DID YOU KNOW? data-styled.g139[id="Styles__ContributorContainer-sc-9g3k0d-0"]{content:"dLQAwR,"}/*!sc*/ .eJdqRG a:hover{color:#0048AB;}/*!sc*/ If your wrist is slightly cocked to the throwing hand's thumb side, your wrist-snap will enable you to have the pitch come off of the thumb-side of your index finger, which, in turn, promotes good spin on the ball. .hHLkAw input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#aaaaaa;}/*!sc*/ Hold a baseball with a splitter grip. According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he died Thursday in Cartersville, Georgia. Twelve years in the majors and 300 saves later, Sutter had become one of the most dominant relievers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, all because of a different grip on the ball. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. The split finger was a dominant pitch for Ron Darling on the 1986 World Champion New York Mets staff. .mHQYb .p-search-item__container:hover{background-color:#e6f2ff75;color:#333333;}/*!sc*/ b,strong{font-weight:bolder;}/*!sc*/ In the mid-1980s, former MLB pitcher Roger . Then Herman Franks became Cubs manager in 1977 and had Sutter closing games from the beginning of the season. @media (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav__content{-webkit-box-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;}}/*!sc*/ The middle finger and index finger will be spread out on the outside of the baseball seams that create the horseshoe shape. sup{top:-0.5em;}/*!sc*/ Do it while you're watching TV or in study hall at school. I think he was sort of a precursor to what Mariano Rivera did with the cutter -- Bruce did it with one pitch and that was the split-fingered fastball, Hall of Famer and 1982 teammate Jim Kaat told MLB.com on Friday. Philadelphias Roy Halladay, the Angels Dan Haren and Bostons Jonathan Papelbon are among the pitchers who still have it in their arsenals, but concerns about the strain it can put on a pitchers arm are prompting some teams to ban their prospects from throwing it. FILE - St. Louis Cardinals ace reliever Bruce Sutter celebrates after the last out in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series at St. Louis, Oct. 20, 1982. The difficulty with this pitch isn't from the pitch itself. progress{vertical-align:baseline;}/*!sc*/ Its not necessarily the pitch. He added, Im for anything thats going to make a guy successful and give him a chance to play in the big leagues.. Pitching Ninja 125K subscribers Subscribe 153 Share 4.6K views 3 weeks ago Bruce Sutter is one of the greatest relief pitchers in baseball. He became the first pitcher enshrined who had never started a MLB game. Sutter began closing games late in the 1976 season and posted 10 saves. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item{width:100%;-webkit-order:0;-ms-flex-order:0;order:0;background-color:#081c3b;border-bottom:1px solid #002867;}/*!sc*/ Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame inductee, was a dominant closer in the 1970s and '80s and made heavy use of the split-finger pitch. .drUhS path{fill:#000000;}/*!sc*/ Anyone can read what you share. .fuMUTu{pointer-events:none;width:16px;height:16px;display:inline-block;overflow:visible;fill:#ffffff;stroke:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ As mentioned above, a splitter is thrown with a pitcher's two fingers split apart by the baseball. .mHQYb .p-search-item__image-thumbnail--rounded{background-color:#f7f7f7;margin-top:0;margin-left:0.25rem;height:40px;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;border-radius:50%;}/*!sc*/ @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black.woff') format('woff');font-style:normal;font-weight:900;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ The final installment of $9.1 million reportedly was paid to him in 2021. Theres not much video of Sutter that survives from that time, but here he is striking out Jim Rice in the 1979 All-Star Game. A total of $4.8 million would be paid in salary over the six years and the other $4.8 million would be invested into a deferred payment account at 13 percent interest that would pay Sutter $1.3 million a year for the 30 years after the six-year deal ends. The Cubs foiled those plans. Obviously, this isn't the full picture. In all, there were 401 days missed. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .icon *{fill:currentColor;}/*!sc*/ To do this, pronate your throwing hand (turn it over as if you were giving your catcher a "thumbs down" hand signal) as you throw the pitch. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium.woff2') format('woff2'), url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-medium.woff') format('woff');font-weight:500;font-style:normal;}/*!sc*/ Do you know how to throw a split-finger fastball? The pitch not only led him to the Major Leagues, but also made him a Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs and a World Series Champion with the 1982 Cardinals. *{box-sizing:border-box;}/*!sc*/ Sutter rarely threw his splitter for a strike, but it was difficult for hitters to lay off. Cardinals third baseman Terry Pendleton threw home for a force at the plate, but then St. Louis catcher Glenn Brummers throw to first was wild and the winning run scored. