Bruce Sutter
Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1976-1988)
Bruce Sutter was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1988 for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 13 seasons. Across 661 career appearances, he went 68-71 with a 2.83 ERA, 861 strikeouts, and 300 saves. Bruce Sutter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a 6-time All-Star, a Cy Young, a 4-time Reliever of the Year, and a Babe Ruth Award. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 23291.8.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 10/13/2022 in Cartersville, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1976-05-09
- Last Game
- 1988-09-09
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2006 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 6× All-Star · Cy Young · 4× Reliever of the Year · Babe Ruth Award
Full name: Howard Bruce Sutter
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CHN | NL | 6 | 3 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 83.1 | 63 | 25 | 26 | 73 | 2.70 | 3.51 (+23%) | 2275.0 |
| 1977 | CHN | NL | 7 | 3 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 107.1 | 69 | 16 | 23 | 129 | 1.34 | 4.00 (+66%) | 6548.8 |
| 1978 | CHN | NL | 8 | 10 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 98.2 | 82 | 35 | 34 | 106 | 3.19 | 3.69 (+13%) | 2187.1 |
| 1979 | CHN | NL | 6 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 101.1 | 67 | 25 | 32 | 110 | 2.22 | 4.00 (+45%) | 5453.4 |
| 1980 | CHN | NL | 5 | 8 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 102.1 | 90 | 30 | 34 | 76 | 2.64 | 3.84 (+31%) | 2386.4 |
| 1981 | SLN | NL | 3 | 5 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 82.1 | 64 | 24 | 24 | 57 | 2.62 | 3.58 (+27%) | 1397.2 |
| 1982 | SLN | NL | 9 | 8 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 102.1 | 88 | 33 | 34 | 61 | 2.90 | 3.86 (+25%) | 620.5 |
| 1983 | SLN | NL | 9 | 10 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 89.1 | 90 | 42 | 30 | 64 | 4.23 | 3.87 (-9%) | 784.5 |
| 1984 | SLN | NL | 5 | 7 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 122.2 | 109 | 21 | 23 | 77 | 1.54 | 3.81 (+60%) | 2381.5 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 7 | 7 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 88.1 | 91 | 44 | 29 | 52 | 4.48 | 3.89 (-15%) | -1354.8 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18.2 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 4.34 | 3.97 (-9%) | -289.3 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 1 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 45.1 | 49 | 24 | 11 | 40 | 4.76 | 3.73 (-28%) | 901.6 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 68 | 71 | 661 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 300 | 1,042.0 | 879 | 328 | 309 | 861 | 2.83 | — | 23,292 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 661 | 102 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 50 | .088 | .153 | .088 | .241 | 0 |
Career AVG .088 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 66.0% below league average.
Career OBP .153 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.
Career SLG .088 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 77.1% below league average.
Career OPS .241 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 66.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CHN | NL | 52 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | CHN | NL | 62 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | CHN | NL | 64 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | CHN | NL | 62 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | CHN | NL | 60 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | SLN | NL | 48 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | SLN | NL | 70 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | SLN | NL | 60 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | SLN | NL | 71 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 58 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 661 | 102 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 50 | .088 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1322 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 331 | 47 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .106 |
| Away | 330 | 55 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .073 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 331 | 531.0 | 471 | 181 | 141 | 430 | 3.07 |
| Away | 330 | 511.0 | 408 | 147 | 168 | 431 | 2.59 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-09-09 | ATL | SDP | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-06 | ATL | LAD | SV | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-05 | ATL | LAD | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-08-31 | ATL | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-08-27 | ATL | CHC | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988-08-24 | ATL | STL | L | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-08-19 | ATL | CHC | — | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-07-23 | ATL | NYN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-07-18 | ATL | PHI | — | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-07-15 | ATL | NYN | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CHN | P | 52 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1977 | CHN | P | 62 | 0 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | CHN | P | 64 | 0 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | CHN | P | 62 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 1980 | CHN | P | 60 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | SLN | P | 48 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | SLN | P | 70 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 5 |
| 1983 | SLN | P | 60 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| 1984 | SLN | P | 71 | 0 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 1985 | ATL | P | 58 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | ATL | P | 16 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | ATL | P | 38 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 661 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Player of the Week | Week of 1984-04-13 |
| 1984 | Player of the Week | Week of 1984-09-07 |
| 1984 | Reliever of the Year Award | |
| 1984 | TSN Fireman of the Year | |
| 1982 | Babe Ruth Award | RP |
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-09-17 |
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-08-27 |
| 1982 | Reliever of the Year Award | |
| 1982 | TSN Fireman of the Year | |
| 1981 | Reliever of the Year Award | |
| 1981 | TSN Fireman of the Year | |
| 1979 | Cy Young Award | |
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-04-20 |
| 1979 | Reliever of the Year Award | |
| 1979 | TSN Fireman of the Year | |
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-07-08 |
| 1977 | Pitcher of the Month | May |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-05-13 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | ATL | NL | $1,729,167 |
| 1989 | ATL | NL | $1,729,167 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | $1,729,167 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | $1,729,167 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | $1,729,167 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | $1,354,167 |
| Total Career Earnings | $10,000,002 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Cy Young Award | NL | 3rd | 33.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 67.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1982 | Cy Young Award | NL | 3rd | 25.0 | 120 | 2 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 134.0 | 336 | 2 |
| 1981 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 1.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 59.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1979 | Cy Young Award | NL | 1st | 72.0 | 120 | 10 |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 69.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1977 | Cy Young Award | NL | 6th | 5.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 68.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bruce Sutter (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Bruce Sutter
Bruce Sutter: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bruce Sutter's first major league game on May 9, 1976; the last one listed came on September 9, 1988. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1976 through 1980), the St. Louis Cardinals (1981 to 1984), and the Atlanta Braves (1985 through 1988). Born on January 8, 1953, in Lancaster, PA, USA, Sutter is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 2 inches and 190 pounds. Sutter's death is recorded on October 13, 2022, in Cartersville, GA, USA. Sutter's full given name, per the bio, is Howard Bruce Sutter.
Sutter's career pitching line is 68 wins, 71 losses and a 2.83 ERA over 661 appearances. The totals include 861 strikeouts and 300 saves. The leagues Sutter pitched in allowed 3.82 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 25.9% better than average. The best win total was 9, in 1982. The strikeout high was 129 in 1977.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bruce Sutter
- What years did Bruce Sutter play?
- Bruce Sutter played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1988.
- Was Bruce Sutter a pitcher?
- Yes. Bruce Sutter pitched in the major leagues, recording 68 wins and 861 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bruce Sutter hit?
- Bruce Sutter hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
- Is Bruce Sutter in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Bruce Sutter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
- What was Bruce Sutter's career batting average?
- Bruce Sutter batted .088 over his career, with 9 hits in 102 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bruce Sutter have?
- Bruce Sutter drove in 6 runs in his career.