Don Sutton, the Hall of Famer pitcher who is one only 10 Los Angeles Dodgers players to have his number retired, died Monday night in his sleep, his son said. He was 75.
“He worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever known and he treated those he encountered with great respect…and he took me to work a lot,” Daron Sutton wrote. “For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest In Peace.”
Don Sutton won 324 games and started his career with the Dodgers in 1966 in a rotation of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen. The right-hander went on to play in Houston, Milwaukee, Oakland and the California/Anaheim Angels before returning to finish his career with the Dodgers, helping them win the 1988 World Series.
Sutton is the all-time Dodgers leader in wins with 233.
Known for his durability, Sutton’s all-time stats of 5,282.3 innings pitched and 3,574 strikeouts are both the seventh best totals in baseball history. He won 10 games in all but two seasons during his 23-year career, and was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
After his retirement, Sutton, who was born in Clio, AL, was a color commentator for the Atlanta Braves on TBS for three decades. He was part of an announcing crew that included Ernie Johnson Sr., Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray on a network that was carried nationwide, making the Braves one of the most popular teams in the days before ESPN and MLB Network. He later called games for the Washington Nationals before returning to the Braves on radio in 2009; he was inducted into the Braves’ hall of fame as a broadcaster in 2015.
Sutton’s passing comes just 10 days after the death of Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda, who managed the team from 1976-96, including that ’88 title team.
Saddened to share that my dad passed away in his sleep last night. He worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever known and he treated those he encountered with great respect…and he took me to work a lot. For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/cvlDRRdVXa
— Daron Sutton (@lifeisgreatsut) January 19, 2021