Hall of Famer and Cy Young winner, Bruce Sutter, dies at 69

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and the 1979 Cy Young winner, has died. He was 69.

Sutter was recently diagnosed with cancer and died Thursday night in hospice, surrounded by his family, one of Sutter’s three sons, Chad, told The Associated Press. The Sutter family did not provide a cause of death in its statement obtained by WSB-TV.

Sutter is considered one of the first pitchers to throw a split-finger fastball. He played 12 seasons in the major leagues, was a six-time All-Star and ended up with 300 saves over his career, according to The Associated Press.

Sutter debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. The right-handed reliever won the Cy Young in 1979 in a season with 37 saves, 2.22 ERA and 110 strikeouts.

He later joined the St. Louis Cardinals and played with them from 1981 to 1984. He won a World Series in 1982, ending Game 7 against the Brewers with a strikeout.

His last save, No. 300, came with the Atlanta Braves in 1988. Sutter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

In a release, the Baseball Hall of Fame said that Sutter learned the split-finger fastball from a Cubs minor-league pitching instructor while recovering from surgery on his right elbow.

Sutter is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter-in-law and six grandkids, the Cardinals told AP.

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