Remembering: Don Sutton

                               Donald Howard Sutton was born on April 2nd, 1945, in Clio Alabama. His father, Howard, and his mother, Lillian, were just 18 and 15 at the time Don was born. In 1950, his father, who was a sharecropper, moved the family to Molino in the northern panhandle of Florida about 25 miles north of Pensacola, where he also worked seasonally as a construction worker. Don would eventually have two siblings, Ron and Glenda. 

                                   Don often cited his parents as role models, and it is easy to see why. They instilled in him uncompromising determination, a very strong work ethic, and a devout religious conviction, qualities that would define his career in baseball. Despite his grade school education, Howard Sutton was a self-made man. He eventually received his high school equivalency degree in his 40’s and became a concrete specialist.  The Suttons were a strict Evangelical Christian family and expected their children to follow a righteous path but to also pull their weight by holding down part-time jobs and earning money for their clothes and spending money. 

                                 Sutton once said that all he ever wanted to be as a baseball player was a pitcher. He wanted to be in the center of the diamond, who’s diamond, he did not care. From the age of 11, that is the only position he played. In the sixth grade, Sutton was being tutored by his teacher, Henry Roper, who had once pitched in the New York Giants organization. He taught the pre-teen Sutton how to throw a curveball and tutored him in the mechanics and delivery. ” I learned how to throw a curve by raising my index finger and digging into the ball.” he remembered. 

                           Don played football, basketball and baseball at Tate High School. But he abandoned football and basketball after his sophomore year to concentrate on pitching. Growing up more than 700 miles from the nearest MLB city, St. Louis, Sutton was a Yankee fan. He would listen to their games on his transistor radio. He admired three pitchers. Dick Donovan, a pitcher for the White Sox, for his intensity, Camilo Pasqual, a pitcher with the Senators for his knee buckling curve, and the Yankees Whitey Ford for his in-game strategy. Modeling his game after his heroes, he compiled a 21-7 record in his three seasons on the Tate varsity. He led the Aggies in his junior year to the state Class A championship. He pitched a 13 inning, 11 strikeout complete game to beat West Palm Beach Forest Hill for the title. 

                         He was disappointed that he received no professional offers despite his success. He continued to pursue his passion and following his graduation, he became a Connie Mack All-Star. He then enrolled at Gulf Coast Community College. He posted a 5-4 record that spring and struck out 130 batters in 90 innings. That earned him an invitation to pitch for Sioux Falls in the highly competitive amateur Basin League. Even more important than his 5-5 record and 118 strikeouts in 90 innings, was the exposure he received.

                            By the end of the summer in 1964, Sutton had a decision to make. With his bona fides established, he was getting attention of the scouts of at least 9 MLB teams. He was especially impressed by the Dodgers scouts, Leon Hamilton, Monty Basgall, and Burt Wells. Their honesty and humble attitudes and the history of the Dodgers long tradition of grooming top-notch pitchers. They also informed Sutton that baseball’s inaugural amateur draft would take place the following year in June, and that he might be able to be in control of the more financial aspects of his signing if he returned to school for another year. In the end the choice was easy for him, he passed on higher offers and signed for 15,000 dollars, and a stipend for college in September of 1964. 

                             Don reported to the Dodgers minor league camp in Vero Beach for spring training. He quickly established himself as the best prospect in camp. He was assigned to the teams Class-A affiliate in Santa Barbara. In his first game, he retired 19 of the first 20 batter he faced in a five-hit complete game victory. He went 8-1 there and was promoted to AA Albuquerque. He proceeded to pitch 21 games with 15 wins, and 6 losses. He had a 2.78 ERA, struck out 138 in 165 innings. He had 16 complete games and 2 shutouts. 

                           In 1966, he made the team out of spring training, and other than 2 games spent at AAA in 68, he never pitched in the minors again. 66 was the year of the big hold-out of Koufax and Drysdale. Sutton figured he would be sent down once the two mega stars returned. But he proved he belonged and stayed with the team all year. He had a decent rookie season with a 12-12 record, 2.99 ERA, 6 complete games, 2 shutouts and 209 strikeouts while walking only 59. The Dodgers won the pennant, but Sutton did not pitch in the Orioles four game sweep over LA. He had some arm pain and missed because he was injured. 

