Bruce Sutter, a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher who won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, has died. He was 69 years old. According to the Associated Press, Sutter was recently diagnosed with cancer and died Thursday night in hospice care in Cartersville, Georgia. Sutter was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.
“All our father ever wanted to be remembered as was being a great teammate, but he was so much more than that,” Sutter’s son Chad said in a statement. “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.”
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Sutter began his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs and was with the team for five seasons. Before the 1981 season, Sutter was traded to the Cardinals and helped the team win the World Series in 1982. In 1985, Sutter joined the Atlanta Braves as a free agent and was there until the end of the 1988 season. In his career, Sutter was selected to the All-Star team six times, won the Cy Young award in 1979 and led the National League in saves five times.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Bruce Sutter, whose career was an incredible baseball success story,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Bruce ascended from being a nondrafted free agent to the heights of baseball by pioneering the split-fingered fastball. The 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 will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in the histories of two of our most historic franchises. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences to Bruce’s family, his friends and his fans in Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta and throughout our game.”
Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. He is also a member of the Cardinals and Cubs Hall of Fames and his No. 42 is retired by the Cardinals. Sutter finished his career with 300 saves, the third-highest total in MLB history.
