Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley presents Rick Sutcliffe

Chicago Cubs: The final steps in a sturdy, reliable career

In 1992, the now 36-year-old proved he could still be of value to a big league team.  As a member of the Baltimore Orioles, Sutcliffe was a stereotypical innings-eater tossing 237 1/3 frames of 4.47 ERA baseball. His 36 starts tied for the league lead – a testament to his durability.

By 1993, 18 years in the big leagues began to really take its toll on Sutcliffe. His numbers trended in the wrong direction in almost every way and he fell well short of eclipsing 200 innings. After signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1994, Sutcliffe’s ERA ballooned even higher to an unsightly 6.52 in an injury-plagued season and it was clear that his time in the game was done.

Sutcliffe retired following the ’94 season with a career record of 171-139 and a 4.08 ERA.

After walking off the mound for the last time, Sutcliffe had a brief stint as a pitching coach of the Padres’ (now the Kansas City Royals) minor league affiliate from 1996-97.  When the coaching gig came to an end, he took on the role of color commentator for the Padres until 2004, leaving for ESPN on a full-time basis, a network he occasionally enjoyed part-time since 1998.

Personally, whenever fellow red-headed players such as Matt Murton or Ryan Dempster donned the Cubbie blue uniform and played on the field, it always reminded me of “The Red Baron” himself.

A fan favorite at Wrigley during a few memorable seasons in Chicago during the 1980s, Rick Sutcliffe will forever live on in Chicago Cub lore, more than worthy of being dubbed a “Hero of Wrigley.”