Gaylord Perry
| Birthdate | 9/15/1938 |
| Death Date | 12/1/2002 |
| Debut Year | 1962 |
| Year of Induction | 1991 |
| Teams | Braves, Giants, Indians, Mariners, Padres, Rangers, Royals, Yankees |
| Position | Pitcher |
Gaylord Perry was the 1st to win a Cy Young in both leagues; Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, & Roy Halladay have followed suit.
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Perry's 1st MLB manager said man would walk on the moon before Perry hit a homer - he was right!
Perry's 1st MLB manager said man would walk on the moon before Perry hit a homer - he was right!
Hall of Fame hurler Gaylord Perry was awful with a bat in his hands. His career on-base percentage is a woeful .153. Even worse, his lifetime OPS+ is -10. That means as a batter he was 110% lower than league average.
Perry’s manager in his first three big league seasons was Alvin Dark. From 1962-1965 while they were together in San Francisco, Perry tallied just 10 hits in 99 plate appearances.
That performance prompted Dark to remark, “Mark my words. A man will land on the moon before Gaylord Perry hits a home run.”
No one knew how prophetic Dark’s thoughts would be.
Some five years after uttering those words, Perry made a start against the Dodgers on July 20, 1969. The same day at 1:17 Eastern Standard Time, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.
Nearly 300,000 miles away, Perry came to bat and hit the first homer of his big league career.
The spitball artists explained the event to MLB.com in 2009.
“Well, about the top of the third, over the loudspeaker they were telling everyone to stand and give a moment of silent thanks for the astronauts who landed on the moon. And I’d say 30 minutes later, Claude Osteen grooved me a fastball and I hit it out of the park.”
Alvin Dark was right.
In his Cy Young season of '72, Gaylord Perry gave up Hank Aaron's final All Star Game homer
In his Cy Young season of '72, Gaylord Perry gave up Hank Aaron's final All Star Game homer
Gaylord Perry’s finest season came his 1972 Cy Young campaign. The spitballer posted career bests in wins (24) and ERA (1.92).
That season he represented the American League in the All Star game for his first time. Perry was less than successful. He entered the game in the bottom of the 6th with his team up 1-0. After recording two quick outs he ran into trouble.
Centerfielder Cesar Cedeno slapped a single to left. That brought up the Braves’ Henry Aaron. Playing in front of his hometown Atlanta fans, Aaron hit the ball over the fence to give the NL a 2-1 lead. The fans went wild and gave him a 5-minute standing ovation.
Aaron holds the record for most All Star selections with 25. He played in 24 of those games to share the mark with Stan Musial and Willie Mays. The homer off of Perry was Aaron’s final long ball in All Star competition.
In the collection is a congratulatory letter to Aaron written by NL president Chub Feeney. The Senior Circuit chief invites the Hammer to the mid-Summer Classic.
Gaylord Perry earned the Cy Young in the AL in '72 and the NL in '78 as the first to win in both leagues
Gaylord Perry earned the Cy Young in the AL in '72 and the NL in '78 as the first to win in both leagues
Gaylord Perry had a long and storied career. In thirteen seasons he won 15 or more games. In five seasons he won at least 20.
Perry broke in with the Giants in 1962 and spent a decade in San Francisco. In November of 1971 he was traded to the Indians. Perry responded with his finest season. The spitballer posted career bests in wins (24), and ERA (1.92). He was rewarded with the Cy Young Award.
Six years later in 1978, Perry went 21-6 with a 2.73 ERA for Padres. When he received the Cy Young, Perry became the first pitcher to earn the honor in each league.
In the collection is this handwritten letter signed at the bottom by the Hall of Fame pitcher.
Gaylord Perry entered the 300-win club with a complete-game victory over the NY Yankees
Gaylord Perry entered the 300-win club with a complete-game victory over the NY Yankees
When Gaylord Perry won his 300th game on May 6, 1982 he became the first pitcher to reach the milestone since Early Wynn in 1963.
In the time between the two pitchers reached the plateau, the 3,000-hit club nearly doubled, going from 8-15 members. The 500-homer club went form four members to twelve.
Many believed Perry would reach the mark earlier. After winning 21 games as the 1978 Cy Young Award with the Padres, Perry was only 34 wins away from the magic 300 plateau.
He struggled getting there, never again winning as more than 12 games per season while going 47-59 over his final five seasons.
On a cool Seattle evening on May 6, 1982, Perry took the mound against the Yankees. The spitballer tossed his only complete game victory of the year and entered the exclusive club.
Shown here is an autographed ticket from his 300th win at the Kingdome.
Gaylord (314 wins) and his brother Jim (215) combined for 529 MLB victories
Gaylord (314 wins) and his brother Jim (215) combined for 529 MLB victories
Imagine being a 17-year big league veteran who won 215 games and not being the best pitcher in your own family. Such is the plight of Jim Perry.
Gaylord’s older brother by three years, Jim was a two-time 20-game winner and three-time All Star.
The Perry brothers combined to post 529 victories at baseball’s highest level. Among brother combos, their win total is surpassed only by 221-game winner Joe Niekro and his brother, Hall of Fame hurler Phil. The Perrys are the only sibling combination to each win the Cy Young Award.
Shown here is a pair of Topps baseball cards signed by the elder Perry brother.
Gaylord Perry is a member of the 300-win/3,000 strikeout club
Gaylord Perry is a member of the 300-win/3,000 strikeout club
Twenty-four men have won at least 300 games while 19 have struck out at least 3,000. Of those hurlers, just ten have reached both milestones.
Gaylord Perry’s 314 victories and 3,534 strikeouts, make him a member of the exclusive 300/3,000 club. His achievements also make him a no-doubt Hall of Famer.
Shown here is an invitation to his induction on July 21, 1991. The writers selected Perry along with Rod Carew and Fergie Jenkins. The three were joined by Veterans Committee picks Tony Lazzeri and Bill Veeck.
Carew signed the back of this invitation and inscribed a nice note to the scout who signed him to his first pro contract. That can be seen on Carew’s page by clicking here.
