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{{short description|American baseball player and broadcaster (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Rick Sutcliffe
|image=Rick Sutcliffe 2014 (cropped).jpg
|caption=Sutcliffe in 2014
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1956|6|21}}
|birth_place=[[Independence, Missouri]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 29
|debutyear=1976
|debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=July 22
|finalyear=1994
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=171–139
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=4.08
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,679
|teams=
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1976}}, {{mlby|1978}}–{{mlby|1981}})
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1984}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1991}})
* [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1993}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1994}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1983]], [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1987]], [[1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1989]])
* [[NL Cy Young Award]] (1984)
* [[NL Rookie of the Year]] (1979)
* [[Roberto Clemente Award]] (1987)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|NL wins leader]] (1987)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders|AL ERA leader]] (1982)
* [[Chicago Cubs#Cubs Hall of Fame|Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame]]
}}'''Richard Lee Sutcliffe''' (born June 21, 1956), nicknamed "'''the Red Baron'''", is an American former [[Major League Baseball]] [[pitcher]] with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], [[Cleveland Indians]], [[Chicago Cubs]], [[Baltimore Orioles]], and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] between 1976 and 1994. Sutcliffe is currently a [[sportscaster|broadcaster]] for [[ESPN]] and [[Marquee Sports Network]].

A right-hander, Sutcliffe was a three-time All-Star. He won the National League [[MLB Rookie of the Year award|Rookie of the Year]] award in {{MLBy|1979}} and the National League [[Cy Young Award]] in {{Baseball year|1984}}.

==Early life==
Richard Lee Sutcliffe was born on June 21, 1956, in [[Independence, Missouri]]. Sutcliffe attended [[Van Horn High School (Missouri)|Van Horn High School]], where he received All-American honors as an infielder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1974 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Teams |url=https://www.abca.org/ABCA/ABCA/Awards/All-Americans/High_School/1974.aspx |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=www.abca.org |language=en}}</ref> 

==Professional career==
===Draft and minor leagues===
Sutcliffe was the 21st pick in [[1974 Major League Baseball draft|1974 amateur draft]] by the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]].

===Los Angeles Dodgers (1976, 1978–1981)===
Sutcliffe's first full season in the majors was 1979.<ref name=bp>{{cite web|title= Biography Rick Sutcliffe|url= http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/sutclri01/bio|work= The Baseball Page|access-date= October 7, 2015|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151011070731/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/sutclri01/bio|archive-date= October 11, 2015}}</ref> He won 17 games for the Dodgers and was the first of four consecutive [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|Rookies of the Year]] for the [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Dodgers]] from 1979&ndash;{{Baseball year|1982}} ([[Steve Howe (baseball)|Steve Howe]], [[Fernando Valenzuela]], and [[Steve Sax]] were the others).<ref name=bp/><ref>{{cite web |title=Dodgers Steve Sax named top rookie |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19821123&id=r59PAAAAIBAJ&pg=6486,3255812&hl=en|work= [[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)]] |date= November 23, 1982}}</ref> Sutcliffe had a rough 1980 for the team; near the end of the season, he was told by [[Pete Rose]] that he'd been tipping his pitches.<ref name="sabr.org">{{cite web | url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rick-sutcliffe/#_ednref19 | title=Rick Sutcliffe – Society for American Baseball Research }}</ref> Sutcliffe improved in 1981, a year in which the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. Although Sutcliffe did not appear on the Dodgers' roster for their [[1981 World Series]] championship run, he was awarded a World Series ring by the team.<ref name="j585">{{cite web | last=Garrity | first=John | title=The Trade That Made The Cubs | website=Sports Illustrated Vault | date=1984-09-03 | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1984/09/03/the-trade-that-made-the-cubs#:~:text=The%20trade%20that%20brought%20Sutcliffe,of%20Chicago's%20slickest%20moves%20ever. | access-date=2025-01-26}}</ref> Sutcliffe, angry at Dodgers' manager [[Tommy Lasorda]], whom he accused of lying to him, publicly demanded a trade. (Years later, the two reconciled.)<ref name="sabr.org"/>

