Nastiest Pitches in MLB History
Bruce Sutter’s Splitter
Everyone loves a good splitter. Many modern baseball fans grew up watching Roger Clemens demoralize opposing hitters with his split-finger fastball. A great splitter is thrown with the spin and velocity of a fastball, but breaks sharply towards the ground. While Clemens always had incredible stuff, his splitter is what evolved him into one of the best power pitchers of all-time.
However, a lesser-known name was the original king of the splitter. That would be Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter. Sutter didn’t invent the splitter, but he perfected it and brought it to the limelight. Without Sutter’s mastery, Clemens’ career could look a whole lot different.
The development of Sutter’s splitter bears a similar story to Trevor Hoffman’s changeup. Early in his minor league career with the Cubs, a pinch-nerve that required surgery severely hindered the effectiveness of Sutter’s original pitches. In order to survive, he had to adjust and adapt. Then, his minor league pitching coach Fred Martin showed him the splitter, and the next year he was in the major leagues. Watch him tell the story in his own words.
Sutter quickly established himself as the Cubs’ closer, and by his second season he was an All-Star. Behind his magical splitter, Sutter was a 6x All-Star, 5x saves leader, 4x Reliever of the Year, World Series Champion and a Cy Young Award winner in 1979.
The way Sutter was able to mow down hitters en route to 300 saves and Hall of Fame career inspired the next generation of long-fingered pitchers to develop a splitter into their repertoire. Still, Sutter remains a lesser-known name in the greater history of baseball. In fact, it took him thirteen ballots until he was finally voted into Cooperstown in 2006. But his legacy lives on every time a pitcher rings somebody up with a filthy splitter.