                         Koufax suddenly retired after the 66 season, so Little D as Alston liked to call him, became one of the main pieces in the rotation. Sutton had five pitches. Fastball, and excellent curve, a slider, screwball and a change. And they seemed to improve as he aged. But he was noted for his pinpoint control. He was not what you would classify as an overpowering pitcher. He relied on location and changing speeds.

                         The Dodgers were not very good in 67. They fell to 8th place with a 73-89 record. Sutton was 11-15 with a 3.95 ERA. He had 11 complete games and 3 shutouts. 1968 would be the last year that Buzzie Bavasi would be the GM. Sutton spent that winter fulfilling his military obligation at Ft. Gordon in Georgia. He reported late and was sent to Spokane to get into shape. 67 was not much better for the team, they finished 76-86 in 7th place. Sutton was 11-15 again, but his ERA dropped over a full run to 2.60. He completed 7 games with 2 shutouts. Shortly after the season, Sutton married Patti, a local So-Cal girl he had met in 66. They would have 2 children, Daron in 1969, and Staci in 1973. 

                        The team improved to 85-77, good enough for fourth place in 1969. Al Campanis was now the GM. Sutton had a 17-18 record and was now the #3 starter of the staff with the injury and retirement of Don Drysdale. Bill Singer and Claude Osteen were the 1 and 2. He pitched a career high 293.1 innings striking out 217 batters and walking 91. His ERA was 3.47 with 11 complete games and 4 shutouts. He gave up 25 homers. The league had realigned in 69, and the Dodgers were in the West Division of the NL. 

                        With Singer and Osteen both posting 20 wins that year, Sutton was often overlooked. On May 1st, he threw the first of his five career one-hitters. Beating the Giants at Candlestick with only an eighth inning double by Jim Davenport against him. It was part of a 27.2 scoreless inning streak, the second longest in the NL that season. In 1970, LA finished a distant second to the Reds. Sutton was 15-13 with an ERA of 4.08. He gave up a league leading 118 earned runs and allowed 38 homers.

                       Both the Dodgers and Sutton rebounded in 1971. The Dodgers would finish second in the NL West, just 1 game back of the Giants. Sutton posted a 17-12 mark with a 2.52 ERA. He allowed only 10 homers. He pitched 265.1 innings with 12 complete games and 4 shutouts. The team’s fortunes were taking a turn for the better. LA finished second in 72, 3.5 games back of the Reds. Sutton was 19-9 for the 95-win Dodgers. He had a 2.08 ERA, 18 complete games and 9 shutouts to lead the league. Sutton missed a couple of starts due to the first ever players strike, April 1 to the 13th, he might have had his first 20-win season. The Dodgers weak offense kept them from catching the Reds.

                   Sutton posted similar numbers in 1973, 18-10, 2.42 ERA. LA finished second for the 4th consecutive year. Sutton had 14 complete games and 3 shutouts. Things improved again in 1974, as the Dodgers won their first ever Western Division title and then beat the Pirates 3-1 in the LCS. Sutton was again 19-9 with a 3.23 ERA in 276 innings. He led the league in starts with 40. Unlike the previous two seasons, he did not make the All-Star team. He had 10 complete games and 5 shutouts. In his first ever postseason action, he got 2 of the 3 wins against the Pirates, pitching 17 innings and allowing just 1 run. One of his games was a complete game shutout. Against the A’s in the World Series, he was 1-0. earning the only win for the Dodgers in game 2. He started the deciding game 5, allowing 2 runs in 5 innings before being relieved by Mike Marshall, who eventually gave up the winning homer to Joe Rudi. 

            In 75 and 76, the Dodgers finished a combined 30 games back of the Reds. Sutton was 16-13 in 1975 and 21-10 in 1976. Alston retired after the 76 season and was replaced by the enthusiastic, Tommy Lasorda. It was not a popular choice for the Dodger right hander. He had advocated for his former catcher, Jeff Torborg. Lasorda’s rah-rah style clashed with the staid, conservative introverted approach. Sutton was not a Lasorda ally, and he disdained his show-biz approach. 

