In His Own Words: Bruce Sutter's BHOF Induction Speech

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Bruce Sutter's Induction Speech at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Cooperstown, New York – July 30, 2006

Thank you, Commissioner. That's tough to follow. I would like to thank Jane Clark, Dale Petroskey, Jeff Idelson, Kim Bennett, Brad Horn, Ted Spencer, Evan Chase and the rest of the Hall of Fame staff for making this day so special for me and my family. I'd like to thank the fans, friends, family and former teammates who have made the trip to Cooperstown to be part of this great day in my life. To the Hall of Famers present, I am in awe. It is indeed a great honor to be on this stage with you. I wish we could turn back the clock and suit it up for one more game.

I'd like to congratulate Gene Elston, Tracy Ringolsby and the families of the 17 players and administrators of the Negro leagues on their induction into the Hall of Fame. It's an honor to be able to share this day with you.

On January 10th, I got the call from Jack O’Connell and Jane Clark informing me that I'd just been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. After hanging up the phone, my emotions got the best of me and I didn't quite know why, but in the six months since I've had the time to reflect on how important that call was; it brought closure to a baseball career that did not end how and when I had always hoped it would. The call answered a question that had been ongoing for 13 years, a question quite frankly I would ask myself every year at election time, do you belong? I would like to thank the baseball writers for answering that question and bestowing on me the highest honor that a player can receive. The thought of having a plaque with my name on it beside the greatest players who have ever played the game is truly an honor and humbling experience.

When I played, I never needed the spotlight, nor did I want it. I simply wanted to play baseball and be respected my teammates and the opposing players. So today, my name goes on this plaque, but this day is not about me, it's about the many people who have helped me along the way.

I started playing sports at a young age in Mount Joy, Penn. My father is the one who got me started in baseball. He would come home from work and I'd always be waiting there with a glove and a ball. He was never too tired to go outside and play catch. After a few throws he would always take out his handkerchief and put it in his glove for padding. To this day I think he did it to build up a young man's ego. My dad had a calming demeanor about him. He never got real excited. Whether I played good or played bad, it was simply ‘good job’ or ‘go get them tomorrow.’ It was his temperament that rubbed off on me, and later it was a tremendous help to me as a closer. He always told me to show up ready to play, do the best you can and live with what happens then go out and do it again the next day. The point he always got across was that the game of baseball is perfect, but the people that play it are not. My parents have since passed on but I know they are looking down on me and are proud of what I've been able to achieve. It was at Donegal high school that I met two coaches, Don Staley and Al Brooks. I would like to thank them for getting me started off on the right foot. They taught me the importance of being on time, that you practice things until they become instinctive, and never make the same mistake twice, which I learned later on in life the hard way. Mr. Sandberg helped me with that.

Ralph DiLullu was the scout who signed me to my first professional contract. I would like to thank him, the Chicago Cubs and the Wrigley family for the opportunity to chase my dream.

It was in the Cubs minor league system that I met a man who taught me how to throw a new pitch that would take me from being a suspect all the way to the Hall of Fame. His name was Fred Martin. He taught me to spread my fingers apart and throw it just like a fast ball. Fortunately for me, it clicked right away. There were players throwing forkballs at the time and a few guys were using it for a change up but nobody was throwing what he called the split finger. It was a pitch that didn't change how the game was played but developed a new way to get hitters out. Everybody who has thrown the split-finger fast ball owes a great deal of thanks to Fred Martin because he was the first one to teach it. I would not be standing here today if it were not for that pitch. Fred passed away in 1979, but I know he has a crowd around him right now and he's showing someone how to hold the split finger.

While in the Cubs’ minor league system I played for managers Walt Dixon, QV Lowe and Doc Edwards, and I'd like to thank them for their patience while I was trying to master a new pitch.

I got called up to the Cubs in 1976 and stayed with them through the 1980 season. It was there in Chicago that Mike Roarke became my pitching coach and later we were reunited with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mike had the same low-key dry humor approach that my father had and that really helped me with the ups and downs that a closer goes through in the season. Whenever my mechanics would get out of whack, Mike was always that guy who could get me back on track. Mike, I can't thank you enough for the help that you've given me.

