• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / 6 Career-Chronicling Cards of Don Sutton

6 Career-Chronicling Cards of Don Sutton

January 19, 2021 By Rich Mueller

Don Sutton autographed baseballBaseball lost a lot of legends in 2020.  The new year isn’t starting off much better.  Hall of Famer Don Sutton died in his sleep early Tuesday morning at the age of 75.  A consistent, durable starting pitcher, his name adds to the sad list of pitching greats who’ve passed away recently including Tom Seaver, Whitey Ford and Bob Gibson.

Sutton’s career spanned parts of three decades and he then transitioned into broadcasting. He was still active in the booth as late as 2018.

Born in a humble home in Clio, AL to teenage parents, Sutton pitched for 23 seasons and made 756 career starts, the third most in history. Only Cy Young and Nolan Ryan made more starts than Sutton, who never visited the disabled list during his career.  Only Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Roger Clemens have both more wins and more strikeouts.

“When you gave him the ball, you knew one thing – your pitcher was going to give you everything he had,” once said his former manager, Tommy Lasorda, who also passed away recently.

The durable Sutton ranks seventh all-time in innings pitched (5,282.1) and seventh in strikeouts (3,574). He worked at least 200 innings in 20 of his first 21 seasons – with only the shortened 1981 campaign interrupting his streak.  He’s one of only ten pitchers to record over 3,000 strikeouts, 300+ wins, and an ERA below 3.50.

Here’s a look at six Don Sutton cards tied to his outstanding career.

1966 Topps Rookie Card

Don Sutton-Bill Singer 1966 Topps

Sutton was 21 when he made his big league debut and he was already on Topps’ radar.  The company paired him with fellow pitching prospect Bill Singer on a rookie card.  Both had big league success. 

Sutton made his debut on the same day that another future Hall of Famer was born:  Greg Maddux.  He struck out 209 batters that first season, a rotation that included Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen.

His 1966 debut card is among the least expensive Hall of Fame rookie cards of the era.

1972 Topps

Sutton called the ’72 season his best and it’s hard to argue.  He began a streak of seven straight Opening Day starts that spring, threw nine shutouts and was virtually unhittable for much of the season, tossing 36 consecutive scoreless innings at one point.  He also made his first All-Star team in ’72.  

His 1972 Topps card is in the 5th (“semi-high number”) series, which carries a bit of a premium, but nice ungraded copies of his ’72 Topps card can still be had for under $25.

1974 Topps Deckle Edge

This season sparked the Dodgers’ long-awaited return to the postseason and Sutton played a pivotal role in October. He won Game 1 against Pittsburgh, then punched the Dodgers’ ticket to the World Series by pitching eight innings of three-hit ball. He won Game 2 of the World Series against Oakland as well.

The back of his 1974 Deckle Edge card references his 1972 season with a note to the date and location of the photo, a unique feature of the set.

1976 Kellogg’s

Sutton went 21-10 in the bi-centennial year, but more impressive was a crazy good stretch from July 7-September 1 in which he went 14-1 with a 1.62 ERA.

The front showcases his large, flowing signature while the back references the fact that he wasn’t a perennial 20-game winner, something the card back writer noted was “not held against him.”

1981 Topps ERA Leaders

Sutton led the majors in earned run average in 1980 at 2.20 and was honored for it, along with American League leader Rudy May, in Topps’ 1981 set.  He also led the big leagues in WHIP (0.989) and allowed fewer than seven hits per nine innings. 

Sutton also changed teams in 1981, signing with Houston as a free agent.  He left quite a legacy in LA, with team records for wins (233), strikeouts, innings, shutouts and starts.

1983 Gardner’s Brewers

While Sutton is usually remembered mostly for his days as a Dodger, he played a huge role for the Milwaukee Brewers in their drive to the 1982 pennant, getting the start in a must-win road game on the final day of the season and winning it over Baltimore despite being sick.  Brewers fans have fond memories of the gray road uniforms and caps worn by “Harvey’s Wallbangers” on that afternoon at Memorial Stadium.  

Gardner’s/Holsum Bread produced a few Brewers sets during the 1980s, with one card available in each loaf of bread during the spring and summer across much of Wisconsin. 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Notes: Insurance Interest Climbing; Dodgers Gold Jersey Auction; Kobe’s Last Day Autograph Session Ben Baller Designed Dodgers World Series Champs Set Released Vin Scully Collection Auction Topped by Championship Rings Collecting Vintage O-Pee-Chee Mickey Mantle Cards 1988 Dennis Eckersley World Series jerseyEckersley’s Jersey from Gibson’s World Series Walk-Off at Auction Rookie Cards for 10 Sabermetric Favorite Hall of Fame Candidates Rickey Henderson Cards Remain A Bargain Don Drysdale collectionDon Drysdale Career Collection Coming to Auction

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].

Filed Under: Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1966 Topps baseball, best cards Baseball Hall of Famers, Don Sutton, Kelloggs baseball cards, los angeles dodgers

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Consignments Wanted – Meet Huggins & Scott at the Philly Show This Weekend
  • Heritage Auctions Icons Photography Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball, Football & Non-Sport Cards Auction Ending Sept. 28, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window