Cy Young Profile: Rick Sutcliffe, 1984

Pitcher, Cleveland Indians/Chicago Cubs

Age:  28 (June 21)

3^rd season with Indians

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’7”    Weight: 215

 

Prior to 1984:

A native of Independence, Missouri, Sutcliffe was a three-sport star in high school (football and basketball as well as baseball). Chosen by the Dodgers in the 1974 amateur draft, the 18-year-old pitching prospect was initially assigned to Bellingham of the Class A Northwest League where he posted a 10-3 record with a 3.32 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 95 innings pitched. He was named to the league All-Star team. Moving on to Bakersfield of the Class A California League in 1975, he went 8-16 with a 4.15 ERA and 91 strikeouts while pitching 193 innings. Sutcliffe’s next stop was Waterbury of the Class AA Eastern League in 1976 where his record was 10-11 with a 3.18 ERA prior to advancing to Albuquerque of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He finished the year with a late-season appearance with the Dodgers in which he pitched five innings with no decision. Back with Albuquerque in 1977, he had a rough year in which he went 3-10 with a 6.43 ERA. It was better in 1978 with Albuquerque, where Sutcliffe posted a 13-6 mark with a 4.45 ERA and 99 strikeouts over 184 innings. A late-season call-up to the Dodgers set the stage for the tall righthander to make it into the rotation in 1979, where a strong finish propelled him to a 17-10 record and selection as National League Rookie of the Year. Dealing with arm problems in 1980, Sutcliffe lost his spot in the starting rotation in May and dropped to 3-9 with a 5.56 ERA. Following a stint in Arizona over the winter he had another difficult year during the strike-interrupted 1981 season. He appeared in just 14 games, six of them starts, and produced a 2-2 record with a 4.02 ERA. Left off the club’s postseason roster, he trashed manager Tommy Lasorda’s office and was dealt to Cleveland in the offseason. Sutcliffe started slowly as a starting pitcher with his new club in 1982 but was very effective after adding a slider to his repertoire and finished at 14-8 with a league-leading 2.96 ERA and 142 strikeouts. With command of a fastball (although he was never a power pitcher, despite his size), slider, curve, and changeup Sutcliffe was an All-Star with the Indians in 1983, producing a 17-11 record with a 4.29 ERA and 160 strikeouts. A slow start in 1984 led to his being dealt back to the NL with the Cubs in June.

 

1984 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games (Cleveland – 15/Chi. Cubs – 20)

 

American League with Cleveland

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Pitching

Games – 15

Games Started – 15

Complete Games – 2

Wins – 4

Losses – 5

PCT - .444

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 94.1

Hits – 111

Runs – 60

Earned Runs – 54

Home Runs – 7

Bases on Balls – 46

Strikeouts – 58

ERA – 5.15

Hit Batters – 2

Balks – 1

Wild Pitches – 3

 

National League with Chicago Cubs

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Pitching

Games – 20

Games Started – 20

Complete Games – 7 [9, tied with Larry McWilliams & Dwight Gooden]

Wins – 16 [4, tied with Joe Niekro]

Losses – 1

PCT - .941 [Non-qualifying]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [4, tied with Dwight Gooden, Rick Rhoden & Bob Knepper]

Innings Pitched – 150.1

Hits – 123

Runs – 53

Earned Runs – 45

Home Runs – 9

Bases on Balls – 39

Strikeouts – 155 [6]

ERA – 2.69 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 2

Wild Pitches – 3

 

Midseason Snapshot: 8-6, ERA - 4.26, SO - 94 in 131 IP

 

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Most strikeouts, game – 15 (in 8 IP) at Philadelphia 9/3

10+ strikeout games – 5

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Pittsburgh 9/24

 

Batting (all NL)

PA – 63, AB – 56, R – 3, H – 14, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 6, BB – 2, SO – 18, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .250, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 5, SF – 0

 

Fielding (combined)

Chances – 56

Put Outs – 19

Assists – 35

Errors – 2

DP – 1

Pct. - .964

 

Postseason Pitching: (NLCS vs. San Diego)

G – 2, GS – 2, CG – 0, Record – 1-1, PCT – .500, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 13.1, H – 9, R – 6, ER – 5, HR – 0, BB – 8, SO – 10, ERA – 3.38, HB – 1, BLK – 0, WP – 0

 

Awards & Honors: 

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

4^th in NL MVP voting (151 points, 45% share)

 

NL Cy Young voting (Top 3):

Rick Sutcliffe, ChiC.: 120 pts. – 24 of 24 first place votes, 100% share

Dwight Gooden, NYM: 45 pts. – 38% share

Bruce Sutter, StL.: 33 pts. – 28% share

 

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Indians went 75-87 to finish sixth in the AL Eastern Division, 29 games behind the division-winning Detroit Tigers. Following a poor start in which the Indians had difficulty scoring runs, the club benefited from the arrival of outfielders Joe Carter and Mel Hall, who came from the Cubs in the June trade for Sutcliffe.

