Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame launcher and holder of several Dodger franchise records, died in his sleep on Monday night. He was 75 years old.
Sutton’s son Daron announced the news on Twitter:
Sad to share that my father died in his sleep last night. He worked as hard as anyone I have ever met and he treated those he met with great respect … and he took me to work hard. For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/cvlDRRdVXa
– Daron Sutton (@lifeisgreatsut) January 19, 2021
Sutton’s career as a player was notable for his longevity, having launched for 23 years, but also for his impact. Career totals are mind-boggling. Sutton occupies the third place of all time in games started (756), behind only Cy Young and Nolan Ryan. Sutton is also in the top 10 in pitched pitches (5,282⅓), strikeouts (3,574) and shutouts (58).
He is the all-time leader of the Dodgers in victories (233), starts (533), eliminations (2,696) and defeats (52), thanks to rarely missing a turn in the first 15 seasons of his career, or later.
Signed by the Dodgers in 1964, a year before the MLB instituted an amateur draft, Sutton made the majors at the age of 21 in 1966, and immediately impressed, starting 35 games with a 2.99 ERA for a championship winner. He shot 225 entries that first season, and never played less than 207 entries in any of his first 15 seasons with the Dodgers.
“I wish Walter Alston could be here. When I joined the Dodgers in 1966, I joined the man as a manager who was an extension of my relationship with my father, in more ways than one, ”Sutton recalled in his 1998 inauguration speech at the Hall of Fame.“ Once he said me, i was the second most stubborn person he has ever met. I asked him who was the first. He said, ‘I am. And you must remember that. ‘”
From 1966-80, Sutton averaged 34 games and 249 entries per season, a robust absolute in the rotation that ended in the top 5 in the National League Cy Young Award for five consecutive years (1972-76). From the SABR biography of Gregory H. Wolf of Sutton:
“I never wanted to be a superstar or the highest paid player,” said Don Sutton. “[A]All I wanted was to be valued for the fact that I was consistent, reliable and you could count on me. By that measure, Sutton achieved his goal and more, since few pitchers in baseball history were as reliable and healthy for as long as the right-handed.
Sutton was a big game pitcher, winning his first five post-season decisions for the Dodgers and posting a post-season ERA of 3.68, including 3.34 in 10 games with the Dodgers. Sutton’s first seven opening days shared a franchise record with Don Drysdale that was broken by Clayton Kershaw.
In four All-Star Games, all with the Dodgers, Sutton threw eight goalless entries, including three goalless entries in a 1977 start at Yankee Stadium, winning the game and MVP honors.
Sutton defeated Jim Palmer on the last day of the 1982 season in Baltimore, winning the AL East division title for the Brewers.
Sutton was also direct and honest, which served him well in his three decades of broadcasting, most of which came with Braves. That honesty sometimes hurt some teammates, like when he told Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post in August 1978: “All you hear about our team is Steve Garvey, the All-American kid. Well, the best player on the team in the past two years – and we all know that – is Reggie Smith. While Reggie goes, so do we.
“Reggie doesn’t go out to publicize himself. He doesn’t smile at the right people or say the right things. He tells the truth even if he drives people away. Reggie is not a facade or an image of Madison Avenue. He’s a real person. ” (1)
As you can imagine, it didn’t go well for Garvey, who fought Sutton at the Dodgers club before a game at Shea Stadium on August 20, 1978. Garvey in 1977-78 hit .307 / .344 / .489, a 130 OPS +, with 394 strikes and 54 home runs and 228 RBI, two good years. Smith, however, was from another world, reaching .302 / .406 / .568, a 165 OPS + (not that anyone knew what OPS was at that time), with 61 homers and 180 RBI. Smith also had a considerable advantage in WAR, if it’s worth it. Sutton knew what he was talking about.
After the 1980 season, in which he led the championships in ERA (2.20) and WHIP (0.989), Sutton signed a four-year free agent contract with Astros. Negotiated with the Brewers in the 1982 season, he reached the playoffs again that year with Milwaukee and again in 1986 with the Angels, when at 41 he posted 110 ERA + in 207 entries.
Sutton won his 300th game on June 18, 1986, throwing a complete three-batter game to defeat the Rangers 3-1 in Anaheim. This was one of 178 completed games in his career.
“I’m an unspectacular grinder who’s been around for 21 years and has done his part,” said Sutton (two). “It’s nice to know, of course, that there is more than one way to do something.”
This was Sutton’s 20th season with at least 200 entries, the maximum for any pitcher in history. It would have been 21 seasons had it not been for the shortened 1981 season, in which Sutton hurled 158⅔ innings. Its 20 seasons with at least 30 matches are also the longest ever.
Sutton returned to the Dodgers at the age of 43 in 1988, and made 16 appearances for the World Series winners. But he struggled last season with an ERA + 86, and was eventually released in August to make way for newcomer Ramon Martinez.
“Today we have lost a great player, a great broadcaster and, most importantly, a great person. Don left an indelible mark on the Dodger franchise for his 16 seasons in Los Angeles and many of his records continue to hold today, ”said Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten, who also worked with Sutton, the announcer for Braves and Nationals.
Sutton spent 28 seasons calling out the Braves games. “Don brought unparalleled knowledge of the game and his keen intelligence to his calls. But, despite all his success, Don has never lost his generous character or humble personality, ”said Braves in a statement.
It took five years to vote, but Sutton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 with 81.6 percent of the vote.
The Dodgers removed Sutton’s number 20 on August 14, 1998. It is one of 10 uniforms retired by the team. With the passing of Sutton and the death of Tommy Lasorda on January 7, Koufax is the only Dodger with a number of retired people who are still alive.
It is proof of Sutton’s longevity that he has brought generations together. He started his career behind Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in the rotation of the Dodgers, and ended up pitching alongside Orel Hershiser, Fernando Valenzuela and Martinez.
Sutton was a pitcher of unusual durability, whose place in baseball and in the history of the Dodgers is guaranteed. He will be sorely missed.
- “Sutton, Garvey hopes to end the problems,” Associated Press. The Shreveport (La.) Journal, August 22, 1978.
- “The routine isn’t over yet for Sutton,” by Ross Newhan. The Los Angeles Times, June 19, 1986.