Dizzy Sutherland
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | April 9, 1922 Washington, DC |
| Date and Place of Death: | August 21, 1979 Washington, DC |
| Baseball Experience: | Major League |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | Private First-Class |
| Military Unit: | US Army |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Howard A “Dizzy” Sutherland was born on April 9, 1922 in Washington, DC.
He worked as a cab driver before entering military service with the Army
at Fort Myer, Virginia, on January 25, 1943, and trained with the
airborne forces.
In September 1943, Sutherland took part in the airborne assault at
Salerno, Italy. His battalion was misdropped behind German lines and he
was wounded in three places by shrapnel. Thirty minutes after landing he
was captured. He spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp in Germany
and by the time he was liberated in 1945 he had lost 100 pounds.
Sutherland returned home to Washington, DC where continued to drive a
cab and play semi-pro baseball at the weekend. In 1949, at the age of
27, he was scouted by Spencer Abbott and signed to pitch for the
Charlotte Hornets – a Washington Senators’ farm team in the Class B
Tri-State League.
Sutherland had an outstanding rookie season with the Hornets, posting an
18-10 won-loss record with a 3.22 ERA. He was called up to the Senators
in September 1949, and made his only major league appearance on
September 20, 1949 in a start against the St. Louis Browns. He was taken
out in the second inning with the bases loaded and none out, having
given up eight runs on two hits and six walks and was charged with the
loss.
Sutherland returned to Charlotte in 1950 and though again recalled by
the Senators in September and with them for spring training 1951, he did
not make another appearance. Sutherland continued to pitch for the
Hornets in 1951 and ended his professional career with the Richmond
Colts in the Piedmont League in 1953.
Dizzy Sutherland passed away on August 21, 1979 in Washington, DC. He
was 57 years old and is buried at Cheltenham Veteran's Cemetery in
Cheltenham, Maryland.
Date Added May 15, 2020
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