Don Sutton

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1966-1988)

Don Sutton was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1988 for 5 teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 23 seasons. Across 774 career appearances, he went 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA and 3,574 strikeouts. He also batted .144 with 0 home runs. Don Sutton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 and was a 4-time All-Star and an All-Star Game MVP. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 63309.6.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1998
W–L 324–256
ERA 3.26
WHIP 1.14
SO 3,574
Pitcher PIV 63309.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
4/2/1945 in Clio, AL, USA
Died
1/18/2021 in Rancho Mirage, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1966-04-14
Last Game
1988-08-09
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1998 (BBWAA)
Awards
4× All-Star · All-Star Game MVP

Full name: Donald Howard Sutton

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Sutton — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
324 256 774 756 178 58 5 5282.1 4,692 1,914 472 1,343 3,574 3.26 63309.6

Career ERA 3.26 vs. league average 3.72 across their career seasons — 12.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Sutton Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1966 LAN NL 12 12 37 35 6 2 0 225.2 192 75 52 209 2.99 3.52 (+15%) 5859.8
1967 LAN NL 11 15 37 34 11 3 1 232.2 223 102 57 169 3.95 3.30 (-19%) 2432.5
1968 LAN NL 11 15 35 27 7 2 1 207.2 179 60 59 162 2.60 2.98 (+13%) 4873.8
1969 LAN NL 17 18 41 41 11 4 0 293.1 269 113 91 217 3.47 3.61 (+4%) 4000.5
1970 LAN NL 15 13 38 38 10 4 0 260.1 251 118 78 201 4.08 3.89 (-5%) -781.1
1971 LAN NL 17 12 38 37 12 4 1 265.1 231 75 55 194 2.54 3.47 (+27%) 9174.9
1972 LAN NL 19 9 33 33 18 9 0 272.2 186 63 63 207 2.08 3.26 (+36%) 7388.8
1973 LAN NL 18 10 33 33 14 3 0 256.1 196 69 56 200 2.42 3.75 (+35%) 7515.6
1974 LAN NL 19 9 40 40 10 5 0 276.0 241 99 80 179 3.23 3.63 (+11%) 2392.3
1975 LAN NL 16 13 35 35 11 4 0 254.1 202 81 62 175 2.87 3.71 (+23%) 5781.8
1976 LAN NL 21 10 35 34 15 4 0 267.2 231 91 82 161 3.06 3.51 (+13%) 447.6
1977 LAN NL 14 8 33 33 9 3 0 240.1 207 85 69 150 3.18 4.00 (+20%) 2307.1
1978 LAN NL 15 11 34 34 12 2 0 238.1 228 94 54 154 3.55 3.69 (+4%) 437.3
1979 LAN NL 12 15 33 32 6 1 1 226.0 201 96 61 146 3.82 4.00 (+4%) 3139.2
1980 LAN NL 13 5 32 31 4 2 1 212.1 163 52 47 128 2.20 3.84 (+43%) 2095.9
1981 HOU NL 11 9 23 23 6 3 0 158.2 132 46 29 104 2.61 3.58 (+27%) 5060.3
1982 HOU NL 13 8 27 27 4 0 0 195.0 169 65 46 139 3.00 3.86 (+22%) 5994.7
1982 ML4 AL 4 1 7 7 2 1 0 54.2 55 20 18 36 3.29 3.86 (+15%) -583.3
1983 ML4 AL 8 13 31 31 4 0 0 220.1 209 100 54 134 4.08 3.87 (-5%) 1677.3
1984 ML4 AL 14 12 33 33 1 0 0 212.2 224 89 51 143 3.77 3.81 (+1%) 881.1
1985 OAK AL 13 8 29 29 1 1 0 194.1 194 84 51 91 3.89 3.89 (avg) 441.4
1985 CAL AL 2 2 5 5 0 0 0 31.2 27 13 8 16 3.69 3.89 (+5%) -792.8
1986 CAL AL 15 11 34 34 3 1 0 207.0 192 86 49 116 3.74 3.97 (+6%) -1957.3
1987 CAL AL 11 11 35 34 1 0 0 191.2 199 100 41 99 4.70 4.29 (-9%) -4184.0
1988 LAN NL 3 6 16 16 0 0 0 87.1 91 38 30 44 3.92 3.73 (-5%) -293.9
Career · 25 seasons 324 256 774 756 178 58 5 5,282.1 4,692 1,914 1,343 3,574 3.26 — 63,310

