Sutter Elected to the Hall

Bruce Sutter, a pure reliever who revolutionized the split-fingered fastball over a 13-year career in which he saved 300 games, was elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sutter, who turned 53 on Sunday, was named on 76.9% of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America. Needing 390 votes to reach the requisite 75%, Sutter, in his 13th year of eligibility, received 400, 56 more than last year. He was the only player elected; Jim Rice was 63 votes short, and fellow reliever Rich “Goose” Gossage failed by 64 votes.

“I can’t tell you what it means to me in words,” Sutter said.

When he received the telephone call that notified him of the election results, Sutter said he lifted his thumb toward family members, who rejoiced.

“Actually,” he said, “I started crying.”

He is the first pitcher to go to the Hall of Fame without ever starting a game, a late-inning journey that began in 1973, when Fred Martin, a roving pitching instructor with the Chicago Cubs, taught him the split-fingered fastball.

Recovering from elbow surgery, Sutter, then in the minor leagues, had found his fastball lacked life and his curveball had little break. Under Martin’s guidance, he laid the baseball between his forefinger and middle finger, released it with a fastball delivery and a shove of his thumb, and discovered the late, downward break that would lead to six All-Star seasons and the 1979 National League Cy Young Award.

From 1976 to ‘88, the right-handed Sutter pitched for the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. He led the National League in saves five times, helping to standardize the closer’s role, often taking the ball in the seventh inning and pitching through the ninth.

Asked what made Sutter so special, former major leaguer Brett Butler said: “Just the split, dude. It was as simple as that. He threw that thing and it dropped a foot. Sutter was nasty. I always thought, ‘Maybe I’ll get one off the end of the bat, dribble it to second and beat it out.’ ”

Though he never made more than 71 appearances, Sutter pitched at least 101 innings in five seasons. When he saved a career-high 45 games for the Cardinals in 1984, he threw 122 2/3 innings. And he pitched two scoreless innings in Game 7 of the 1982 World Series against Milwaukee, the last time the Cardinals were champions.

Sutter joins Hoyt Wilhelm (class of 1985), Rollie Fingers (1992) and Dennis Eckersley (2004) as the only relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame, and said he hoped his election would spur more appreciation for the likes of contemporaries Gossage and Lee Smith. Gossage saved 310 games from 1972 to 1994 and Smith, who received 234 votes, had an all-time best 478 saves from 1980 to 1997. Both increased their vote totals from last season.

“I hope closers get in,” Sutter said. “Goose Gossage, a friend of mine, definitely a Hall-of-Fame pitcher in my mind. Lee Smith, a friend of mine, a teammate of mine, a Hall-of-Fame pitcher.

“We can’t compete with [starters’] stats, their innings and their strikeouts.... We just play a different position. But without us, it’s tough to win.”

Sutter gained support in a lean year for first-time eligible players. Orel Hershiser was named on 58 ballots and Albert Belle on 40 ballots, making them the only first-year holdovers for next year’s vote, when Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and Mark McGwire are eligible for the first time.

Pete Rose, who is banned from baseball and was not on the ballot, got 10 write-in votes in what would have been his final year of eligibility.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The vote

The leading vote-getters in the balloting for the Hall of Fame class of 2006 (390 votes needed for election from 520 ballots cast):

Bruce Sutter 400, Jim Rice 337, Rich Gossage 336, Andre Dawson 317, Bert Blyleven 277, Lee Smith 234, Jack Morris 214, Tommy John 154, Steve Garvey 135, Alan Trammell 92, Dave Parker 76, Dave Concepcion 65, Don Mattingly 64, Orel Hershiser 58, Dale Murphy 56, Albert Belle 40.

FINAL BALLOT

By receiving fewer than 26 votes (less than 5%), the following are no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA:

Will Clark 23, Dwight Gooden 17, Willie McGee 12, Hal Morris 5, Ozzie Guillen 5, Gary Gaetti 4, John Wetteland 4, Rick Aguilera 3, Doug Jones 2, Gregg Jefferies 2, Walt Weiss 1, Gary DiSarcina 0, Alex Fernandez 0.

ELECTION PROGRESSION

Bruce Sutter’s 13 years on the Hall of Fame ballot, with votes received and percentage:

*--* Year Votes Pct. Year Votes Pct. 1994 109 23.9 2001 245 47.6 1995 137 29.8 2002 238 50.4 1996 137 29.2 2003 266 53.6 1997 130 27.5 2004 301 59.5 1998 147 31.1 2005 344 66.7 1999 121 24.4 2006 400 76.9 2000 192 38.5

*--*