Reading Eagle - September 6, 1980
Sutton Beats Carlton, Phils
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Don Sutton has won more games than any other Dodger pitcher, 227 of them. He has won playoff games and World Series games, and he has been a most valuable player in an All-Star Game.
The 35-year-old Los Angeles veteran long has maintained the finest game he has ever pitched was his two-hit, 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh in the 1974 National League championship series.
On Friday night, he pitched a game which he said, “was awfully close to the ’74 playoff game.”
The Dodger right-hander struck out 10 batters and allowed only three hits over eight innings in pitching Los Angeles to a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia.
Don Stanhouse pitched the final inning to preserve the shutout, the Dodgers’ 18th of the season. Meanwhile, Steve Carlton suffered only his eighth loss of the year against 21 wins.
“We had a guy pitch a game he would win nine of 10 times,” said Philadelphia Manager Dallas Green. “They had a guy who pitched an even better one. Sutton used his stuff like a master. He’s a veteran, he knows how to work our lineup.”
Indeed. Sutton issued only two walks, to Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski, both of whom homered the night before.
The victory, the Dodgers’ eighth in their last nine games, improved their lead over Houston in the National League west to 1½ games. The Phillies, whose winning streak was stopped at four, dropped into a tie with Montreal for first place in the NL East, one game in front of Pittsburgh.
Sutton was well on his way to his 53rd career shutout, but came out for a pinch-hitter after working eight innings.
Stanhouse worked a perfect ninth inning for his fifth save.
Ron Cey provided the game’s only run with his 23rd homer of the season leading off the second inning. It cost Carlton his sixth straight loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He hasn’t won in Dodger Stadium since July 23, 1972.
The 10 strikeouts marked the Dodgers’ season high. Sutton, 10-4 overall and 8-1 at home, permitted only one runner past first, Schmidt, who singled in the fourth and stole second.