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

Don Sutton — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
785 1,354 64 195 15 1 0 64 1 60 365 .144 .183 .157 .340 -10,318

Career AVG .144 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 43.7% below league average.

Career OBP .183 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 43.0% below league average.

Career SLG .157 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 58.8% below league average.

Career OPS .340 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 51.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Sutton Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1966 LAN NL 38 82 4 15 2 0 0 2 0 1 27 .183 .248 (-26%) .309 (-35%) .376 (-45%) .685 (-40%) -498.3
1967 LAN NL 43 75 4 10 2 0 0 4 0 2 24 .133 .242 (-45%) .306 (-49%) .357 (-55%) .663 (-52%) -583.0
1968 LAN NL 36 62 3 11 0 0 0 3 0 2 22 .177 .236 (-25%) .298 (-34%) .340 (-48%) .638 (-41%) -380.9
1969 LAN NL 41 98 6 15 0 0 0 3 0 0 28 .153 .248 (-38%) .320 (-50%) .369 (-59%) .689 (-54%) -812.0
1970 LAN NL 40 84 6 13 2 1 0 6 1 10 22 .155 .253 (-39%) .325 (-22%) .385 (-47%) .711 (-36%) -463.7
1971 LAN NL 39 88 4 19 2 0 0 7 0 3 18 .216 .249 (-13%) .316 (-24%) .365 (-35%) .682 (-30%) -395.0
1972 LAN NL 33 91 4 13 0 0 0 1 0 2 24 .143 .243 (-41%) .310 (-45%) .353 (-60%) .664 (-53%) -705.1
1973 LAN NL 33 84 6 10 1 0 0 5 0 5 17 .119 .256 (-54%) .325 (-49%) .378 (-65%) .703 (-58%) -764.8
1974 LAN NL 40 98 7 18 2 0 0 7 0 3 22 .184 .256 (-28%) .324 (-33%) .369 (-45%) .693 (-39%) -593.5
1975 LAN NL 35 80 4 11 1 0 0 3 0 4 20 .138 .257 (-47%) .327 (-45%) .374 (-60%) .701 (-53%) -659.5
1976 LAN NL 35 84 2 7 1 0 0 3 0 6 19 .083 .255 (-67%) .320 (-55%) .360 (-74%) .681 (-65%) -820.0
1977 LAN NL 33 73 3 11 2 0 0 8 0 8 21 .151 .264 (-43%) .329 (-29%) .401 (-56%) .730 (-43%) -497.5
1978 LAN NL 34 72 1 6 0 0 0 3 0 4 22 .083 .257 (-68%) .323 (-59%) .378 (-78%) .702 (-69%) -770.8
1979 LAN NL 33 77 2 11 0 0 0 3 0 1 17 .143 .265 (-46%) .329 (-53%) .397 (-64%) .727 (-59%) -723.0
1980 LAN NL 32 64 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 19 .078 .264 (-70%) .326 (-72%) .387 (-80%) .714 (-76%) -762.7
1981 HOU NL 23 51 1 7 0 0 0 3 0 5 12 .137 .255 (-46%) .320 (-29%) .368 (-63%) .688 (-47%) -348.0
1982 HOU NL 27 68 3 11 0 0 0 1 0 2 25 .162 .261 (-38%) .324 (-43%) .388 (-58%) .712 (-51%) -540.5
1982 ML4 AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — -540.5
1983 ML4 AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 ML4 AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 OAK AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 CAL AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CAL AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 CAL AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 LAN NL 16 23 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 .087 — — — — 0.0
Career · 25 seasons 785 1,354 64 195 15 1 0 64 1 60 365 .144 — — — — -10,859