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item .icon__subnav-arrow{-webkit-transform:rotate(-90deg);-ms-transform:rotate(-90deg);transform:rotate(-90deg);margin-right:0;width:11px;height:11px;float:none;}/*!sc*/ But you just want to avoid injuries at all costs. data-styled.g142[id="Share-sc-1t9fdg-0"]{content:"koKsQt,"}/*!sc*/ Bruce Sutter signed with the Cubs in September 1971 and pitched for Chicago through 1980. .fAmXvR{background:#f3f3f3;border-radius:6px;color:#444444;font-family:"proxima-nova","open Sans","Helvetica","Arial",sans-serif;font-weight:500;padding:16px 16px 24px;}/*!sc*/ Long before Bobby Bonilla famously deferred much of his contract with the Mets to make additional millions in salary, Sutter pulled off a financial move for the ages. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-extrabold.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-extrabold.woff') format('woff');font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ 2 is a two-seam fastball.) data-styled.g141[id="sharestyle__Wrapper-sc-9nfkvu-1"]{content:"blUWSx,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-side{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}/*!sc*/ Bruce Sutter passed away today, aged 69, confirmed by the Cardinals official Twitter account: We are saddened over the passing of Bruce Sutter.Sutter was a dominant pitcher and a member of the '82 World Series Championship team.He is a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cardinals Hall of Fame.Our thoughts are with Bruce's family and friends. When Bruce would get a little off kilter mechanically, hed bring in Mike to help him and hed get it back.. This reduces speed and gives you that nice, fading movement to your throwing-arm side of the plate. ), Here's how it works: Grip a baseball leaving the index finger off like you were pointing at something. .hHLkAw input::-webkit-search-decoration,.hHLkAw input::-webkit-search-cancel-button,.hHLkAw input::-webkit-search-results-button,.hHLkAw input::-webkit-search-results-decoration{display:none;}/*!sc*/ Here's a shot of Sutter pitching in a game back in 1983 love the scruff. data-styled.g162[id="Styles__NewsletterOptinContainer-sc-10yslsy-0"]{content:"sczZi,"}/*!sc*/ @media (min-width:375px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav--teams__team--shortname{display:none;}.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav--teams__team--name{display:inline-block;}}/*!sc*/ As it turned out, it proved to be one of the difference-making moves that helped St. Louis win it all in '82. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top .header__nav-top__button-menu{cursor:pointer;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__subnav__item:hover{background-color:#057AFF;color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ Bruce Sutters entire career can be boiled down to about an inch of white leather and red stitching. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner a,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner span{color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ @media (min-width:1024px){.blLcNM .content{grid-column:1 / span 8;}.blLcNM .content .share-btn{-webkit-align-self:flex-end;-ms-flex-item-align:end;align-self:flex-end;margin-bottom:16px;top:0;}}/*!sc*/ .hUHmCp > article{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(12,minmax(0,1fr));grid-gap:24px;color:#000000;}/*!sc*/ His procedure repaired a pinched nerve in his elbow and upon returning to baseball, Sutter found he could not muster enough strength to throw a fastball, much less complete an inning. But its not just about them getting hurt. 10 moments that defined Sutter's career. You dont see the splitter as much as you used to., Split-Finger Fastball, Once Popular, Is Falling Away, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/sports/baseball/split-finger-fastball-use-of-a-popular-pitch-falls-off-the-table.html. .sczZi{border-bottom:1px solid #dddddd;border-top:1px solid #dddddd;font-size:1rem;margin:32px 16px;padding:32px 0;}/*!sc*/ He saved just three games in 1986 before undergoing shoulder surgery to repair an injured rotator cuff, the third arm surgery of his career. He would win both awards again in 1981, 1982 and 1984. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. You dont see that anymore.. "No," says Bill James, author of the The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. He agreed to receive $750,000 a year in salary with Atlanta and defer the remainder of his money, with the Braves paying him $1.12 million over a 30-year period. .mHQYb input[type='search']::-webkit-search-cancel-button{-webkit-appearance:none;}/*!sc*/ @media screen and (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item:hover{background-color:#057AFF;}}/*!sc*/ .blUWSx .share-icon__square{width:30px;}/*!sc*/ It also slightly reduces the speed of the pitch, which is why most two-seamers register about 1 to 3 mph slower than four-seam fastballs. The Cubs offered Sutter $350,000, about a 50 percent increase from his $225,000 salary in 1979. Kaat said he and Sutter talked often during their two-year stint together in St. Louis about the split-fingered fastball, and how it saved the latters career. .hspSPq:hover{cursor:pointer;background-color:#0462CC;}/*!sc*/ He wasnt quite as good in 1978, though still made the NL All-Star team for the second straight year. For every pitcher listed here, there could be several others who gave up on the splitter early because it bothered their arm. Bruce Sutter, a dominant relief pitcher whose mastery of the split-fingered fastball launched a career that culminated with induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has died, the. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__secondary-logos img{max-height:56px;max-width:none;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search-item__team-logo--container{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;margin-left:auto;}/*!sc*/