Sutton, who helped Brewers advance to 1982 pennant, dies at 75

LOS ANGELES — Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame pitcher who helped the Milwaukee Brewers make it to the 1982 World Series, died Tuesday. He was 75.

Sutton came to Milwaukee as an in-season acquisition from the Houston Astros in 1982 and went on to win the season finale against the Baltimore Orioles that decided the AL East title. He stayed with the Brewers through the 1984 season and finished his career in Milwaukee with a 26-26 record (71 starts), a 3.86 ERA, and 313 strikeouts, including career strikeout No. 3,000.

Before arriving in Milwaukee, Sutton was a stalwart of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation spanning an era from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela.

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, said Sutton died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, after a long struggle with cancer. The Atlanta Braves, for whom Sutton was a long-time broadcaster, said he died in his sleep.

A four-time All-Star, Sutton had a career record of 324-256 and an ERA of 3.26 while pitching for the Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, California Angels and the Dodgers again in 1988, his final season.

Sutton’s passing comes on the heels of seven Hall of Famers dying in 2020, the most sitting members of Cooperstown to pass away in a calendar year. They were Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro and Tom Seaver.