John Cerutti
Pitcher
Born: (1960-04-28)April 28, 1960
Albany, New York, U.S.
Died: October 3, 2004(2004-10-03) (aged 44)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 1, 1985, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
October 5, 1991, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record49–43
Earned run average3.94
Strikeouts398
Teams

John Joseph Cerutti (April 28, 1960 – October 3, 2004) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers between 1985 and 1991, and was later a broadcaster for the Blue Jays.

Playing career

Born in Albany, New York, Cerutti attended Amherst College, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 1980, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2]

He was selected in the first round of the amateur draft by the Blue Jays in 1981 with the 21st overall pick. Cerutti played seven seasons in the major leagues with the Blue Jays (1985–1990) and Detroit Tigers (1991).

On June 7, 1989, Cerutti recorded the first Blue Jays win in SkyDome, their new stadium.[3]

On December 20, 1990, the Toronto Blue Jays granted him free agency. He signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers on January 14, 1991.

Broadcasting career

After his playing career, he went into broadcasting and started calling Blue Jays games alongside Brian Williams on CBC before becoming a TV analyst for the team's new flagship station, Rogers Sportsnet.

Death

Cerutti was supposed to broadcast the last game of the 2004 season for the Blue Jays, an afternoon home game on October 3 versus the New York Yankees, but he uncharacteristically missed an 11:00 AM pregame meeting. The production staff began to worry and started calling him. After numerous attempts, the police had to be brought in to break open the door of his Toronto hotel room. He was found without any vital signs. His death at age 44 was officially declared to be of natural causes due to a ventricular arrhythmia.

"It was an unbelievable shock," Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said, in various wire reports. "We all realize, those of us involved in winning and losing games, how unimportant that is at a time like this."

The Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America paid tribute to John Cerutti in November, 2004, giving him its annual Good Guy Award and renaming the honor for him. The award has been handed out every year since Toronto's inaugural season in 1977, and is given annually to an individual who best exemplifies a positive image for baseball. John Cerutti was known for his exemplary character, goodwill, and sportsmanship.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "All-Stars Play at Stadium Monday". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. July 25, 1980. p. 27.
  3. ↑ "Blue Jays get their first win in SkyDome". youtube.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. (@MLB Youtube channel). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Davidi, Shi (17 December 2015). "Josh Donaldson headlines 2015 Blue Jays award winners". Sportsnet. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
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