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Don Sutton — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 20 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 10 .100

Playoff Batting by Year

Don Sutton — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1986 ALCS CAL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 ALCS ML4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 WS ML4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS LAN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
1978 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 WS LAN 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000
1974 NLCS LAN 2 6 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 .333
1974 WS LAN 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Don Sutton — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
6 4 15 14 0 100.1 92 41 16 61 3.68

Playoff Pitching by Year

Don Sutton — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1986 ALCS CAL 0 0 2 1 0 9.2 6 2 1 4 1.86
1982 ALCS ML4 1 0 1 1 0 7.2 8 3 2 9 3.52
1982 WS ML4 0 1 2 2 0 10.1 12 9 1 5 7.84
1978 NLCS LAN 0 1 1 1 0 5.2 7 4 2 0 6.35
1978 WS LAN 0 2 2 2 0 12.0 17 10 4 8 7.50
1977 NLCS LAN 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 9 1 0 4 1.00
1977 WS LAN 1 0 2 2 0 16.0 17 7 1 6 3.94
1974 NLCS LAN 2 0 2 2 0 17.0 7 1 2 13 0.53
1974 WS LAN 1 0 2 2 0 13.0 9 4 3 12 2.77

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1559 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Don Sutton — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3936583396028.146
Away3926963199036.142

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Sutton — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home3892802.0235487666819762.81
Away3852480.12338103867515983.77

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Sutton — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1988-08-09 LADCINL 200000000
1988-06-28 LADHOUL 100000000
1988-06-22 LADATLL 100000001
1988-06-17 LADSDPL 000000000
1988-06-11 LADSDPL 200000001
1988-06-06 LADHOUL 200000001
1988-05-31 LADNYNL 201000000
1988-05-26 LADPHIW 200000000
1988-05-20 LADNYNL 100000001
1988-05-14 LADPHIW 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Sutton — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1988-08-09 LADCIN L 7.0765352
1988-06-28 LADHOU — 5.0522020
1988-06-22 LADATL L 3.2643240
1988-06-17 LADSDP — 5.0421610
1988-06-11 LADSDP L 6.0522320
1988-06-06 LADHOU — 6.0311330
1988-05-31 LADNYN — 5.0622220
1988-05-26 LADPHI — 6.0633132
1988-05-20 LADNYN L 4.1844321
1988-05-14 LADPHI W 5.2821010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Sutton — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 774 756 334 613 31 42

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Sutton — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1966 LAN P 37 35 8 32 2 3
1967 LAN P 37 34 7 31 1 2
1968 LAN P 35 27 12 25 1 0
1969 LAN P 41 41 19 43 1 3
1970 LAN P 38 38 21 28 3 1
1971 LAN P 38 37 27 26 2 5
1972 LAN P 33 33 18 34 1 2
1973 LAN P 33 33 12 34 1 2
1974 LAN P 40 40 17 33 0 1
1975 LAN P 35 35 24 25 2 0
1976 LAN P 35 34 5 31 1 2
1977 LAN P 33 33 15 29 1 3
1978 LAN P 34 34 13 23 0 2
1979 LAN P 33 32 16 24 1 2
1980 LAN P 32 31 24 25 2 3
1981 HOU P 23 23 11 24 2 3
1982 HOU P 27 27 16 20 1 2
1982 ML4 P 7 7 6 8 0 1
1983 ML4 P 31 31 13 23 1 1
1984 ML4 P 33 33 11 19 1 1
1985 OAK P 29 29 7 31 4 1
1985 CAL P 5 5 1 1 0 0
1986 CAL P 34 34 18 14 2 1
1987 CAL P 35 34 8 18 0 1
1988 LAN P 16 16 5 12 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Sutton Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 774