 

Cubs went 96-65 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 6.5 games over the New York Mets. The pitching staff led the league in fewest walks issued (442). The Cubs reached the postseason for the first time since 1945 by battling the Mets until moving into first place to stay on August 1. Lost NLCS to the San Diego Padres, 3 games to 2 after taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

 

Aftermath of ‘84:

Sutcliffe was beset by injuries in 1985, and while effective when healthy, he ended up with a disappointing 8-8 record and a 3.18 ERA with 102 strikeouts over 130 innings. In 1986 a sore shoulder caused him to lose eight straight decisions on his way to a 5-14 tally and a 4.64 ERA with 122 strikeouts. “The Red Baron” returned to All-Star form in 1987 with a last-place club, topping the NL in wins with his 18-10 record while posting a 3.68 ERA and 174 strikeouts. While the Cubs improved in 1988, Sutcliffe did not, finishing at 13-14 with a 3.86 ERA and 144 strikeouts. The team topped the NL East in 1989 and “the Red Baron”, who was bothered by shoulder stiffness during the second half of the season, contributed a 16-11 mark with a 3.66 ERA and 153 strikeouts. The shoulder injury kept Sutcliffe out of action in 1990 until the end of August and he made only five appearances with no wins among them. Disabled twice in 1991 due to weakness in his shoulder, he produced a 6-5 tally with a 4.10 ERA. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Sutcliffe put together a respectable season for the Orioles in 1992 finishing with a 16-15 record and 4.47 ERA while compiling 237.1 innings. Knee surgery in 1993 limited him to 166 innings and a 10-10 mark with a 5.75 ERA. Sutcliffe finished his career in 1994 with an inconsequential performance with St. Louis during the strike-shortened season. For his major league career Sutcliffe had a 171-139 record with a 4.08 ERA and 1679 strikeouts over 2697.2 innings. He totaled 72 complete games with 18 shutouts. With the Cubs his record was 82-65 with a 3.74 ERA and 40 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 909 strikeouts over 1267.1 innings. Sutcliffe started three postseason games and went 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star, all with the Cubs. Following his playing career Sutcliffe served as a minor league pitching coach and went into broadcasting.  

 

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.  

 

MVP Profile: Ryne Sandberg, 1984

Second Baseman, Chicago Cubs

Age:  25 (Sept. 18)

3^rd season with Cubs

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 175

Prior to 1984:

A native of Spokane, Washington, Sandberg was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren. He starred in football (where he was a Parade magazine high school All-American quarterback) and basketball, as well as baseball at North Central High School. Heavily recruited for football by major colleges, he preferred baseball and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, who chose him in the 1978 amateur draft. Initially assigned to Helena of the Rookie-level Pioneer League in ’78, Sandberg played shortstop (his high school position) and batted .311 in 56 games. In 1979 Sandberg advanced to Spartanburg of the Class A Western Carolinas League where he led the team with 83 runs scored despite batting just .247. Moving up to Reading of the Class AA Eastern League in 1980, he hit .310 with 21 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs, and 79 RBIs, while stealing 32 bases, and was named to the league All-Star team. With the Oklahoma City 89ers of the Class AAA American Association in 1981 he batted .293 with 9 home runs and 62 RBIs with another 32 stolen bases. Having demonstrated solid hitting ability along with speed and defense, Sandberg was called up to the Phillies in September and the utility infielder batted .167 with one hit in six at bats. Dangled as trade bait in the offseason, he was dealt to the Cubs along with veteran shortstop Larry Bowa. Sandberg won the starting job at third base during spring training in 1982 and played there until September, when he was shifted to second. For the year he hit .271 with 33 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs, 54 RBIs, 103 runs scored, and 32 stolen bases. He finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Still not a power hitter, he followed up in 1983 by batting .261 with 8 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. He also received his first Gold Glove for his play at second base. Prior to the 1984 season, the quiet and hard-working “Ryno” signed a six-year $3.85 million contract. Coached by new manager Jim Frey, he began to work on developing his power stroke.

