ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and the 1979 Cy Young winner, has died. He was 69. The Baseball Hall of Fame said Sutter died Thursday in Cartersville, Georgia.
The Sutter family did not provide a cause of death in its statement, which was released Friday. “All our father ever wanted to be remembered as was being a great teammate, but he was so much more than that,” it said. “He was also a great husband to our mother for 50 (years), he was a great father and grandfather and he was a great friend.
His love and passion for the game of baseball can only be surpassed by his love and passion for his family.” Sutter is considered one of the first pitchers to throw a split-finger fastball.
The right-hander played 12 seasons in the major leagues, was a six-time All-Star and ended up with 300 saves over his career.