When the Alabama native was a rookie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he had a footnote in baseball history as the first winning pitcher on artificial turf. The 21-year-old righthander topped future Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts, in a 6-3 win at the Astrodome in 1966. Fans that night probably didn't imagine that they were seeing two Hall of Fame pitchers that evening. 323 more wins were to come and Sutton joined the Hall in 1998.

He spent 15 years in Los Angeles, becoming a constant nemesis to the Astros but he signed with Houston as a free agent in 1981. He went 11-9 in 1981 with a 2.61 ERA but missed the playoffs when he was kneecapped while trying to put down a bunt. The next season, he went 13-9 with a 3.00 ERA before a late-season trade sent him to Milwaukee for Kevin Bass, Frank DiPino and Mike Madden.

He spent the rest of his career on the West Coast, pitching for the Athletics and Angels before pitching a final season with the Dodgers as a 43-year-old. For his full career, he compiled a 324-256 record with 178 complete games, 58 shutouts and a 3.26 ERA. During his short stay with Houston, he was 24-17 with a 2.82 ERA.

Since retirement in 1989, Sutton has been a broadcaster at several stops, including Atlanta and Washington.

Sutton died in his sleep from cancer in Rancho Mirage, CA on January 18, 2021 at the age of 75.