R.I.P. Don Sutton

Former Braves broadcaster Don Sutton passed away earlier this week (from cancer, not covid). I loved him as an announcer, his knowledge of baseball and pitching, coupled with homespun stories and his obvious love of fan interaction. I was fortunate enough to meet Don on January 27, 2018 at the Braves ChopFest.

What follows is the SABR tribute.

https://tomahawktake.com/2021/01/19/atlanta-braves-remembering-don-sutton/

DON SUTTON  [SABR Bio] has more career victories (233), shutouts (52), games stated (533), strikeouts (2697), innings pitched, and batters faced (15567) than any other pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history. These records hold for all Dodger history going back to Brooklyn, beginning in 1884. He is the only pitcher to start thirty games in a season twenty times. He had two additional seasons with 27 & 29 GS. He was also the first pitcher to strike out 100 batters in 20 consecutive seasons, in each of his 1st 21 seasons (1966-1986) and then 99 in 1987.

He was the first pitcher to earn 300 wins while only winning twenty games in a season once. Had a career record of 324-256 and won 21 games in 1976 for LAD. He famously surrendered the first of Fergie Jenkins’ thirteen home runs in the majors, on 23-Apr-1966. Sutton also surrendered the first of Nolan Ryan’s and half of Ryan’s career total. Ryan HR 12-Apr-1980. Ryan hit one more, seven years later. Don is the only player for whom the Dodgers have retired a uniform number who did not play in Brooklyn. Number 20 was retired 14-Jul-1998. His only Dodger connection during childhood was his mother, whose favorite player was Duke Snider.

Sutton was a broadcaster for major league postseason games even before his playing career finished. Sutton started his broadcasting career in 1987 working the League Championship Series for NBC before his 1988 retirement. He then split his time in 1989 between the Dodgers Z Channel and the Braves. He then joined the well-known broadcast team of Van Wieren, Skip Caray & Ernie Johnson, Sr. spending 18 years with Atlanta, calling the action on TBS.

His strikeout total of 209 was the most by a National League rookie since Grover Cleveland Alexander. Sutton had 206 K in his rookie year, 1966. Alexander had 227 K in 1911. Sutton rooted for the Yankees as a boy and was the All-Star Game MVP when it was held in Yankee Stadium.in 1977, his fourth and final ASG. His 1,000th career strikeout victim was Willie Mays, on 27-May-1971. 

Sutton holds the major league record for career at-bats by a pitcher without a home run - 1,354 AB. He holds an unusual MLB record for pitching the most games of at least nine innings where he received no decision - 17 games of nine innings or more without a decision in any of those games.

I had two Sutton bobbleheads. Sold the LA bobble, but still have the Brewers mini bobble.