===Cleveland Indians (1982–1984)===
After the season, Sutcliffe was traded, along with [[Jack Perconte]], to the [[Cleveland Indians]] for journeyman outfielder [[Jorge Orta]], plus [[Jack Fimple]] and [[Larry White (baseball)|Larry White]].<ref>{{cite web |title=30th anniversary: Dodgers trade Sutcliffe away |author= Chris Jaffe|url= http://www.hardballtimes.com/tht-live/30th-anniversary-dodgers-trade-sutcliffe-away/|work= [[The Hardball Times]] |date=December 9, 2011}}</ref><ref name="sabr.org"/>

Sutcliffe won 31 games over the course of the next two seasons for Cleveland and led the American League in earned run average in {{MLBy|1982}}.

===Chicago Cubs (1984–1991)===
In mid-{{MLBy|1984}}, Cleveland traded a struggling Sutcliffe to the [[Chicago Cubs]] for [[Mel Hall]] and [[Joe Carter]]. Sutcliffe rebounded and won 16 games for the Cubs while losing only one, helping them to the division championship. On October 2, 1984, he started the first game of the [[1984 National League Championship Series|NLCS]] against the [[1984 San Diego Padres season|San Diego Padres]], giving up two hits and no runs, not only gaining the victory, but also hitting a home run in the third inning.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1984/B10020CHN1984.htm Chicago Cubs 13, San Diego Padres 0], Retrosheet.org, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.</ref> Five days later, Sutcliffe pitched the final game of the series at [[Jack Murphy Stadium]], but posted the loss after giving up four runs in the seventh inning.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1984/B10070SDN1984.htm San Diego Padres 6, Chicago Cubs 3], Retrosheet.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007.</ref>

Sutcliffe won the Cy Young Award with a unanimous vote, beating out [[Dwight Gooden]] and [[Bruce Sutter]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1984.shtml#NLcya 1984 National League Cy Young], baseball-reference.com, Referenced on June 6, 2007.</ref> He also finished fourth in the league MVP voting. When he re-signed with the Cubs as a free agent the following year, his contract briefly made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.

Sutcliffe started the {{MLBy|1985}} season strong, going 5–3 in his first eight starts, including two complete-game shutouts. A hamstring pull on May 19 limited his starts for the year, followed by a series of arm injuries which would limit Sutcliffe's effectiveness over the next two seasons. In {{Baseball year|1987}}, he bounced back to win 18 games and finished second in the league's Cy Young voting to [[Steve Bedrosian]] despite playing for a last-place Cubs team which also featured National League [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player|Most Valuable Player]] [[Andre Dawson]]. He also was presented 1987's [[Roberto Clemente Award]], given annually to a Major League player who demonstrates sportsmanship and community involvement.

On July 29, 1988, in Philadelphia, Sutcliffe achieved one of baseball's rarest feats, especially for a pitcher, by stealing home plate during an 8–3 win over the [[1988 Philadelphia Phillies season|Phillies]], in which he also notched the victory. In {{MLBy|1989}}, Sutcliffe won 16 games and made his final All-Star appearance, where he was managed once again by [[Tommy Lasorda]]. He also helped the Cubs to another division title, but the Cubs lost to the [[1989 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]] in the [[1989 National League Championship Series|playoffs]].

Recurring arm injuries caused Sutcliffe to miss most of the {{Baseball year|1990}} and {{Baseball year|1991}} seasons and the Cubs did not offer him a contract for the next season.

===Baltimore Orioles (1992–1993)===
Signing with the [[Baltimore Orioles]], Sutcliffe went 16&ndash;15 and 10&ndash;10 in {{Baseball year|1992}} and {{Baseball year|1993}}, starting the first game at [[Oriole Park at Camden Yards]].

===St. Louis Cardinals (1994)===
He ended his career by signing a one-year minor league contract with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in {{MLBy|1994}},<ref name="Naples">{{Citation| last =| first =| year =1994| title =Bo officially an Angel| publisher=The Naples Daily News| publication-place = web | page=| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/802046534/?terms=%22matt%20cammuso%22%20tulane| access-date = 13 March 2023}}</ref> going 6–4 in an injury-plagued season. He retired with a career record of 171&ndash;139, with an ERA of 4.08. He holds the unique distinction of having won each of the following league awards, once each, and each in a different season: Rookie of the Year (1979), Cy Young Award (1984), ERA leader (1982), and wins leader (1987). Sutcliffe also has the distinction of being the pitcher who faced all-time MLB home run leader [[Barry Bonds]] the most times without giving up a home run once, with 51 plate appearances between the two.