Awards & Honors

Don Sutton — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-06-20
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-04-25
1977 All-Star Game MVP
1976 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1976 Pitcher of the Month September
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-09-24
1976 TSN All-Star RHP
1975 Pitcher of the Month April
1975 Pitcher of the Month May
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-08-08
1966 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Don Sutton's recorded salaries total $2,880,000 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1988. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Sutton's career ran from 1966 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Don Sutton — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1988 LAN NL $350,000
1987 CAL AL $890,000
1986 CAL AL $890,000
1985 CAL AL $750,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $2,880,000

College History

Don Sutton — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Gulf Coast Community College Panama City FL 1965

Award Voting History

Don Sutton — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1976 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 25.0 120 1
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 7.0 336 0
1975 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1974 Cy Young Award NL 4th 12.0 120 1
1973 Cy Young Award NL 5th 7.0 120 0
1972 Cy Young Award NL 5th 6.0 120 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Don Sutton (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Gaylord Perry HOF
    314-265, 3.11 ERA
  2. 83
    Bert Blyleven HOF
    287-250, 3.31 ERA
  3. 77
    Greg Maddux HOF
    355-227, 3.16 ERA
  4. 64
    Tom Seaver HOF
    311-205, 2.86 ERA
  5. 52
    Fergie Jenkins HOF
    284-226, 3.34 ERA
  6. 47
    Steve Carlton HOF
    329-244, 3.22 ERA

Compare Don Sutton

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Sutton's closest peers by position and era.

vs Roger Clemens
vs Cy Young
vs Greg Maddux
vs Walter Johnson
vs Randy Johnson
vs Nolan Ryan

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See Don Sutton in Another Era

What would Sutton's 1972 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Don Sutton's peak season across eras →

Don Sutton: the record in brief

Don Sutton's major league career runs from a debut on April 14, 1966 to a final game on August 9, 1988. Club by club, the record runs the Los Angeles Dodgers (1966 through 1988), the Houston Astros (1981 to 1982), the Milwaukee Brewers (1982 through 1984), the Oakland Athletics (1985), and the California Angels (1985 to 1987). Sutton is listed as a pitcher at 6'1" and 185 pounds. The bio says Sutton threw and hit right-handed. Sutton was born on April 2, 1945, in Clio, AL, USA. The bio records the death on January 18, 2021, in Rancho Mirage, CA, USA. Don Sutton was the playing name; the full given name is Donald Howard.

The pitching table credits Sutton with a 324-256 record and a 3.26 ERA in 774 games. The same table counts 3,574 strikeouts, 178 complete games, and 58 shutouts. Against a 3.72 league ERA for the same years, Sutton was 12.4% better. No season topped the 21 wins of 1976.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Sutton

What years did Don Sutton play?
Don Sutton played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1988.
Was Don Sutton a pitcher?
Yes. Don Sutton pitched in the major leagues, recording 324 wins and 3574 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Sutton hit?
Don Sutton hit 0 career home runs with 195 hits.
Is Don Sutton in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Don Sutton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
What teams did Don Sutton play for?
Don Sutton played for 5 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1966–1980, 1988), the Houston Astros (1981–1982), the Milwaukee Brewers (1982–1984), the Oakland Athletics (1985), and the California Angels (1985–1987).
Did Don Sutton win a Cy Young Award?
No. Don Sutton did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Don Sutton win?
Don Sutton was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Don Sutton's career stats?
In 774 games, Don Sutton went 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA, 3,574 strikeouts, 5,282.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 195 hits and 0 home runs.
How much did Don Sutton earn in his career?
Don Sutton's recorded salaries total $2,880,000 over 4 seasons, 1985 to 1988. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Sutton's career ran from 1966 to 1988. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Don Sutton's salary?
Don Sutton's last recorded salary was $350,000, in 1988. His highest recorded salary was $890,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $350,000, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1988.
What position did Don Sutton play?
Don Sutton played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Sutton and how much did he weigh?
Don Sutton was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
What was Don Sutton's career ERA?
Don Sutton finished with a 3.26 career ERA, going 324-256 with 3,574 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Sutton have?
Don Sutton recorded 3,574 career strikeouts.