After the passing of Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 2020, there were only three living pitchers who had thrown the final pitch in a winning World Series for the Cardinals. They were Adam Wainwright, Jason Motte and Bruce Sutter.
Now there are only two.
Sutter, who threw the final pitch of the 1982 World Series to clinch the Cardinals’ first championship in 15 years, died at the age of 69 in Cartersville, Georgia late Thursday night after having fought Parkinson’s and then a suddenly developing bout with cancer.
Fellow Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, the shortstop for the 1982 champions, said, “We knew when we put the ball in Bruce’s hand, there was a 99.