On July 26, 1998, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton and Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Sutton was the lone player voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), while Jarrín received the Ford C. Frick Award.
The Veterans Committee elected Larry Doby, the American League’s first African-American player, Lee MacPhail, “Bullet” Joe Rogan and George Davis as part of the 1998 Hall of Fame Class as well.
That was further memorable for Jarrín in that he additionally was honored by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was the first recipient of the Southern California Broadcaster Association’s President’s Award.
In 1970, Jarrin became the first Latin American to win the Golden Mike Award, which is presented to a broadcaster by the Southern California Radio and Television News Association. In 1992, he was honored in his native Ecuador with the La Gran Cruz al Merito en El Grado de Comendado Medal of Honor, the highest award presented in the country to non-military personnel.
Jarrín began his broadcasting career with the Dodgers in 1973 and didn’t retire until after the 2022 season.
Jarrín became the 12th member added to the Dodger Stadium Ring of Honor, joining Vin Scully as the second broadcaster to be immortalized by the Dodgers franchise.
Sutton spent 16 seasons with the Dodgers, with 15 of those coming consecutively before returning for a final year in 1988. He set several franchise records and still resides as the Dodgers’ all-time leader in wins (233), innings pitched (3,816.1), strikeouts (2,696), games started (533) and shutouts (52).
Sutton never earned a Cy Young Award throughout his 21-year career but at minimum was a model of consistency and longevity. He won at least 11 games and had 100 strikeouts in all 21 years. From 1969-76, he won at least 15 games.
Sutton’s No. 20 jersey is retired by the Dodgers, and it’s the only that is solely predicated on the franchise’s time in Los Angeles.
Jarrín excited for next chapter
As his final season in the broadcast booth wound to a close, Jarrín said he was looking forward to being able to spend more time with family. He already started that process by scaling back to only calling home games on the Dodgers’ 2022 schedule.
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