===Non-pitching statistics===
As a hitter, Sutcliffe was above average for a pitcher. He posted a .181 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (102-for-562) with 42 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 4 [[home runs]], 55 [[Run batted in|RBI]], 4 [[stolen bases]] and 34 [[bases on balls]]. He had a career-high 17 RBI in 1979 as a member of the Dodgers. In eight postseason games, he hit .500 (4-for-8) with 1 run, 1 double, 1 home run and 1 RBI.

Defensively, he was above average, recording a .973 [[fielding percentage]] which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.

==Broadcasting career==
{{BLP sources section|date=June 2021}}
After his retirement from baseball, Sutcliffe was the pitching coach for the [[Idaho Falls Braves]] (a farm team of the Padres) in 1996 and 1997. After his coaching stint in Idaho Falls, Sutcliffe became a [[color commentator]] for the Padres on [[Channel 4 San Diego]] from 1998 to 2004.

Sutcliffe has served as an analyst for [[ESPN]] since 1998, when he served as a guest analyst for [[ESPN Radio]]’s coverage of that seasons MLB playoffs. He joined the network full-time in March 1999 and has appeared on ''[[Wednesday Night Baseball]]'' since 2002. ESPN announced that they had signed a multi-year extension with Sutcliffe in late 2018;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rigdon |first1=Jay |title=Rick Sutcliffe signs multi-year deal to remain at ESPN |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/rick-sutcliffe-signs-multi-year-deal-to-remain-at-espn.html |website=Awful Announcing |date=5 December 2018 |access-date=29 July 2020}}</ref> he continues to be the lead analyst for their ''Wednesday Night Baseball'' coverage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cafardo |first1=Ben |title=ESPN Reaches Multi-Year Extension with MLB Analyst Rick Sutcliffe |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2018/12/espn-reaches-multi-year-extension-with-mlb-analyst-rick-sutcliffe/ |website=ESPN Press Room |date=5 December 2018 |access-date=29 July 2020}}</ref> Sutcliffe has also provided commentary for international coverage of the World Series via [[DirecTV]]/[[MLB International]] (1997–2002 and since 2010).

On March 13, 2008, Sutcliffe was diagnosed with "curable and maintainable" [[colon cancer]]. He underwent [[chemotherapy]] and [[radiation therapy]] in his hometown of Kansas City during the spring of 2008 and returned to work with ESPN on May 21, 2008. He also is a motivational speaker for the [[Fellowship of Christian Athletes]].

==Personal life==
Sutcliffe is married to Robin (née Ross). The couple wed in February 1978.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Wondering if my wife of 43yrs remembers any other moments of my Career? | url-status=live | date=2021-04-27 | url=https://x.com/Sut_40/status/1386875100020973570 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103023427/https://x.com/Sut_40/status/1386875100020973570 | archive-date=2025-01-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rick-sutcliffe/ | title=Rick Sutcliffe – Society for American Baseball Research }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100706143712/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2009/11/sutcliffe_rick/ Rick Sutcliffe's ESPN Bio]
{{Baseballstats|mlb=|espn=|br=s/sutclri01|fangraphs=1012734|brm=sutcli001ric}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/S/Psutcr001.htm Retrosheet]
*[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rick-sutcliffe/ Rick Sutcliffe] at [[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] Bio Project

{{NL Cy Young}}
{{NL Rookie of the Year}}
{{NL Comeback Players of the Year}}
{{AL Comeback Players of the Year}}
{{Sporting News MLB Rookie of the year}}
{{Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year Award}}
{{Roberto Clemente Award}}
{{Lou Gehrig Memorial Award}}
{{NL wins champions}}
{{AL ERA champions}}
{{1974 MLB Draft}}
{{Los Angeles Dodgers first-round draft picks}}
{{Chicago Cubs Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Cleveland Indians Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Baltimore Orioles Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{ESPN Major League Baseball}}
{{Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutcliffe, Rick}}
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