Don Sutton
Encyclopedia : D : DO : DON : Don Sutton
 (Number retired 14 August 1998-LAD)#21-Brewers; #27-Angels | |
| Don Sutton | |
|---|---|
| Position | Pitcher (RH) |
| MLB Seasons | 23 (16 LAD) |
| Teams | Dodgers (1966-1980, 1988; 550 games) |
| Astros (1981-1982; 50 games) | |
| Brewers (1982-1984; 71 games) | |
| A's (1985; 29 games) | |
| Angels (1985-1987; 74 games) | |
| Debut | 14 April 1966 (LAD) |
| Final Game | 9 August 1988 (LAD) |
| Total Games | 785 batting (774 pitching) |
| LCS Appearances | NLCS: 1974 (LAD), 1977 (LAD), 1978 (LAD) |
| ALCS: 1982 (Brewers), 1986 (Angles) | |
| World Series Teams | 1974 (LAD), 1977 (LAD), 1978 (LAD), 1982 (Brewers) |
| Allstar Teams | 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 (no ERA's allowed) |
| Awards | The Sporting New Rookie Pitcher of the Year (1966) |
| ML Shutout Leader (1972; 9) | |
| Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1976) | |
| All-Star Game MVP (1977) | |
| ML ERA Leader (1980; 2.20) | |
| Hall of Fame (1998) | |
| Nicknames' | |
| "Little D" "Mr. Consistency" "Black & Decker" | |
Donald Howard Sutton (born April 2, 1945 in Clio, Alabama) is a former Major League Baseball player and current television sportscaster.
A right-handed pitcher, Sutton played 23 years for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels. He won a total of 324 games, 58 of them shutouts and five of them one-hitters, and he is eighth on baseball's all-time strikeout list with 3,574 K's. He also holds the major league record for number of consecutive losses to one team, having lost 13 straight games to the Chicago Cubs.
He was known for doctoring baseballs. His nickname was "Black & Decker"; legend has it that when Sutton met notorious greaseballer Gaylord Perry, Perry handed him a tube of Vaseline, and Sutton responded with a thank-you, then handed him a sheet of sandpaper.
A 4-time All-Star, Sutton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. His candidacy and subsequent election were controversial, with critics pointing out that he had never won a Cy Young Award, had won 20 games only once, and had rarely led his league in any statistical category. However, supporters noted that no pitcher with either 300 victories or 3000 strikeouts had ever failed to be elected to the Hall of Fame, and that his 324 wins were, at the time of his retirement, the most by any right-handed pitcher since the 1920s.
Sutton started his broadcasting career in 1989 with the Atlanta Braves on TBS, where he recently finished his 16th season. He has also broadcast golf and served as a pre- and post-game analyst for NBC's coverage of the 1987 League Championship Series.
Stats
- Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
- Weight: 185 lb (85 kg)
- Throws: Right
- Bats: Right
- Wins: 324 - Losses: 256
- Lifetime ERA: 3.26
- Total Innings: 5,282.1
- Stikeouts: 3,574
- One-Hitters: 5
- Two-Hitters: 9
- All-time Dodger leader in:
- * Wins (233)
- * Games Pitched (550)
- * Games Started (533)
- * Innings Pitched (3,814)
- * Strikeouts (2,696)
- * Shutouts (52)
- * Opening Day Starts (7)
- LC Series Games
- * Record: 4-1
- * ERA: 2.02
- * Total Innings: 49
- World Series Games
- * Record: 2-3
- * ERA: 5.26
- * Total Innings: 51
- All-Star Games
- * ERA: 0.00
- * Total Innings: 8
- * Record 1-0 (NL 4-0)
Trivia
Sutton was born on the same date as former Dodger teammate Reggie Smith.
He also appeared on episodes of the Match Game between 1976 & 1978.
His son, Daron, is a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers.
External links
- [Hall of Fame page]
- [Don's page @ Baseball Library.com]
- [Sutton's Baseball Reference page]
- [Don's page @ Baseball Almanac.com]
- [The Baseball Page for Don]
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