Dodger Stadium
60th Anniversary
Updated October 2024
Posted October 2022
Rick Sutcliffe
Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher
Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher
- 1979 Rookie of the Year
Richard Lee Sutcliffe (born June 21, 1956), nicknamed "The Red Baron", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1976 and 1994.Rick Sutcliffe:
- Sutcliffe was a three-time All-Star.
- He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1979.
- He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1984.
- Sutcliffe is currently a broadcaster for ESPN.
- 1979 Sutcliffe's first full season in the majors. He won 17 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was the first of four consecutive Rookies of the Year for the Dodgers from 1979–1982 (Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela [https://www.eatlife.net/dodger-stadium/fernando-valenzuela.php], and Steve Sax were the others).
- 1981 The Dodgers traded Sutcliffe to the Cleveland Indians. Although Sutcliffe did not appear on the Dodgers' roster for their 1981 World Series championship run, he was awarded a World Series ring by the team.
- 1982 Sutcliffe won 31 games over the course of the next two seasons for Cleveland and led the American League in earned run average
- 1984 Cleveland traded a struggling Sutcliffe to the Chicago Cubs. Sutcliffe rebounded and won 16 games for the Cubs while losing only one, helping them to the division championship. Sutcliffe won the Cy Young Award with a unanimous vote.
Rick SutcliffeWhen he re-signed with the Cubs as a free agent the following year, his contract briefly made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.
He retired with a career record of 171–139, with an ERA of 4.08. As a hitter, Sutcliffe posted a .181 batting average (102-for-562) with 42 runs, 4 home runs, 55 RBI, 4 stolen bases and 34 bases on balls. He had a career-high 17 RBI in 1979 as a member of the Dodgers. Defensively, he was above average, recording a .973 fielding percentage which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.
- 1985 Sutcliffe started the 1985 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.
- 1987 He bounced back to win 18 games and finished second in the league's Cy Young voting. He was presented 1987's Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a Major League player who demonstrates sportsmanship and community involvement.
- 1988 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 the Phillies, in which he also notched the victory.
- 1989 Sutcliffe won 16 games and made his final All-Star appearance.
- 1990-1991 Recurring arm injuries caused Sutcliffe to miss most of the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
- 1992-1993 Signing with the Baltimore Orioles, Sutcliffe went 16–15 and 10–10 in 1992 and 1993.
- 1994 He ended his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1994, going 6–4 in an injury-plagued season.
Rick SutcliffeHe 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).Broadcasting:
After his retirement from baseball, Sutcliffe became a color commentator for the Padres and has served as an analyst for ESPN since 1998.
