Rick Sutcliffe
Born: 6/21/1956 in Independence, MO, USA
MLB Debut: 1976-09-29 | Final Game: 1994-07-22
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'7" | Weight: 215 lbs
Full name: Richard Lee Sutcliffe
Biography
Rick Sutcliffe was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his distinctive style and competitive spirit during his career from 1976 to 1994. Born in 1956, Sutcliffe made an immediate impact in the league, earning the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season. Throughout his career, he showcased his talent on the mound with a record of 171 wins and 139 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 4.08, and a total of 1,679 strikeouts. He also contributed to his teams with 6 saves, demonstrating his versatility as a pitcher.
Sutcliffe garnered significant recognition for his performance, earning the TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year award and winning the prestigious Cy Young Award during the peak of his career. His efforts were further acknowledged with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. Known for his powerful fastball and impressive curveball, Sutcliffe's contributions to the game extended beyond his statistics; he was a key figure in the evolution of pitching strategies during the late 20th century. His legacy remains a testament to his skill and determination, making him a memorable figure in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 171 | 139 | 457 | 392 | 72 | 18 | 6 | 2697.7 | 2662 | 1223 | 236 | 1081 | 1679 | 4.08 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | LAD | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 | - |
| 1978 | LAD | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | - |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 17 | 10 | 39 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 242.0 | 217 | 93 | 97 | 117 | 3.46 | - |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 3 | 9 | 42 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 110.0 | 122 | 68 | 55 | 59 | 5.56 | - |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 2 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 | 41 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 4.02 | - |
| 1982 | CLE | AL | 14 | 8 | 34 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 216.0 | 174 | 71 | 98 | 142 | 2.96 | 459.9 |
| 1983 | CLE | AL | 17 | 11 | 36 | 35 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 243.3 | 251 | 116 | 102 | 160 | 4.29 | -816.9 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 16 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 150.3 | 123 | 45 | 39 | 155 | 2.69 | - |
| 1984 | CLE | AL | 4 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 94.3 | 111 | 54 | 46 | 58 | 5.15 | -525.8 |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 8 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 130.0 | 119 | 46 | 44 | 102 | 3.18 | - |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 5 | 14 | 28 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 176.7 | 166 | 91 | 96 | 122 | 4.64 | - |
| 1987 | CHC | NL | 18 | 10 | 34 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 237.3 | 223 | 97 | 106 | 174 | 3.68 | - |
| 1988 | CHC | NL | 13 | 14 | 32 | 32 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 226.0 | 232 | 97 | 70 | 144 | 3.86 | - |
| 1989 | CHC | NL | 16 | 11 | 35 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 229.0 | 202 | 93 | 69 | 153 | 3.66 | - |
| 1990 | CHC | NL | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.3 | 25 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 5.91 | - |
| 1991 | CHC | NL | 6 | 5 | 19 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96.7 | 96 | 44 | 45 | 52 | 4.10 | - |
| 1992 | BAL | AL | 16 | 15 | 36 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 237.3 | 251 | 118 | 74 | 109 | 4.47 | -1484.4 |
| 1993 | BAL | AL | 10 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 166.0 | 212 | 106 | 74 | 80 | 5.75 | -4638.8 |
| 1994 | STL | NL | 6 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67.7 | 93 | 49 | 32 | 26 | 6.52 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 466 | 562 | 42 | 102 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 4 | 34 | 143 | 0.181 | 0.229 | 0.246 | 0.474 | -2180.9 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | LAD | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1978 | LAD | NL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 40 | 85 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0.247 | -335.4 |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 44 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0.148 | 0.0 |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 14 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.182 | 0.0 |
| 1982 | CLE | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CLE | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 20 | 56 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0.250 | -167.1 |
| 1984 | CLE | AL | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | -167.1 |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 20 | 43 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0.233 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 29 | 53 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.208 | -210.7 |
| 1987 | CHC | NL | 35 | 81 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 0.148 | -592.9 |
| 1988 | CHC | NL | 33 | 75 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0.160 | -445.8 |
| 1989 | CHC | NL | 37 | 70 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 0.143 | -429.1 |
| 1990 | CHC | NL | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | CHC | NL | 20 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.094 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | BAL | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | BAL | AL | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | STL | NL | 16 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.130 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | NLCS | CHN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 |
| 1984 | NLCS | CHN | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 19.3 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 3.72 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | NLCS | CHN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4.50 |
| 1984 | NLCS | CHN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.3 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 3.38 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 457 | 392 | 211 | 404 | 17 | 25 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | LAN | P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | LAN | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1979 | LAN | P | 39 | 30 | 18 | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | LAN | P | 42 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | LAN | P | 14 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | CLE | P | 34 | 27 | 14 | 32 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | CLE | P | 36 | 35 | 36 | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 1984 | CHN | P | 20 | 20 | 12 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | CLE | P | 15 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | CHN | P | 20 | 20 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | CHN | P | 28 | 27 | 8 | 30 | 1 | 4 |
| 1987 | CHN | P | 34 | 34 | 12 | 54 | 4 | 4 |
| 1988 | CHN | P | 32 | 32 | 21 | 37 | 3 | 2 |
| 1989 | CHN | P | 35 | 34 | 22 | 31 | 1 | 3 |
| 1990 | CHN | P | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | CHN | P | 19 | 18 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 1992 | BAL | P | 36 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 2 |
| 1993 | BAL | P | 29 | 28 | 9 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
| 1994 | SLN | P | 16 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 457 |
Awards & Honors
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | SLN | NL | $250,000 |
| 1993 | BAL | AL | $2,500,000 |
| 1992 | BAL | AL | $2,400,000 |
| 1991 | CHN | NL | $2,275,000 |
| 1990 | CHN | NL | $1,925,000 |
| 1989 | CHN | NL | $2,340,000 |
| 1988 | CHN | NL | $2,070,000 |
| 1987 | CHN | NL | $1,800,000 |
| 1986 | CHN | NL | $1,530,000 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | $1,260,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $18,350,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Cy Young Award | NL | 2nd | 55.0 | 120 | 4 |
| 1984 | Cy Young Award | NL | 1st | 120.0 | 120 | 24 |
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 4th | 151.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1982 | Cy Young Award | AL | 5th | 14.0 | 140 | 1 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 32th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1979 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 1st | 20.0 | 24 | 20 |