Hall of Fame pitcher, World Series champion Bruce Sutter passes away at 69
Baseball lost a pioneer of pitching as Hall of Famer and World Series champion Bruce Sutter passes away at age 69 after a short bout with cancer.
When Chicago Cubs minor league pitching coach Fred Martin taught a struggling young Bruce Sutter the split-finger fastball, it was thought to be nothing more than a gimmick, a variation on a fork ball. Sutter mastered the pitch and elevated it from gimmick to one of the most ubiquitous pitches in baseball.
With a motion that imitates a fastball, the split-finger, now more commonly referred to as a splitter or a cutter, will suddenly drop just as it reaches the plate. In 1976, Sutter brought the pitch with him when he was called up, and it was a major reason that he won the Cy Young Award just three years later in 1979.
We are saddened over the passing of Bruce Sutter.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 14, 2022
Sutter was a dominant pitcher and a member of the '82 World Series Championship team.
He is a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Our thoughts are with Bruce's family and friends. pic.twitter.com/BjxKBnK0Lw
Traded to the St Louis Cardinals in 1981, he carved his name in the annals of history when he closed out Game 7 of the 1982 World Series, recording the final out of the game.
Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement, saying, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Bruce Sutter, whose career was an incredible baseball success story. Bruce ascended from being a non-drafted free agent to the heights of baseball by pioneering the split-fingered fastball. That pitch not only led him to the Major Leagues, but also made him a Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs and a World Series champion with the 1982 Cardinals. 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.”
Bruce Sutter changed the game with his split-fingered fastball. His legacy will be preserved forever in Cooperstown.https://t.co/CReC6l614O pic.twitter.com/KtSCFdUHK6
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) October 14, 2022
His first five seasons in the major leagues saw him make the All-Star team, and by the time he retired, he ranked third on the all-time list for saves, notching up 300 of them.
His work in St Louis earned him a legion of fans there, and Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr said in a statement, “On behalf of the Cardinals organization and baseball fans everywhere, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the Sutter family. 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. He was a true pioneer in the game, changing the role of the late-inning reliever.”
Sutter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, the first pitcher who never started a game to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Famer and World Series champion. He was 69. pic.twitter.com/NZwTqRnR8d
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2022
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Sutter was recently diagnosed with cancer and passed away Thursday night in hospice in Cartersville, Georgia, surrounded by his family.
Sutter’s son Chad, a former player and member of the Tulane coaching staff, said, “All our father ever wanted to be remembered as was being a great teammate, but he was so much more than that. He was also a great husband to our mother for 50 years, he was a great father and grandfather and he was a great friend. His love and passion for the game of baseball can only be surpassed by his love and passion for his family.”