Four-time baseball All-Star Don Sutton, who became the 233rd member and the 176th player elected to the Hall of Fame, displays three baseballs showing his 324 wins Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1998, at a news conference in New York. Sutton was with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1966-80 and again in 1988, also spending time with the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and California Angels. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Are 300-game winners becoming extinct?

Web posted January 7, 1998

By Ronald Blum
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Don Sutton considers himself part of an extinct species.

He's a 300-game winner, one of 20 in the 127-year history of professional baseball leagues. When he looks around the major leagues these days, he doesn't see any more candidates.

``I doubt very seriously there will be another 300-game winner because I don't think it will be as important as it was to us,'' the newest Hall of Famer said Tuesday, a day after his election. ``There are 10 or 15 who could. I don't think we're going to see too many 40-year-olds pitching 230 innings in the future.''

Roger Clemens, 36 next August, leads active pitchers with 213 victories. Dennis Eckersley (43) is second with 193, followed by Greg Maddux (32 in April) with 184.

Sutton doesn't see most pitchers sticking around long enough to win 300.

``You have to be ... a unique personality,'' Sutton concluded, someone who will want to spend mid-February to September or October away from home much of the time even if they already have millions of dollars in the bank.

When Sutton started in 1966, the average salary was about $19,000. This season, it figures to top $1.5 million.

``You can be financially secure with two, three good years,'' he said. ``Why make a sacrifice?''

Sutton gazed into the future and predicted early retirement for veteran starters who go through mediocre stretches. Why pay $2 million to a 12-game winner, he said, when a rookie can do the same for under $200,000.

And the game has changed, too. Only 14 pitchers threw more than 230 innings last season. A generation ago, aces regularly topped 300. Phil Niekro, elected to the Hall by the writers last year, did it four times in the '70s.

But this is the era of the closer -- seven or eight good innings and the starter is on the bench while fresh heat comes in from the bullpen.

Maddux, the greatest pitcher of the '90s, was 19-4 last season with just five complete games. That, however, doesn't keep Sutton from admiring him. Sutton, a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves, has seen Maddux's 80-pitch complete games from up close.

``He's the most amazing artist I've ever seen pitch. He is an artist,'' Sutton said. ``All he does is get people out. Wally Cox will play him in the movie.''

Like Maddux, Sutton kept the ball over the plate. He said the advice came from Henry Roper, the teacher who in the sixth grade taught him how to pitch. If you throw strikes, according to Roper's philosophy, only four things can happen and ``three of them are good.'' They are swing and miss; swing and hit into an out; take for a strike or swing for a hit.

``Maybe that's why I gave up so many home runs,'' said Sutton, who allowed 472 during 23 seasons.

One of his most memorable was an Aug. 12, 1980, when Nolan Ryan connected off Sutton for the first homer of his major league career. Ryan would get just one more, off Charlie Puleo in 1987.

Sutton recalled the players who gave him trouble.

``Roberto Clemente was the best player I've ever played against,'' Sutton said. ``Anything between the on-deck circles was a strike to him. I've seen him double on knock-down pitches.''

Bill Buckner, Bob Watson, Rico Carty and Bill Madlock also hit Sutton well. Wade Boggs and Hank Aaron were the stars he remembers getting out most of the time.

Sutton remembered his favorite wins. There was the day he beat Baltimore on the final day of the 1982 season to win the AL East for Milwaukee. And there was the final game of his 15-year stretch with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After pitching on the final Friday night of the 1980 regular season, Sutton was brought in by Tommy Lasorda on Sunday. The Dodgers needed one out against Houston to force a playoff with the Astros, and Sutton retired Denny Walling on two pitches.

Sutton was angry that the Dodgers let him go. He already knew, and stood on the mound after the game just to soak up the Dodger Stadium atmosphere one more time. He would return to the Dodgers in 1988 for the final season of his career, and will go into the Hall as a Dodger next summer.

Among the memories Tuesday, he thought back to Walt Alston's days as the Dodgers manager in 1976.

``The last day he managed, Walt Alston gave me a copy of his book,'' Sutton recalled. ``On the inside, it was inscribed, ``To Don Sutton, when it's on the line, I want you to have the ball.''

There aren't too many pitchers who merit that praise these days. Maybe that's why 300-game winners have gone the way of the dodo.