           The stage was set for some fireworks in la-la land. And at this point in his career, Sutton was not going to back down. Much later Sutton would say he regretted the fact that he and Tommy never sat down one on one and explained their personalities to each other. Bill Russell opined that Sutton could be standoffish and icy. Ron Cey said he doubted that anyone ever got really close to Sutton on the Dodgers. 

           For whatever reasons, the personality clash was there. Lasorda led LA to the West title in 77. He had help from a potent offense and the best pitching staff in the league. All five of the starting pitchers on the staff logged more than 200 innings, John was the Ace with 20 wins. Rhoden 16, Rau and Sutton, 14 and Hooton with 12 wins each. Hough was the closer and had 22 saves. Four sluggers hit 30 or more homers, Garvey, 33, Smith 32, Baker and Cey 30. They beat the Phillies 3-1 in the LCS, Sutton got 1 of those wins, which made him 4-0 in the postseason. He then won game 5 of the World Series, 10-4. He got a no-decision in game one, leaving behind 3-2. LA tied the score and then lost the game in the 12th inning.

            The Dodgers were off and running again in 1978. Sutton was his usual steady self, but behind the scenes, things were not all peaches and cream. Besides the fact that he was not a huge fan of Lasorda’s Hollywood style of managing, there were some hard feelings brewing there too. And soon it would come out in the open.    

         Lasorda always wanted it to appear as if the Dodgers were a family, which went hand in hand with the way the O’Malley’s ran the team. But Sutton never felt like the Dodgers were his family. ” I have just one family.” he said. Sutton it seems, never bled Dodger blue. Behind the scenes, the animosity was stirring, especially between Lasorda and Sutton. The situation came to a head when Sutton did an interview with Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. He expressed frustration that the baseball world seemed infatuated with ” Steve Garvey, the All-American boy.” He then bluntly stated that Reggie Smith was the team’s best player the last two seasons, he noted that Reggie did not get as much attention because he did not smile much, a lot like Sutton, and this alienated people.

        It all came to a head on August 30th in New York at Shea Stadium. Garvey confronted Sutton and a brawl ensued. Sportswriter Milton Richman described it as “concentrated fury resulting in a desire to tear one another apart.” They were finally separated by players and coaches, both emerging with scratches, and Garvey with a case of red eye after being poked in the eye. The Dodgers won the game, 5-4. They would win the West again; Sutton had a 15-11 record with 12 complete games. This time though, Sutton got lit up in the post season. He allowed 7 runs to the Phillies in his only start in the playoffs and got the loss. Then he allowed 10 runs on 17 hits in 12 innings of the World Series and lost both games.

        The Dodgers dipped under .500 in 79, and so did Sutton. He had a 12-15 mark; his ERA was 3.82. Sutton headed into the 1980 season, his 15th as a Dodger, and it would also be his walk year. Sutton won the ERA title with a 2.20 mark; he won 13 games and lost just 5. He also led the league in WHIP for the third time in his career with an excellent 0.989 mark. He broke Drysdale’s team record 209-win mark in 79 and finished the 1980 season with 230 wins as a Dodger.

          That winter, he signed a free agent deal with the Astros. The season was marred by a players strike which wiped out about 1/3rd of the season. He combined with Nolan Ryan to give the Astros a potent 1-2 punch in their rotation. He led the NL in WHIP again. In an effort to drum up interest, MLB had split the season into two halves. The Astros missed winning the division by a half game in the first half, then finished first in the second half, 1.5 games ahead of the Reds, who won more games than any other NL team and missed the playoffs. 

      Sutton was hit on the right knee on October 2nd by the Dodgers Jerry Ruess, the result of which was a fracture causing him to miss the playoffs, which the Dodgers won, 3-2 over Houston. Sutton once again gave an interview, this time with Ross Newhan of the LA times. The interview made him persona non grata in Houston. He recounted a conversation that he had with Al Rosen, the Astros GM. He had told Rosen that he desired to finish his career on the west coast to be close to his family, which remained in California and his business interests. 

