In a year in which there were no runaway candidates, a select group of 520 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America cast their votes -- the most in history -- anointing only Sutter, who pitched for the Cardinals, Cubs and Braves in a career that spanned from 1976-88, ending when his signature pitch shredded the insides of his right elbow.
Only three pitchers previously elected to the Hall were known for their closing skills. But Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley all made numerous starts during their illustrious careers. Sutter never started a game, but he finished 512 of them to record 300 saves, the 19th most in history.
"I hope more closers now get in," Sutter said during a conference call only moments after Dale Petroskey, the Hall of Fame president, announced his selection on BaseballChannel.TV. "Goose Gossage is a friend of mine. Definitely a Hall of Fame pitcher in my mind. Lee Smith, a friend and a teammate. He's definitely a Hall of Famer in my mind. I just think that sometimes the voters just try to compare us with the starting pitchers.
"We can't compete with their statistics: their innings and their strikeouts. If you compare [the relievers] to each other, I think that you'll see we're all pretty equal. Without us, it's tough to win."
Gossage and Smith, the all-time saves leader with 478, didn't come close to getting in on Tuesday. Sutter, who turned 52 years old this past Sunday, will be inducted during Hall of Fame weekend ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 30, giving baseball's red brick shrine on Main Street 196 former players, 103 elected by the BBWAA. He'll be in New York on Wednesday for the traditional Hall of Fame electee press conference.
Hall of Fame officials now determine the cap a player "wears" on his plaque in Cooperstown. For Sutter, that announcement is expected to be made at Wednesday's press conference.