| Rick Sutcliffe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sutcliffe in 2014 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1956-06-21)June 21, 1956 (age 69) Independence, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 29, 1976, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 22, 1994, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 171–139 |
| Earned run average | 4.08 |
| Strikeouts | 1,679 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Richard Lee Sutcliffe (born June 21, 1956), nicknamed "the Red Baron", is an American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher with theLos Angeles Dodgers,Cleveland Indians,Chicago Cubs,Baltimore Orioles, andSt. Louis Cardinals between 1976 and 1994. Sutcliffe is currently abroadcaster forESPN andMarquee Sports Network.
A right-hander, Sutcliffe was a three-time All-Star. He won the National LeagueRookie of the Year award in1979 and the National LeagueCy Young Award in1984.
Richard Lee Sutcliffe was born on June 21, 1956, inIndependence, Missouri. Sutcliffe attendedVan Horn High School, where he received All-American honors as an infielder.[1]
Sutcliffe was the 21st pick in1974 amateur draft by theLos Angeles Dodgers.
Sutcliffe's first full season in the majors was 1979.[2] He won 17 games for the Dodgers and was the first of four consecutiveRookies of the Year for theDodgers from 1979–1982 (Steve Howe,Fernando Valenzuela, andSteve Sax were the others).[2][3] Sutcliffe had a rough 1980 for the team; near the end of the season, he was told byPete Rose that he'd been tipping his pitches.[4] Sutcliffe improved in 1981, a year in which the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. Although Sutcliffe did not appear on the Dodgers' roster for their1981 World Series championship run, he was awarded a World Series ring by the team.[5] Sutcliffe, angry at Dodgers' managerTommy Lasorda, whom he accused of lying to him, publicly demanded a trade. (Years later, the two reconciled.)[4]
After the season, Sutcliffe was traded, along withJack Perconte, to theCleveland Indians for journeyman outfielderJorge Orta, plusJack Fimple andLarry White.[6][4]
Sutcliffe won 31 games over the course of the next two seasons for Cleveland and led the American League in earned run average in1982.
In mid-1984, Cleveland traded a struggling Sutcliffe to theChicago Cubs forMel Hall andJoe Carter. Sutcliffe rebounded and won 16 games for the Cubs while losing only one, helping them to the division championship. On October 2, 1984, he started the first game of theNLCS against theSan Diego Padres, giving up two hits and no runs, not only gaining the victory, but also hitting a home run in the third inning.[7] Five days later, Sutcliffe pitched the final game of the series atJack Murphy Stadium, but posted the loss after giving up four runs in the seventh inning.[8]
Sutcliffe won the Cy Young Award with a unanimous vote, beating outDwight Gooden andBruce Sutter.[9] He also finished fourth in the league MVP voting. When he re-signed with the Cubs as a free agent the following year, his contract briefly made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.
Sutcliffe started the1985 season strong, going 5–3 in his first eight starts, including two complete-game shutouts. A hamstring pull on May 19 limited his starts for the year, followed by a series of arm injuries which would limit Sutcliffe's effectiveness over the next two seasons. In1987, he bounced back to win 18 games and finished second in the league's Cy Young voting toSteve Bedrosian despite playing for a last-place Cubs team which also featured National LeagueMost Valuable PlayerAndre Dawson. He also was presented 1987'sRoberto Clemente Award, given annually to a Major League player who demonstrates sportsmanship and community involvement.
On July 29, 1988, in Philadelphia, Sutcliffe achieved one of baseball's rarest feats, especially for a pitcher, by stealing home plate during an 8–3 win over thePhillies, in which he also notched the victory. In1989, Sutcliffe won 16 games and made his final All-Star appearance, where he was managed once again byTommy Lasorda. He also helped the Cubs to another division title, but the Cubs lost to theSan Francisco Giants in theplayoffs.
Recurring arm injuries caused Sutcliffe to miss most of the1990 and1991 seasons and the Cubs did not offer him a contract for the next season.
Signing with theBaltimore Orioles, Sutcliffe went 16–15 and 10–10 in1992 and1993, starting the first game atOriole Park at Camden Yards.
He ended his career by signing a one-year minor league contract with theSt. Louis Cardinals in1994,[10] going 6–4 in an injury-plagued season. He retired with a career record of 171–139, with an ERA of 4.08. He holds the unique distinction of having won each of the following league awards, once each, and each in a different season: Rookie of the Year (1979), Cy Young Award (1984), ERA leader (1982), and wins leader (1987). Sutcliffe also has the distinction of being the pitcher who faced all-time MLB home run leaderBarry Bonds the most times without giving up a home run once, with 51 plate appearances between the two.
As a hitter, Sutcliffe was above average for a pitcher. He posted a .181batting average (102-for-562) with 42runs, 4home runs, 55RBI, 4stolen bases and 34bases on balls. He had a career-high 17 RBI in 1979 as a member of the Dodgers. In eight postseason games, he hit .500 (4-for-8) with 1 run, 1 double, 1 home run and 1 RBI.
Defensively, he was above average, recording a .973fielding percentage which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.
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After his retirement from baseball, Sutcliffe was the pitching coach for theIdaho Falls Braves (a farm team of the Padres) in 1996 and 1997. After his coaching stint in Idaho Falls, Sutcliffe became acolor commentator for the Padres onChannel 4 San Diego from 1998 to 2004.
Sutcliffe has served as an analyst forESPN since 1998, when he served as a guest analyst forESPN Radio’s coverage of that seasons MLB playoffs. He joined the network full-time in March 1999 and has appeared onWednesday Night Baseball since 2002. ESPN announced that they had signed a multi-year extension with Sutcliffe in late 2018;[11] he continues to be the lead analyst for theirWednesday Night Baseball coverage.[12] Sutcliffe has also provided commentary for international coverage of the World Series viaDirecTV/MLB International (1997–2002 and since 2010).
On March 13, 2008, Sutcliffe was diagnosed with "curable and maintainable"colon cancer. He underwentchemotherapy andradiation therapy in his hometown of Kansas City during the spring of 2008 and returned to work with ESPN on May 21, 2008. He also is a motivational speaker for theFellowship of Christian Athletes.
Sutcliffe is married to Robin (née Ross). The couple wed in February 1978.[13][14]
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