Tom Hutton
From BR Bullpen
Thomas George Hutton
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
- School Pasadena City College
- Debut September 16, 1966
- Final Game September 3, 1981
- Born April 20, 1946 in Los Angeles, CA USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school in pre-draft days (1964), Tom Hutton was a seven-year veteran of the Dodgers' minor-league system when L.A. traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in October 1971 for Larry Hisle. Hutton was MVP twice in the Dodgers' system. Hisle ended up in AAA Albuquerque, but Hutton moved straight on to the Phillies' major-league roster and stayed there for six years, playing a role on division champions in 1976 and 1977.
Hutton was a reserve first baseman, emergency outfielder, and left-handed pinch hitter. His best-known characteristic was a mysterious ability to hit Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Hutton batted .320 against Seaver in 62 plate appearances, with 11 walks, three home runs and 11 RBI. He was an excellent fielder at first base and had a powerful throwing arm.
Hutton ended his playing career with four seasons in Montreal. He has since been a consistent presence in major-league broadcasting booths, including these stints:
- 1982-86 Montreal Expos
- 1987-89 New York Yankees
- 1990-96 Toronto Blue Jays
- 1997-present Florida Marlins
Hutton married Dick Ruthven's twin sister Debbie. He is also the cousin of Bill Seinsoth and the nephew of Bill Seinsoth Sr.
[edit] August 11th, 1980 Relief Pitching Appearance
While with the Montreal Expos in the 1980 season, Hutton took the mound at the start of the bottom 8th inning of the August 11th game at St. Louis, with the score St. Louis 13, Montreal 0. It was his first pitching appearance in his MLB career. Tony Scott was the first batter faced, and flied-out to left field. Next Keith Hernandez hit a home run. Ted Simmons reached base on ball after that. Hutton then struck out Leon Durham for Hutton's first (and only) MLB career strikeout. The next batter was Ken Oberkfell, who singled and reached 2nd base on a throw to 3rd when Simmons advanced to 3rd. In the following at-bat, Dane Iorg hit a double, batting in Simmons and Oberkfell. Mike Phillips grounded out to first in the final at-bat of the inning. Montreal did not come back in the top of the 9th, and there was no bottom of the 9th. Tom Hutton never pitched again in his career, and has a career ERA of 27.00, and 1 career strikeout.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1966 MVP Texas League Albuquerque Dodgers
- 1971 MVP Pacific Coast League Spokane Indians
- 1972 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
