Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and the 1979 Cy Young winner, died. He was 69.
MLB and the St. Louis Cardinals announced Sutter’s death Friday but did not provide the cause of death. The Baseball Hall of Fame said that Sutter died Thursday in Cartersville.
Sutter signed a six-year, $10.4 million contract with the Braves in December 1984 and was with the team until he was released in November 1989.
Sutter is considered one of the first pitchers to throw a split-finger fastball. The right-hander played 12 seasons in the major leagues, was a six-time All-Star and ended up with 300 saves over his career.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“Bruce was the first pitcher to reach the Hall of Fame without starting a game, and he was one of the key figures who foreshadowed how the use of relievers would evolve,” Manfred said in a statement. “Bruce will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in the histories of two of our most historic franchises.”
Sutter made his debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. The reliever won the Cy Young Award in 1979 in a season where he had 37 saves, 2.22 ERA and 110 strikeouts.
He joined the St. Louis Cardinals and played with them from 1981-84. There, he won a World Series in 1982, ending Game 7 against the Brewers with a strikeout. That season, Sutter played a key role when the Cardinals defeated the Braves in the National League Championship Series.
His last save, No. 300, came with the Braves in 1988. Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Bruce was a fan-favorite during his years in St. Louis and in the years to follow, and he will always be remembered for his 1982 World Series-clinching save and signature split-fingered pitch,” Cardinals owner and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “He was a true pioneer in the game, changing the role of the late-inning reliever.”
When he signed with the Braves, Sutter’s contract was the largest for a player in team history. However, injuries limited his availability. He played one full season, 1985, and partial seasons in 1986 and 1988, but missed the 1987 and 1989 seasons. Sutter made 112 appearances with the Braves, recording 40 saves. When he was released, his saves total ranked as the fifth most in team history.
Sutter saved 45 games for the Cardinals in the season before he joined the Braves, but after registering 23 saves in 1985 (plus seven victories), his saves total fell to three the next season and 14 in 1988. His overall record with the Braves was 10-11 with a 4.55 ERA.
Sutter’s time with the Braves was affected by a torn right rotator cuff, Bell’s palsy and cartilage damage in his right knee. The shoulder injury ended his career.
The Cardinals said Sutter is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter-in-law and six grandchildren.
-Material from The Associated Press was used in this article.