      He had no desire to live in Texas though he did not consider signing there a mistake. One the story began circulating in Houston, Rosen, who had retired early to be with family, and Sutton began verbally sparring, with Sutton going so far as to suggest he would return his signing bonus to be let out of his contract. Sutton was booed loudly in his first game in Houston, but the catcalls about a spoiled millionaire soon turned to cheers as he rolled off seven straight wins. At the end of August, Sutton was 13-8 with a 3 ERA. The Astros were struggling, so they traded him to the Brewers on August 30th for Kevin Bass, Frank DiPino and Mike Madden. 

                                  Thrust into the middle of an exciting divisional race, Sutton shored up the Brewers pitching. They were Harvey’s Wallbangers, led by Yount, Cooper, Oglivie, Thomas and Molitor. They were missing Rollie Fingers who was out with an injury. Sutton joined Vukovich and Mike Caldwell. Sutton lost his first game, then shut out the Tigers for his first AL win five days later. The season came down to the last four games of the year against second place Baltimore. The Brewers lost the first three games, setting up a winner take all game the last day of the year. In the most important regular game of his career, Sutton was at his best, he pitched 8 innings giving up just 2 runs as the Brewers won the division in a 10-2 win. 

                            The teams struggles continued in the LCS against the Angels. They lost the first two in So-Cal, but then came back to win the series, with Sutton gutting it out in game 3 and setting up the win by keeping them alive. They went on to the World Series against the Cardinals. Sutton did not pitch well in the series loss; he allowed 11 earned runs on 12 hits in 10.2 innings of work.

UNDATED: Don Sutton #20 of the California Angels delivers a pitch during a game.

                           Sutton spent 2 more seasons with the Brewers. His record over his time with them was 26-26. Sutton actually thought that Milwaukee was the best place he pitched. In December of 84, he was traded to the A’s for Ray Burris and 2 minor leaguers. He was 20 wins shy of 300. He was the A’s most effective starter going 13-8 with a 3.89 ERA in 29 starts. He was traded to the Angels on September 10th for two minor leaguers. He won his first 2 decisions, but the Angels faded down the stretch and finished a game behind the Royals. 

                            Five wins short of 300, he signed with the Angels as a free agent for the 86 season. He was 41 years old. He started the season badly, and many wondered if he could win even 5 games. He turned it around and #299 was a dramatic win over Tom Seaver and the White Sox in Chicago on June 10th. He pitched a 2-hitter in what turned out to be the last shutout, #58, of his career. Nine days later at the Big A in Anaheim, 37,000 fans showed up to watch him pitch against the Rangers. Sutton did not disappoint, he pitched a 5-1 complete game win over Texas, allowing just 3 hits. He finished the season 15-11, he had become the 19th pitcher to win 300 games. Shortly he would face 304 game winner, Phil Niekro in the first matchup of 300 game winners since 1892. He pitched in 2 games in the LCS loss to the Red Sox, his last postseason work.

                     He went 11-11 for the 87 Angels, finishing with a 4.70 ERA, and for the first time in his career, barring the strike seasons, he pitched less than 200 innings. Now 43, he came full circle and signed for the 88 season with the Dodgers. It was clear early on that he had little left in the tank; he went 1-3 after 16 games he landed on the DL with a sprained elbow and was released on August 10th as the Dodgers went on to win the pennant and the World Series. He later said it was a mistake, and a bad way to finish.

                      His career record was 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA. He also had 6 postseason wins. Don was elected to the Hall in 1998. The Dodgers retired his #20 that season.  He transitioned to broadcasting rather easily immediately after his retirement. He had actually began laying the groundwork for that by working as a DJ at a radio station in Burbank in 1969. He also had worked some sports commentating on TV over the next decade. He did Dodger broadcasts in 1989 and then moved to the Atlanta Braves, where he spent 1990-2006. He spent 2 years with the Nationals and then returned to the Braves where he was on the broadcast team until 2019.

