Bruce Sutter, baseball player, 1976-1988

Bruce Sutter

⭐ Hall of Fame 2006

Born: 1/8/1953 in Lancaster, PA, USA

Died: 10/13/2022 in Cartersville, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1976-05-09 | Final Game: 1988-09-09

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Howard Bruce Sutter

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Biography

Bruce Sutter, born in 1953, was a prominent pitcher whose career spanned from 1976 until his retirement in 1988. He was known for his exceptional skill as a closer, a role that gained prominence in Major League Baseball during the late 1970s and 1980s. Sutter's career record stood at 68-71, with a remarkable earned run average (ERA) of 2.83, highlighting his effectiveness on the mound. He accumulated 861 strikeouts and recorded 300 saves, establishing himself as one of the premier relief pitchers of his time. Sutter's contributions to the game were recognized with numerous accolades, including a Cy Young Award and six All-Star selections. His induction into the Hall of Fame in 2006 solidified his legacy as one of baseball's greats. He was particularly noted for his devastating split-finger fastball, which revolutionized the way pitchers approached the game during his era. Sutter's impact on the sport extended beyond his statistics; he played a crucial role in popularizing the closer position and set a standard for future generations of relief pitchers.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
68 71 661 0 0 0 300 1042.0 879 328 77 309 861 2.83 0

Career ERA 2.83 vs. league average 3.82 across their career seasons — 25.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1976 CHC NL 6 3 52 0 0 0 10 83.3 63 25 26 73 2.70 3.51 (+23%) -
1977 CHC NL 7 3 62 0 0 0 31 107.3 69 16 23 129 1.34 4.00 (+66%) -
1978 CHC NL 8 10 64 0 0 0 27 98.7 82 35 34 106 3.19 3.69 (+13%) -
1979 CHC NL 6 6 62 0 0 0 37 101.3 67 25 32 110 2.22 4.00 (+45%) -
1980 CHC NL 5 8 60 0 0 0 28 102.3 90 30 34 76 2.64 3.84 (+31%) -
1981 STL NL 3 5 48 0 0 0 25 82.3 64 24 24 57 2.62 3.58 (+27%) -
1982 STL NL 9 8 70 0 0 0 36 102.3 88 33 34 61 2.90 3.86 (+25%) -
1983 STL NL 9 10 60 0 0 0 21 89.3 90 42 30 64 4.23 3.87 (-9%) -
1984 STL NL 5 7 71 0 0 0 45 122.7 109 21 23 77 1.54 3.81 (+60%) -
1985 ATL NL 7 7 58 0 0 0 23 88.3 91 44 29 52 4.48 3.89 (-15%) -1379.4
1986 ATL NL 2 0 16 0 0 0 3 18.7 17 9 9 16 4.34 3.97 (-9%) -290.4
1988 ATL NL 1 4 38 0 0 0 14 45.3 49 24 11 40 4.76 3.73 (-28%) 901.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
661 102 6 9 0 0 0 6 1 7 50 0.088 0.153 0.088 0.241 0.0

Career AVG .088 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 66.0% below league average.

Career OBP .153 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.

Career SLG .088 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 77.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.241 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — 66.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1976 CHC NL 52 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CHC NL 62 20 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1978 CHC NL 64 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1979 CHC NL 62 12 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 1 5 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1980 CHC NL 60 9 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1981 STL NL 48 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1982 STL NL 70 8 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1983 STL NL 60 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1984 STL NL 71 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1985 ATL NL 58 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 ATL NL 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1988 ATL NL 38 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 NLCS SLN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1982 WS SLN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 6 0 3 12.0 6 4 3 7 3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1982 NLCS SLN 1 0 2 0 1 4.3 0 0 0 1 0.00
1982 WS SLN 1 0 4 0 2 7.7 6 4 3 6 4.70

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 661 0 90 145 9 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1976 CHN P 52 0 6 9 1 1
1977 CHN P 62 0 11 14 0 0
1978 CHN P 64 0 12 9 0 0
1979 CHN P 62 0 9 15 3 0
1980 CHN P 60 0 6 14 0 0
1981 SLN P 48 0 7 8 0 0
1982 SLN P 70 0 6 15 1 5
1983 SLN P 60 0 11 19 2 1
1984 SLN P 71 0 14 19 0 2
1985 ATL P 58 0 5 13 0 0
1986 ATL P 16 0 1 3 0 0
1988 ATL P 38 0 2 7 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 661

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-04-13
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-09-07
1984 Reliever of the Year Award
1984 TSN Fireman of the Year
1982 Babe Ruth Award RP
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-09-17
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-08-27
1982 Reliever of the Year Award
1982 TSN Fireman of the Year
1981 Reliever of the Year Award
1981 TSN Fireman of the Year
1979 Cy Young Award
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-04-20
1979 Reliever of the Year Award
1979 TSN Fireman of the Year
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-07-08
1977 Pitcher of the Month May
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-05-13

Featured In Rankings

#10
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 10 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1990 ATL NL $1,729,167
1989 ATL NL $1,729,167
1988 ATL NL $1,729,167
1987 ATL NL $1,729,167
1986 ATL NL $1,729,167
1985 ATL NL $1,354,167
Total Career Earnings $10,000,002

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 33.0 120 0
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 67.0 336 0
1982 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 25.0 120 2
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 134.0 336 2
1981 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 59.0 336 0
1979 Cy Young Award NL 1st 72.0 120 10
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 69.0 336 0
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 5.0 336 0
1977 Cy Young Award NL 6th 5.0 120 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 68.0 336 0