Gaylord Perry, an MLB Hall of Famer and former two-time Cy Young award winner, passed away at the age of 84 on Thursday. Perry died of natural causes in his home at about 5 AM on Thursday morning, Cherokee County Coroner Denis Fowler told the Associated Press.
Perry spent 22 seasons in the MLB, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees from 1962 to 1983.
Perry mastered the infamous spitball pitch- thrown exactly as it sounds- which was banned from baseball in the early 20th century.
Despite the ban, Perry was never caught in the act of doctoring a baseball. In fact, the clandestine nature of his mound work played a role in his success.
Just the simple possibility that Gaylord Perry was doctoring baseballs was enough to have a mental effect on hitters.
Perry played into this when he released a book titled “Me and the Spitter: An autobiographical confession,” a novel that saw him detail the various ways he doctored baseballs.
Cheating or not, Perry’s numbers are undeniable. The Williamston, North Carolina native pitched to a career 3.11 ERA with 314 wins, becoming one of just 24 pitchers to accomplish that feat. He threw a no-hitter in 1968.
Gaylord Perry was an innings-eater, tossing over 300 frames in a season six times, astonishingly doing it at the age of 36.
He won the Cy Young award in both the American and National Leagues, taking one home during his Cleveland and San Diego tenures. He was the first pitcher ever to do so.
Gaylord Perry was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1991.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.
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