Bruce Sutter has died, at 69. Sutter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 in good part for his greatness as a relief pitcher for the Cubs (for whom he won the Cy Young Award in 1979) and Cardinals (with whom he won a World Series in 1982 and saved a then-record 45 games in 1984). Sutter’s real claim to immortality is twofold: he was the pitcher most responsible for popularizing the split-finger fastball, and he revolutionized the role of the closer.
His adoption of the pitch was a response to a minor league arm injury that almost caused the Cubs to cut him:
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