On this day in 1945, Don Sutton was born in Clio, Alabama. At just 21 years of age, Sutton debuted as a Dodger in 1966 and posted the first of 15 consecutive seasons with 200 or more innings pitched, all for Los Angeles. The streak was only broken because of the 1981 strike. He left the team as a free agent following the 1980 season and signed with the Astros.
Sutton had been with the Astros for a season and a half when the Brewers acquired him in August of 1982. He immediately slotted into the rotation and posted a 3.29 ERA in seven September starts, pitching eight innings or more in four of them. He also made three postseason appearances.
Over 2+ seasons as a Brewer, Sutton made 71 starts and pitched an average of nearly seven innings per appearance. Following the 1984 season, the Brewers traded the soon-to-be 40 year old Sutton to the A's. He would go on to pitch four more seasons, finishing his career with 324 wins and 5282.1 innings pitched, the seventh most in major league history.
Sutton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. He turns 65 today.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday today to 2000-03 Brewer Curtis Leskanic, who turns 43.