Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton of Cilo, AL passed away on Tuesday at the age of 75. According to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, the cause of death was cancer.
Sutton pitched 23 years in Major League Baseball, 16 seasons with the Dodgers. He was with Los Angeles from 1966 to 1980, and again in 1988. Sutton also pitched for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels.
A Hall of Famer in 1998, Sutton had an overall record of 324 wins, 256 losses, and an earned run average of 3.26. In 5282 1/3 innings, he had 58 shutouts, five saves, 3574 strikeouts, and gave up 4692 hits, 1914 earned runs, 1343 walks, and had a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.14.
Known for his endurance, Sutton pitched 178 complete games in his career. Of his 58 shutouts, he led Major League Baseball with nine shutouts in 1972.
Four times while with the Dodgers and Astros, Sutton had the lowest WHIP in the National League. He had a WHIP of 0.91 in 1972, 1.04 in 1975, and 0.99 in 1980, while with the Dodgers. Sutton’s WHIP in 1980 was also the best in Major League Baseball. In 1981, Sutton had a WHIP of 1.02 while the Astros were still in the senior circuit.
Also in 1980, Sutton had the best earned run average in Major League Baseball. That year he posted an earned run average of 2.20. Despite having the lowest ERA in the game, Sutton was not an all-star that season. However, that was not the lowest earned run average Sutton had in a single year. In 1972, Sutton had an ERA of 2.08.
Sutton was a National League All-Star four times in a career–1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977. Despite his hall of fame career, he never won a Cy Young Award.
After his retirement, the Dodgers retired Sutton’s number 20 in 1998. He also went on to be a television analyst for 30 years with the Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals.
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