I was working in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD when one weekend we decided to drive down to Baltimore and visit the inner harbor area. One thing we did was scout out the ballpark for when we came back for a game at a later date. That day the Braves were in town to play the Orioles. One of our party had to use the restroom and we went into a hotel so they could use the restroom. It was a nice hotel. Close by to where we waited was Don Sutton (then an announcer for the Braves) telling someone a story from his playing days. That is the boring story of my one close brush with Don Sutton.
Sutton never really had a super season, like the others ahead of him. In his prime from age 27 to 31 he finished from 3rd to 5th in the Cy Young voting all 5 years. I looked at the year Sutton came in third and he was definitely not robbed of the award. These were the only years Sutton got votes in the Cy Young voting. He probably should have gotten votes in the 1980 election but has a lousy win loss record. However, at best he should have finished second as Steve Carlton had a lot better year than Sutton did.
It is interesting because Sutton was always a well-respected pitcher. It is surprising he wasn’t better in any individual season. He was very consistent in having good years. His career lasted 23 years and he won 324 lifetime games. He is easily a hall of famer, but never had that one shining moment.