1984 Season Summary

Appeared in 156 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 700 [4]

At Bats – 636 [3]

Runs – 114 [1]

Hits – 200 [2]

Doubles – 36 [3, tied with Juan Samuel]

Triples – 19 [1, tied with Juan Samuel]

Home Runs – 19 [14, tied with Jody Davis]

RBI – 84 [15]

Bases on Balls – 52

Int. BB – 3

Strikeouts – 101 [11, tied with Tim Wallach]

Stolen Bases – 32 [13, tied with Wally Backman]

Caught Stealing – 7

Average - .314 [4]

OBP - .367 [11]

Slugging Pct. - .520 [3]

Total Bases – 331 [2]

GDP – 7

Hit by Pitches – 3 [18, tied with ten others]

Sac Hits – 5

Sac Flies – 4

League-leading runs scored were +8 ahead of runners-up Tim Raines & Alan Wiggins

Midseason snapshot:3B – 11, HR – 11, RBI – 52, AVG - .335, SLG PCT - .548

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 6 AB) vs. St. Louis 6/23 – 11 innings

Longest hitting streak – 18 games

HR at home – 11

HR on road – 8

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 6 AB) at Philadelphia 6/1, (in 6 AB) vs. St. Louis 6/23 - 11 innings

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 7 vs. St. Louis 6/23 - 11 innings

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 870

Put Outs – 314

Assists – 550

Errors – 6

DP – 102

Pct. - .993

Postseason Batting: 5 G (NLCS vs. San Diego)

PA – 22, AB – 19, R – 3, H – 7, 2B – 2,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 3, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 3, CS – 1, AVG - .368, OBP - .455, SLG - .474, TB – 9, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

All-Star (Started for NL at 2B)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Ryne Sandberg, ChiC.: 326 pts. - 22 of 24 first place votes, 97% share

Keith Hernandez, NYM: 195 pts. – 1 first place vote, 58% share

Tony Gwynn, SD: 184 pts. – 1 first place vote, 55% share

Rick Sutcliffe, ChiC.: 151 pts. – 45% share

Gary Matthews, ChiC.: 70 pts. – 21% share

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Cubs went 96-65 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 6.5 games over the New York Mets while leading the league in runs scored (762), RBIs (703), and walks drawn (567). The Cubs reached the postseason for the first time since 1945 by battling the Mets until moving into first place to stay on August 1. Lost NLCS to the San Diego Padres, 3 games to 2 after taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Aftermath of ‘84:

The Cubs dropped to fourth place in 1985, but Sandberg had another strong season, batting .305 with 26 home runs, 83 RBIs, 113 runs scored, and 54 stolen bases. He was an All-Star for the second consecutive year, received his third straight Gold Glove, and placed thirteenth in NL MVP balloting. In 1986 he committed only five errors in the field, and although he hit .284 his home run total dropped to 14 and RBIs to 76. With a last-place team in 1987, Sandberg batted .294 with 16 home runs and 59 RBIs and was still a Gold Glove second baseman in the field. On a team revitalized by an infusion of young talent in 1988, Sandberg hit .264 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. The stage was set for the Cubs to return to the top of the NL East in 1989 and the veteran second baseman contributed a league-leading 104 runs scored while batting .290 with 30 home runs and 76 RBIs and still providing Gold Glove play in the field. Early in the spring he also signed a three-year, $6.1 million contract extension. In 1990 Sandberg hit 40 home runs, to become the first second baseman to lead the NL in that category since 1925. He also hit .306 while topping the circuit in runs scored (116) and total bases (344), while establishing a major league record with 123 straight errorless games at second base. Sandberg had solid seasons in 1991, ’92, and ‘93, batting .291, .304, and .309 respectively with home run totals of 26, 26, and 9 while driving in 100, 87, and 45 RBIs. In 1993 he was hindered by a broken hand and a finger injury as well. Sandberg abruptly announced his retirement in June of 1994. Unhappy with the team’s direction, he remained inactive until 1996, when he returned to the Cubs. He played two more seasons in ’96 and 1997 until retiring for good. He hit .244 in ’96 with 25 home runs and 92 RBIs and .264 in ’97 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. Overall for his major league career, spent almost entirely with the Cubs, he batted .285 with 2386 hits that included 403 doubles, 76 triples, and 282 home runs. He further compiled 1061 RBIs, 1318 runs, and 344 stolen bases. In 10 postseason games Sandberg hit .385 with a home run and 6 RBIs. A 10-time All-Star, the Cubs retired his #23 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. Sandberg also was awarded nine Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. He became a minor league manager for the Cubs and Phillies and managed at the major league level with the Phillies from 2013 to ’15. His teams compiled a 119-159 record.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.

Rookie of the Year: Dwight Gooden, 1984

Pitcher, New York Mets

Age:  19

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 190

Prior to 1984:

Gooden, a native of Tampa, Florida rose from Little League to become a star pitcher at that city’s Hillsborough High School. He was chosen fifth overall by the Mets in the 1982 amateur draft. He passed up college scholarship offers to sign for $40,000 with an $85,000 signing bonus. He made an immediate impression as a 17-year-old with Kingsport of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 1982, striking out 18 batters in 13 innings. Gooden was quickly promoted to Little Falls in the Class A New York-Penn League. Overall in ’82 with two teams, he produced a 5-5 record with 84 strikeouts in 78.2 innings and a 2.75 ERA. Promoted to Lynchburg of the Class A Carolina League in 1983, Gooden refined his talent to become a dominant pitcher, with outstanding speed. He compiled a 19-3 record and struck out 300 batters in 191 innings and had a 2.50 ERA. He was promoted to Tidewater of the Class AAA International League to finish out his ’83 season and performed well in the league playoffs and the round-robin Class AAA World Series. With the Mets in rebuilding mode, Gooden joined his Tidewater manager, Dave Johnson with the parent club for the 1984 season, where with his great fastball and excellent curve he moved into the rotation.

