Hall of Fame relief pitcher Bruce Sutter passed away on Thursday of cancer. He was 69.
A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sutter was drafted out of high school by the Washington Senators in 1970, but was deemed too young to sign. He would subsequently sign with the Chicago Cubs as undrafted free agent the following year.
When Sutter injured his elbow in 1972, he quietly paid for his own surgery so the Cubs wouldn't cut him. As it turned out, they would not need to as Sutter was taught the split-fingered fastball by minor league pitching instructor Fred Martin. Sutter would reach the majors with the Cubs in 1976 and by 1977 had begun to establish himself as Senior Circuit's premier closer earning the first of six NL All-Star Team selections on the strength of his split-fingered fastball.
His breakout year came in 1979 when he was named the NL Cy Young Award winner as he led the league with 37 saves. However, after the 1980 season the Cubs would send him to the arch rival St. Louis Cardinals in a deal which saw the Cubs receive Ken Reitz and Leon Durham. In 1982, Sutter earned his only World Series ring with the Cardinals memorably striking out fellow Hall of Famer Ted Simmons. Sutter would make his last public appearance at the '82 Cardinals 40th anniversary reunion at Busch Stadium this past August. He is the second member of the '82 Cardinals who participated in that reunion to pass away with fellow reliever Mark Littell dying in September of complications from heart surgery also at the age of 69.
Between 1979 and 1984, Sutter led the NL in saves five times including a career high 45 saves in 1984. Following the 1984 season, Sutter would sign a six-year, $10 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately, Sutter was plagued by injuries during his stint in Atlanta and was never the same pitcher he was during his peak period with the Cubs and Cardinals. However, $4.8 million of that contract was deferred and paid as an annuity to the tune of $1.3 million a year which Sutter received until last year. Sutter was Atlanta's Bobby Bonilla.
In a 12-year big leaguer career, Sutter finished with exactly 300 saves. Of those 300 saves, 188 required more than an inning of work. After 13 years on the BBWAA ballot, Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Sutter's time at the top was relatively short, but his influence is far reaching. Bruce Sutter's splitter paved the way for Mariano Rivera's cut fastball. He is part of the Mount Rushmore of relievers. I leave you with Sutter striking out fellow Hall of Famer Jim Rice at the 1979 All-Star Game. R.I.P.
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