Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball

[Subdeacon Joe]

https://apnews.com/article/sports-baseball-gaylord-perry-dies-d200839a40ef7076ae46dd105aa44ce7

 

Quote

GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball and telling stories about the pitch, died Thursday. He was 84.

Perry died at his home in Gaffney at about 5 a.m. Thursday, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said. He did not provide additional details. A statement from the Perry family said he “passed away peacefully at his home after a short illness.”

The native of Williamston, North Carolina, made history as the first player to win the Cy Young in both leagues, with Cleveland in 1972 after a 24-16 season and with San Diego in 1978 — going 21-6 for his fifth and final 20-win season just after turning 40.

“Before I won my second Cy Young, I thought I was too old — I didn’t think the writers would vote for me,” Perry said in an article on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website. “But they voted on my performance, so I won it.”

 

 

From a different article:

 

During the 1971 NCLS between the Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates, Perry’s 5-year-old daughter Allison was famously asked by a television reporter if he threw the greaseball. 

“It’s a hard slider,” she said. 

[Blackwater 53393]

Perry was involved with the baseball program at then Cumberland College, (now Cumberland University) at Lebanon, Tennessee.

 

My son was deep off into baseball and pitched all the way into high school.  He still throws a pretty nasty knuckle ball.  I took him down to Cumberland for one of Gaylord Perry’s baseball clinics before he started his first run with a traveling team. That was seventh grade.

 

The man was really good with the younger guys and he showed the pitchers things that they could only learn from guys like him!  He was very complementary of Hatfield’s knuckler and encouraged him to work on it.  He also laughingly complemented my ability to catch the pitch!
 

He was a good guy and he had a great sense of humor!!!
 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I really enjoyed him when he was here in Cleveland with the Indians in 74-75 RIP Mr. Perry .

The Indians also had his brother Jim Perry in the early 60’s and then later in 74-75 

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

According to the article Perry and Juan Marichal, not sure about the spelling, combined for 369 complete games in 10 years. That will never happen again.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

I looked it up, Perry had 303 complete games. For 4 years in the 70s he started 37-41 games each year and completed 25-29 of them.

[punxsutawneypete]

I got to see Gaylord Perry pitch when he was with the Indians.  At one game I attended I had a seat behind home plate and could watch him warm up for each inning.  He always ended his warm up pitches with the forkball and it literally looked like it rolled off a table the way that it dropped.  

 

I got to meet him when he came out to Carlisle;s Department Store in Painesville, Ohio.  I bought a copy of his book "Me and the Spitter" and he autographed it.  No, the book is not for sale.

[punxsutawneypete]

1 hour ago, punxsutawneypete said:

I got to see Gaylord Perry pitch when he was with the Indians.  At one game I attended I had a seat behind home plate and could watch him warm up for each inning.  He always ended his warm up pitches the the forkball and it literally looked like it rolled off a table the way that it dropped.  

 

I got to meet him when he came out to Carlisle;s Department Store in Painesville, Ohio.  I bought a copy of his book "Me and the Spitter" and he autographed it.  No, the book is not for sale.

 

P.S. The book is now going down to one of the safes.