It was also in Chicago that I met two men, my agents Jim Bronner and Bob Golhooley, and together we went through landmark arbitration cases, trades and free agent signings. We started out as agents and player but ended up with 30 years of friendship. Jim and Bob, thank you for all that you've done for me and my family.

In the winter of 1980 I got traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and got to see the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry from the other side. The atmosphere in St. Louis is something I will always remember, the sea of red downtown on game day, the Clydesdales trotting around the field and of course Ozzie's back flip to get the year started.

In 1981 we had a shot at making the playoffs if it were not for the strike and me throwing a couple of home run balls down the stretch, but in 1982 it all came together and we were crowned World Series champions. Every young kid who dreams of pitching in the major leagues has imagined himself striking out the batter to end the seventh game of the World Series. I was one of the lucky ones who got to realize that dream.

Individual achievements are nice, but it does not compare to the feeling you have to go through a season with 24 other guys and end up on top. Putting the uniform on every day and going out on the field not hoping to win but expecting to win is a feeling I'll never forget.

The 1982 team was that kind of team. We expected to win. We were a team put together and managed by Whitey Herzog. Whitey was a manager like no other I had ever had. From the moment I met him, it was like I knew him all my life. The stories he told, the laughter, the enthusiasm for the game is something I always looked forward to. There was never a situation that came up in a game that Whitey wasn't prepared for. He was more like a teammate than he was a manager and he led us to that championship. Whitey, I know you're here. You're the best. I would like to thank you for your friendship and I'm looking forward to sharing that boat with you in September.

I would also like to thank the Busch family and the St. Louis Cardinals for those years in the great city of St. Louis.

Before the 1985 season I signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves. They had a good team with the majority of their '82 playoff teams still intact. I was looking forward to playing with them, but it wasn't meant to me be. Very few players get to leave the game on their own terms and in 1985 I hurt my shoulder and three surgeries later I was done. I love Atlanta and have made it my home for the last 21 years but I still regret not being able to pitch for the fans of Atlanta. I would like to thank Ted Turner and the Atlanta Braves for the opportunity that they gave me.

In 1989, my career was over as a player but it was now my chance to become a full time husband and father. When I was playing, my Jamye had the challenge of racing three boys for the most part by herself, but now that I was done playing, I was going to step away from the game that I loved and be with my family as much as possible. What a pleasure it was to spend time with my three sons and watch them as they grew up not only to become great young men but also my best buddies. So to Josh, his wife Donielle, my four grandkids Amanda, Denver, Grayson and Pressley, to Chad and his wife Kasey, and to Ben and his fiancee Amanda, I love you guys, you make my life complete.

To my wife Jamye, I want to say thank you for all the years of your endless love and support. We were together through the minor leagues, the major leagues and now the Hall of Fame. I love you very much and I appreciate everything you have done and continue to do. I wouldn't be here without you. I know we have some challenges to face in our future, but we'll do them as we always do, together.

To my sisters Barb, Mary, Joyce and Gloria, my brother Bill and the rest of the family that are here today, thank you for all your support through the years. I love you.

I'm at a time in my life where I don't miss playing baseball any more, but I do miss going to the ball park every day. I miss seeing all the special people that do the jobs off the field, the people that make a baseball player's job easier as you go through the long season. So to traveling secretaries Bill Acree and CJ Cherre, clubhouse guys Yosh Kawano, Butch Yakeman, Buddy Bates, Casey Stephensen, trainers Tony Garofalo, Gene Geiselman, Dave Pursley, Jeff Porter, Doctors Stan London and Joe Chandler, and to all the visiting clubbies, I'm truly grateful for all that you've done. You guys were more important to my career than anyone will ever know. I'd like to say thank you to all my Major League coaches and managers. Without you, all this wouldn't have been possible.

