Don Sutton

[Michael Trzinski]

Donald Howard Sutton was born in April 1945 in Clio, Alabama but moved with his family to Florida when Don was about five years old. Sutton won 21 games in three varsity seasons at Tate High School in Pensacola but got no offers in the pre-amateur draft world of the MLB. He attended Gulf Coast Community College and then that summer, starred in the National Baseball Congress tournament in Wichita, Kansas and was named to the All-Tournament team. At the end of the summer, he had interest from at least nine teams but elected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers for an estimated $15,000 bonus.

In his first season at two levels, Sutton struck out 239 batters in two stops (Single-A and Double-A) and was in Los Angeles the next season. The right-hander spent the next 15 seasons with the Dodgers. He was an NL All-Star four times, a surprisingly low number for a guy who won more than 15 games nine times, struck out over 200 batters in five seasons, and posted an ERA+ of 100 or higher 10 times, including a high of 162. Sutton finished in the top five in NL Cy Young voting five consecutive years.

After the 1980 season, Sutton became a free agent and signed with the Houston Astros. During the strike season of 1981, Sutton won 11 games in 23 starts and posted an ERA+ of 126. He added another 13 wins in 1982 for the Astros before he was traded to the Brewers at the end of August for cash and players to be named later. The players ended up being Kevin Bass, Frank DiPino, and Mike Madden.

The Brewers had a 4.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox on September 1 when Sutton arrived. He made seven starts over the last month and went 4-1 with a 116 ERA+, although his 4.29 FIP was a career worst to that point. Sutton was the starting pitcher in the iconic final game of the season in the ‘loser goes home’ game with the Baltimore Orioles. Aided by two home runs by Robin Yount, Sutton went eight innings, scattered eight hits and five walks while allowing two runs in a 10-2 Brewer win in which Milwaukee scored five runs in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach.

Sutton got a 5-3 win in Game Three of the ALCS over California, but didn’t fare as well in the World Series against St. Louis, taking a 5-4 loss in Game Two, while getting a no-decision in a 13-1 loss in Game Six. When asked about the two home runs he gave up in Game Six, he said, “They were not good pitches because good pitches aren’t hit that far.” The Brewers would end up losing after a 6-3 defeat the next day in Game Seven.

Sutton, who turned 38 prior to the 1983 season, played two more years in Milwaukee, and posted a 97 ERA+ over 64 starts. His 22 wins gave him 280 victories over 19 seasons. After the 1984 campaign, he was traded to the Oakland A’s for Ray Burris and two minor league players.

He won 13 more games for the A’s before being traded to California in mid-September. In the middle of the 1986 season—June 18 to be exact—Sutton tossed a three-hit gem, allowing one run in a 5-1 victory over the Texas Rangers for his 300^th career win.

Sutton won 11 games in 1987 but was released after the season before he was signed by…the Dodgers. His 1988 season included 16 starts, but it was obvious he was not the same player he had been earlier in his career. He was released on August 10. “It was a mistake,” Sutton said. “It ended up being a depressing way to end my relationship with the Dodgers.

He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, with a total of 324 wins, 3,574 strikeouts, and an ERA+ of 108. He worked as a broadcaster for nearly 30 years before calling it quits in 2019.

Don Sutton died on January 18, 2021.

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