FILE PHOTO: Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton holds three baseballs with the number of games he won at a news conference January 6, in New York City. Sutton won the 324 games in the Major Leagues and was elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers Association.
SPORT BASEBALL FAME

                    In 2015, he was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, ” Don has been an integral part of the Braves family for decades and is most deserving of this honor.” Those words were spoken by Braves President, John Schuerholz. ” Generations of Braves fans have been wowed by his knowledge and charmed by his ability to bring life to the broadcast. He is undoubtedly loved throughout Braves Country. Little D passed away January 18th, 2021, at the age of 75.                   

MiLB GAME SUMMARIES

OKC Comets 10 – El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego) 0

OKC got some great pitching and 3 HRs to shutout the El Paso Chihuahuas 10-0.

Nick Frasso started and completed 5.0 innings, 3 hits, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches/44 strikes.  This was Nick’s best game of the year.  Joe Jacques, Ben Harris, and Logan Boyer followed with 4.0 scoreless innings, 1 hit, 1 BB, and 7 K.  It was a well pitched game.

#Dodgers Nick Frasso is through five scoreless innings. 69P / 44S / 5IP / 3H / 2BB / 0ER / 3K OKC 8 El Paso 0 pic.twitter.com/AlJAfKrWmZ

— 🇺🇸 DooM_Sal (@msalas24) May 3, 2025

OKC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first.  Esteury Ruiz reached on catcher’s interference and Dalton Rushing drew a BB.  With 2-out, the red hot James Outman crushed a 3-run HR (7).

#Dodgers James Outman crushes a three-run homer to centerfield putting OKC on the board. OKC 3 El Paso 0 pic.twitter.com/0ZGUGrC7h0

— 🇺🇸 DooM_Sal (@msalas24) May 3, 2025

OKC put three more across in the 2^nd.  Justin Dean led off with a single, and Esteury Ruiz doubled (7) to score Dean.  Rushing reached on a fielder’s choice as Ruiz was thrown out at 3^rd. Michael Chavis drew a BB and Ryan Ward singled to score Rushing and push Chavis to 3^rd.  Outman hit a long sac fly to score Chavis and give the Comets a 6-0 lead.

In the 4^th, Ward hit a HR (7).  This HR made Ward OKC’s HR king in the Bricktown era.  And he still cannot get a look at MLB.  That is just not right.  That was followed by an Outman BB who scored on Kody Hoese’s double (3).

Crown him! 👑 Ryan Ward is officially the new home run king of OKC’s Bricktown era! pic.twitter.com/UaDe4PtBwk

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) May 3, 2025

In the 6^th, Ward and Outman got together again to score the final 2.  Ward singled, and Outman crushed his 2^nd HR (8) of the night, and 6^th RBI.

This moonshot marks No. 2 on the day for James Outman! 💣 pic.twitter.com/0kdigtGy9o

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) May 3, 2025

• James Outman – 2-3, 1 BB, 3 runs, 6 RBI, Sac Fly, 2 HRs (8)
• Ryan Ward – 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (7)
• Esteury Ruiz – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (7)
• Dalton Rushing – 1-4, 1 BB, 2 runs
• Double – Kody Hoese (3)

• 1^st Outman HR – 415 ft, 104.6 MPH, 27 degree launch angle
• 2^nd Outman HR – 406 ft, 109.8 MPH, 41 degree launch angle
• Outman SF – 365 feet, 101.1 MPH
• Outman ground out – 101.8 MPH

That’s four 100+ MPH batted balls by James Outman.  If the Dodgers do not want him, somebody can sure use him.

On the night that Ryan Ward broke the Bricktown Era career home run record, the Comets notched a commanding 10-0 win over El Paso!

James Outman led the charge, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and six RBI!

Recap: https://t.co/THIhq2eOWc pic.twitter.com/IqhqkrOuBi

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) May 3, 2025

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 5 – Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 4

Jacob Meador had his best start of the year.  He completed 4.0 scoreless IP, allowing one hit.  He did walk three and struck out three.

