Saint-Louis – Former star reliever Bruce Sutter, a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and winner of the Cy Young Trophy in 1979, has died. He was 69 years old.
Sutter was recently diagnosed with cancer and died Thursday in a hospice surrounded by his family, Chad, one of Sutter’s three sons, told The Associated Press.
Sutter died in Cartersville, Georgia, according to Major League Baseball Hall of Fame officials.
“Our father wanted him to be remembered as a great companion, but he was much more than that,” members of the Sutter family said in a statement released Friday.
“He was also a wonderful husband to our mom for 50[years]he was a wonderful father and grandfather and he was a wonderful friend. His love and passion for baseball was only matched by his love and passion for his family.” Can be crossed. »
Sutter, a right-handed pitcher, is considered one of the first gunners to use a slingshot.
He pitched for 12 major league seasons, was named to the All-Star Game six times, and recorded 300 wins in his career.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“Bruce was the first pitcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame without starting a game, and he was one of the key figures who predicted the development of reliever use,” Manfred said in a statement.
He said, “Bruce will be remembered as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of two of our most historic franchises.”
Sutter made his major league debut in 1976 with the Chicago Cubs. In 1979, he won the Cy Young Trophy in the National League after a season that included 37 saves, an ERA of 2.22, and 110 strikeouts.
He joined the St. Louis Cardinals, an organization with which he played from 1981 to 1984. In 1982, he helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series and finished Game 7 against the Milwaukee Brewers with one out for three strikeouts.
“Being Cardinal of St. Louis is an honor he deeply cherished,” the family statement reads.
Sutter recorded his 300th and final career save in 1988 in an Atlanta Braves uniform. He was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Cardinals owner and CEO Bill DeWitt said, “Bruce was a fan favorite during his years in St. Louis and the years after, and will always be remembered for his decisive save in the 1982 World Series and his slingshot, which became its trademark.” was.” Junior said in a statement.
“He was a true pioneer in the game, transforming the role of late-game specialist reliever. »
Sutter was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in January 1953. In a statement, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame officials said that Sutter learned to slingshot from a minor league instructor in the Cubs organization while recovering from right elbow surgery.
“I feel like a brother of mine has passed away,” said former Hall of Famer pitcher Jim Catt.
“I knew Bruce more intimately than probably any other teammate. We spent a lot of time together and when your career is over you drift apart. But we kept in touch and consider each other good friends. are. “