[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 257-258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF DON SUTTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 21, 2004

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
achievements of one of my constituents, a 1998 Hall of Fame inductee 
and now a respected broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves, Mr. Don Sutton.
  The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Don as an amateur free agent in 1964. 
He ended his career in 1998 with 324 wins and struck out 3,574 batters, 
while never missing his turn in the pitching rotation for the Dodgers, 
Astros, Brewers, Athletics and Angels.
  Don, a four-time All Star and the 1977 All-Star Game MVP, reached 
double figures in wins in 21 of his 23 seasons and struck out over 100 
batters in each of his first 21 campaigns. He pitched in four World 
Series and posted five career one-hit games.
  Don, who never spent one day on the disabled list, kept this body and 
mind in tip-top shape, enabling him to start at least 30 games in 20 of 
his 22 seasons.
  Sutton started all but 18 of the 774 career games he pitched, which 
has led many current and former alltime greats to refer to him as one 
of the most durable and consistent players of all time. He ranks second 
all time to Cy Young in games started.
  Don has pitched in over 100 innings through 15 games of postseason 
play. He pitched in a 10-2 win for the Milwaukee Brewers in the final 
game of the 1982 season to defeat the Baltimore Orioles and win the 
American League Eastern Division title.
  The tall, lean right-hander put away many of his opponents by 
throwing his feared fastball and signature sweeping curveball. There 
have been many drawn comparisons by the games top players, writers, and 
announcers, who have compared him to other legendary pitchers such as 
Bert Blyleven and Gaylord Perry. To the hearts and minds of Northwest 
Floridians, Don will always be second to none.
  Sutton came full circle in 1988 when he retired in a Dodgers uniform. 
This spring, Don will begin his 15th season with the Braves, continuing 
his highly successful career as a broadcaster.
  Don is also known as a great family man and showed his pride during 
his Cooperstown induction when his final thanks went to his wife, Mary, 
and their daughter, Jackie. Don was surrounded by many of his close 
friends, former teammates and coaches, including one of his best 
coaches, his father Howard Sutton, who taught him how to pitch.
  On behalf of the United States Congress, I would like to recognize 
this special person, Don Sutton, for the example he has set in the 
sports world, his country, and for Northwest Florida. I offer my 
sincere thanks for all that he has done for Northwest Florida and the 
United States of America.

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