best known for his years in the broadcast booth most notably with the Atlanta Braves when they were telecast nationally on TBS. Sutton also broadcast with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals.

Sutton's passing comes only 11 days after that of Tommy Lasorda who was his manager for five seasons in Los Angeles. We have lost 9 Hall of Famers since April 2020 including a starting rotation of Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, Phil Niekro and now Don Sutton. R.I.P.