Duane Kuiper, Cleveland’s second baseman, was in his first month in the majors when he began to play behind Gaylord Perry, an experienced pitcher. Perry saw Kuiper running to his position in order to start the game and said to him, “If I make an error today, you won’t play another day here in the major leagues.” Do you understand?!”
Gaylord Perry was more than just a pitcher. He was great stuff. He was a huge, strong, gruff, North Carolina farmer. He was competitive, irascible and, like great pitchers before him, was fearless and mean. Even if it meant he was causing trouble for his teammate or opponent, he spoke out freely. He was a member of eight different teams and asked for a trade. He also threatened to quit, almost fought with Frank Robinson, and in the 1983 Pine Tar Game, he took George Brett’s bat. The umpires arrested him and he was thrown out the game. Perry was the first player to make it with the club at age 22. San Francisco Giants In 1962, or 22 seasons later at the age of 44, with the Seattle Mariners He was the Ancient Mariner Kansas City Royals 1983
Perry seems to be unfair because he is a sexist. who died Thursday at the age of 84He is most remembered for his spitball throwing ability (even though his 1974 autobiography is called “Me and The Spitter”) Some people consider him to be an overrated pitcher. He was probably underrated.
Perry won 314 games, with a 3.11 ERA. He also had 3,534 strikeouts. Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver and Tom Seaver are the only pitchers who have ever achieved these numbers. Perry was the pitcher who won the Cy Young Award for each league in 1972 for Cleveland, and 1978 at age 39 for the Tampa Bay Indians. San Diego Padres. Jim and Gaylord Perry were the only two brothers to win a Cy Young. Gaylord Perry won a greater number of games than any other pitcher between the 1960s and 1970s. After three unsuccessful attempts, Perry was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Willie Stargell, a Hall of Fame outfielder, once stated that “He was tough.” “He was amazing. He was also very angry.
Perry was actually able to throw the spitball. This pitch was one he learned from Bob Shaw in 1964. Perry’s loading up was a frequent complaint from his opponents. In 1973, New York Yankees Ralph Houk, Perry’s manager, charged the mound and ripped Perry’s cap from his head. In the 1970s, at least one of Perry’s catchers claimed that Perry only threw two to three spitters per outing when he needed it. Perry did the same thing on the mound. He appeared to touch his cap and hair as well as his jersey. Perry explained to me that in retirement, he thought the hitters might think he was a spitter. I had a better chance of getting the hitters out if they were more relaxed in their heads and approach. And they loved me getting them out.
Perry was also extremely durable. He threw 5,350⅓ innings, sixth most of all time, only 36 fewer than Nolan Ryan. Perry threw at most 300 innings seven times over a nine-year period. Over 300 innings were pitched in a season for Perry over a 10-year span. He threw 53 saves, which was tied for 16th with Jim Palmer and two fewer than Steve Carlton. Perry’s 1.181 WHIP is also in the top 20 of all-time, just ahead Bob Gibson.
Willie McCovey, an ex-teammate, once said that “there were so many great pitchers within the National League in both the ’60s & ’70s.” Juan Marichal was one the best pitchers on our team. Gaylord was not appreciated by everyone. Gaylord was not appreciated by everyone.
Perry, who was also a North Carolina high school basketball and football star, didn’t excel at hitting. His career average was.131 and he had six home runs. Alvin Dark, a Giants manager in 1964, was told by a journalist that Perry, at the time, was a skilled hitting pitcher who might one day hit a homerun. Dark replied, “Mark your words, a man can land on the moon before Gaylord Perez hits a homerun.”
Five years later at 1:07 p.m. Pacific on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 launched. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men on the moon. Three minutes later, approximately 238,900 miles from home, Perry struck his first major league homer. It was a blast off the Dodgers Claude Osteen.
Three years later, Perry was traded to Cleveland by the Giants for ace Sam McDowell. McDowell would win 19 more games throughout his career. Perry would win 180. Perry is beloved by San Francisco. In 2016, a statue was unveiled at Oracle Park to honor the 10 years Perry spent there to begin his career.
Kuiper is always playful and now calls games for Giants. Someone once took a photo of him saluting Perry’s statue. He recalled that the veteran pitcher had threatened him in 1974 and he gave the salute with the middle finger. The second salute was one of respect for a great, great pitcher.