There's more to being a good teammate than just saving games and game winning hits. Being part of a team means spending every day with the guys going on the road away from family and friends, experiencing the ups and downs of life. You develop certain bonds that stay with you for your entire life. I can honestly say that I never had a teammate that I didn't get along with. I only hope that I was as good a teammate to them as they were to me.

I had the opportunity to be around pitchers like Rick Reuschel, Bill Bonham, Bob Forsch and Darold Knowles, who were not only fine pitchers but also took the time to teach me the unwritten rules of baseball and how to carry myself as a Major League baseball player. I was fortunate to play with Mike Krukow, who was my best friend and teammate throughout my journey to the big leagues. Kenny Holtzmen had his own way of keeping me humble. If I got a save, he would say it was because the tying run was up in the clubhouse eating a sandwich. If I blew a save or game up a game, he would wait until everything cooled down in the locker room and then ask me, ‘How did you hold that one?’

I had a chance to throw to some great catchers who didn't mind blocking all those balls in the dirt, guys like George Mitterwald, Gene Tenace, Barry Foote, Darryl Porter, Ted Simmons. Teddy was one of the best players I ever played with or against.

I had the opportunity to watch teammates Bill Madlock and Bill Buckner win batting titles. I saw and watched Bob Forsch pitch a no-hitter. I got to watch Dale Murphy play every day; who was better than Murph in the '80s?

If there was a better defensive team than Keith Hernandez, Tom Herr, Ozzie Smith, Ken Oberkfell, Lonnie Smith, Willie McGee, George Hendrick and Darryl Porter, you would have to prove it to me. Our pitchers meetings in St. Louis were simple: don't walk anybody and keep it in the park. Watching those guys play every day was truly amazing.

I got to see some great rookies break into the major leagues, guys like Lee Smith and Willie McGee, Andy Van Slyke, Terry Pendleton, Ron Grant, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Some of these guys have had careers which could land them here in Cooperstown.

And last but certainly not least, my fellow bullpenners. In my opinion, and I am a little biased, the last three innings of the ballgame is when everything starts happening. I'm not taking anything away from the great starting pitchers, but when they go out there and they have their good stuff there is no strategy, the only decision the manager has to make that day is where he'll be eating dinner that night. So when the starter starts to get into trouble and the bullpen is warming up, then the strategy of the game starts. Going to the ballpark every day as a relief pitcher is exciting because you never know what lies ahead of you that day but you know that if you do get a chance to pitch, you'll have a major effect on the outcome of game. When you did your job, there was no better feeling in the world; when you didn't, there was nothing worse.

I'd like to thank my fellow bullpenners who got the game to me and also picked me up on the days I wasn't so good, guys like Dick Tidrow, Willie Hernandez, Donnie Moore, Jim Otten, Jeff Lahti, Doug Bair, John Martin, Gene Garber, Terry Forraster, Rick Camp and Jim Kaat. Jim Kaat has more passion for the game than any man I've ever met. A few words with him could turn even the worst day into the one that wasn't so bad. I know you're here Kenny. Stand up, old timer. Thanks for your help.

I could stand up here all day long and talk about the great times I've had with my teammates but Johnny Bench told me I wasn't allowed. So to all my teammates, thank you again for the great times and memories we have shared. To the fans in Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta, I want to say thank you for your support. Your chanting of ‘Bruuuuuuce’ as I entered the game always gave me chills. I wish I could trot out there and get that feeling again, but Father Time has caught up with me; first he took my arm, then he took my hair, then he took the color from my beard, but he cannot take the great friendships and memories I have from being a baseball player.

I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to play Major League baseball with and against the greatest players in the world. Some days I was good and some days I was bad, but I always remember what my dad taught me, the game's perfect but the people that play the game are not.

On January 10th, I got the final call to the bullpen and I want to again thank the baseball writers for this great honor. From now on, I will get introduced as Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter. It still doesn't sound right, but it is sounding better.

Thank you for coming. Be careful going home. I love you all.