TORONTO – For a former 300-game winner already enshrined in baseball’s biggest Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, Don Sutton was nonetheless thrilled when told he’d be inducted in the Braves Hall of Fame.
The team announced Thursday that Sutton, who has spent more than two decades in their broadcast booths, would be inducted this summer as the 29th member of the Braves Hall of Fame, which honors players, managers, coaches and other individuals who’ve made an exceptional contribution to the franchise.
“Totally out of the realm of any thought I ever had,” Sutton said of his reaction when John Schuerholz called to tell him the news. “I’ve always thought, I’m one of the custodians of the (Braves) history. I’m a guy that, my job is to pass that on to Braves fans at home. When Schuerholz called me, I said, you’re probably sitting there laughing because it’s probably the first time you’ve seen me at a loss for words.”
“I was stunned. That’s the only word I can use. Absolutely stunned.”
Sutton will be inducted at a July 20 luncheon and honored that night at Turner Field before a game against the Dodgers, the team for which he pitched 16 seasons and set a handful of franchise records including wins (233), strikeouts (2,696) and shutouts (52).
“You know I’ve spoken at that (luncheon) three or four times, and thought, man, this is the coolest thing; I’m glad I’m getting a chance to do this for Greg (Maddux), and for Tom (Glavine),” Sutton said. “So that was always fun, but I never envisioned myself being in it.”
Sutton won 324 games in all during a 23-year career with the Dodgers, Astros, Brewers and Angels, and he ranks seventh on the all-time strikeout list with 3,574.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame isn’t the only place he’s honored. His Dodgers number is retired, and the Alabama native is inducted in halls of fame throughout the South and beyond. He was asked Friday for a list.
“The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame,” he began. “The Florida Sports Hall of Fame. The High School Hall of Fame. The Junior College Hall of Fame. And the Dothan, Alabama Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame.”
After naming last one, Sutton pumped his fist and said, “Yeah!” He is an Alabaman, through and through.
But for the folksy broadcaster, going into the Braves Hall of Fame will also have special meaning, as Sutton will join a trio of late, great broadcasters who had a profound influence on him in his second career – Ernie Johnson, Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren.
“It’s amazing,” Sutton said. “Because when you look at the people who are there, and of course Ernie is the guy who got me to Atlanta to work. He went to bat for me. So Ernie, Skip and Pete — it’s amazing.”