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the 4^th when Tulsa scored a pair of unearned runs.  With Christian Suarez pitching for Tulsa in the 7^th, Suarez offered up 5 singles scoring 3 runs, giving the Travelers the lead.

Tulsa scored 2 in the bottom of the 7^th to retake the lead starting with a single by Chris Newell.  Newell scored on Yeiner Fernandez’s double.  Fernandez scored on a José Ramos single. 

Jorge Benitez gave up the tying run in the 8^th with a batter reaching on catchers interference and 3 BB.

Tulsa got an unearned walk off run in the 9^th after two errors sandwiching a Nick Senzel single. 

• Yeiner Fernandez – 2-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (5)
• José Ramos – 2-5, 1 RBI

Box Score

Quad Cities River Bandits (KC) 7 – Great Lakes Loons 5

Great Lakes Loons pitching walked 10, but two Quad Cities River Bandits errors in the ninth put the potential tying runner at the plate after three Loons runs. The River Bandits were able to finish, forcing a game-ending flyout and grabbing a 7-5 win.

The Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect Josue De Paula, No. 6 prospect Zyhir Hope, and No. 15 prospect Kendall George combined for all six Loons hits.

In the first, George bunted aboard, and then De Paula belted his fourth home run of the season. A 427-foot blast, with a 103 mph exit velocity, hit to right-center field and a mass of kids on the outfield berm.

Josue De Paula with a tater for breakfast 🥔

MLB's No. 37 prospect (@Dodgers No. 3) swats his fourth homer of the year and second in three games for the @greatlakesloons, bringing his OPS to .904.

Watch LIVE: https://t.co/lX9hi2VegR pic.twitter.com/s0aPaaAtC4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 2, 2025

River Bandits starter Logan Martin, after the first, allowed just two base runners, striking out five over six innings.  Who was the last Great Lakes pitcher to throw 6 innings?

Quad Cities scored seven unanswered runs, five were put aboard via walks. Four walks, a hit by pitch, and an RBI single tallied four runs in the top of the third inning. Wyatt Crowell was held to his shortest outing in 2025, 2.2 innings.

The River Bandits took two runs in the fifth, off two doubles. After that, Cam Day settled in. The right-hander had two reaches from the sixth to the ninth. His 4.1 innings match the longest by a Loons reliever this season.

To start the bottom of the ninth, Hope singled and Logan Wagner walked. With one out, a potential double-play ball was bobbled at short. The next batter grounded a ball to the second baseman with an errant throw going into left field, which plated a run. Carlos Rojas next-up shot a sac fly to right field to make it 7-5. Quad Cities’ Juan Martinez would induce a flyout to end the game.

The Loons have tallied 24 runs in the first inning this year through 24 games. The 24 first-inning runs are the most in the Midwest League.  I would bet that Kendall George, Josue De Paula, and Zyhir Hope have a lot to say about that.

• Kendall George – 2-4, 1 run
• Josue De Paula – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (4)
• Zyhir Hope – 2-4, 1 run, double (8)

Box Score

Stockton Ports (A’s) 6 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3

The star of this game for RC was 20 year old LHSP Sterling Patick.  He pitched 5.0 perfect innings with 4 K, on 51 pitches, 33 strikes.  After the five perfect innings, Patick was pulled.

The game was a 0-0 tie going into the 8^th.  The Ports scored six runs in the 8^th.  Felix Cabrera pitched two scoreless innings, but allowed a walk to lead off the 8^th.  Marco Corcho relieved Cabrera.  Corcho and Octavio Becerra then issued 4 walks, 2 singles, a double, and a 3-run HR.  All 6 runs were scored after two outs.

The Quakes got 3 back in the bottom of the 8^th.  Kellon Lindsey, Eduardo Quintero, and Samuel Munoz each singled scoring one run.  Nicolas Perez then tripled to score two more runs. 

Kellon Lindsey was the only Quake with a multi-hit game.  He went 2-5 with a run, including a double (4).  Elijah Hainline also had a double (8).  Perez’s triple was his 2^nd. 

Box Score