1984 Season Summary

Appeared in 31 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 31

Games Started – 31 [19, tied with Steve Trout, Tim Lollar & Ed Whitson]

Complete Games – 7 [9, tied with Larry McWilliams & Rick Sutcliffe]

Wins – 17 [3]

Losses – 9

PCT - .654 [3]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [4, tied with Rick Rhoden, Bob Knepper & Rick Sutcliffe]

Innings Pitched – 218 [13]

Hits – 161

Runs – 72

Earned Runs – 63

Home Runs – 7

Bases on Balls – 73 [16]

Strikeouts – 276 [1]

ERA – 2.60 [2]

Hit Batters – 2

Balks – 7 [1, tied with Steve Carlton]

Wild Pitches – 3

League-leading strikeouts were +36 ahead of runner-up Fernando Valenzuela

Midseason Snapshot: 8-5, ERA - 2.84, SO – 133 in 111 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 16 (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 9/12, (in 8 IP) at Philadelphia 9/17

10+ strikeout games – 15

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Chi. Cubs 9/7

Batting

PA – 83, AB – 70, R – 5, H – 14, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 3, BB – 1, SO – 14, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .200, GDP – 3, HBP – 0, SH – 10, SF – 2

Fielding

Chances – 45

Put Outs – 21

Assists – 22

Errors – 2

DP – 0

Pct. - .956

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star

15^th in NL MVP voting (28 points, 8% share)

2^nd in NL Cy Young voting (45 points, 38% share)

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Dwight Gooden, NYM.: 118 pts. – 23 of 24 first place votes, 98% share

Juan Samuel, Phila.: 67 pts. – 1 first place vote, 56% share

Orel Hershiser, LAD.: 15 pts. – 13% share

Dan Gladden, SF.: 9 pts. – 8% share

Ron Darling, NYM.: 3 pts. – 3% share

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Mets went 90-72 to finish second in the NL Eastern Division, 6.5 games behind the division-winning Chicago Cubs.   

Aftermath of '84:

Gooden, nicknamed “Doctor K” for his propensity to strike out batters, or “Doc” for short, followed up in 1985 with a 24-4 record and 268 strikeouts in 276.2 innings as well as a league-leading 1.53 ERA. He received the NL Cy Young Award for his efforts. The Mets, contenders in ’85, won the NL pennant and World Series in 1986 with Gooden contributing a 17-6 record and 2.84 ERA. He was a disappointing 0-2 in the World Series and encountered off-field problems in the off-season related to heavy drinking and cocaine use and he entered a drug rehab facility. Not playing again until halfway through the 1987 season, Gooden’s performance dropped off to 15-7 with 148 strikeouts and a 3.21 ERA in 25 starts. He came back strong in 1988 with an 18-9 record, 175 strikeouts, and 3.19 ERA, and returned to the All-Star Game for the first time in two years. A shoulder injury limited him to 17 starts and a 9-4 tally in 1989 but he came back with a 19-win season in 1990 in which he recorded 223 strikeouts in 232.2 innings. Gooden was 13-7 in ’91 and experienced his first losing record in 1992 when he was 10-13 with a 72-90 ballclub. In the opening game of the ’93 season, he broke his toe after kicking a bat rack in the dugout and during recovery resumed cocaine use. Suspended by major league baseball he sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center. He relapsed upon leaving rehab at the time of the major league players’ strike that brought the season to an early end. Suspended for all of the 1995 season, Gooden entered a recovery program and signed with the New York Yankees in 1996. Following a slow start he pitched a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners and went on to compile an 11-7 record despite a 5.01 ERA. He spent one more ineffectual season with the Yankees in ’97 and moved on to the Cleveland Indians where he was 11-10 over two seasons. He was with Houston and Tampa Bay in 2000 before finishing the year back with the Yankees. No longer even close to being the dominant pitcher he was at the start of his career, Gooden retired during spring training in 2001 while facing the likelihood of being released by the Yankees. Overall, he compiled a 194-112 major league record, with 2293 strikeouts and a 3.51 ERA. Of that, he was 157-85 with the Mets, where he struck out 1875 batters and had a 3.10 ERA, as well as being a four-time All-Star who won a Cy Young Award.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.