John Cerutti

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

Playing career

Born in Albany, New York, Cerutti was selected in the first round of the amateur draft by the Blue Jays in 1981 with the 21st overall pick out of Amherst College. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. 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.

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 but missed an 11:00 AM 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 the age of only 44 was officially declared to be of natural causes due to a ventricular arrhythmia. The situation of his death was similar to that of pitcher Darryl Kile two years prior and that of pitcher Don Drysdale in 1993. Each had been found dead from a heart condition in their hotel rooms.

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.^[1]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Historic Baseball