Pitcher, Cleveland Indians
Age: 34 (Sept. 15)
1st season
with Indians
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’4” Weight: 205
Prior to 1972:
A native of
Williamston, North Carolina, Perry played football and basketball as well as baseball
in high school. He started out as a third baseman who began pitching in tandem
with his older brother Jim (who also went on to have a long major league
career) with great success (he compiled a high school record of 33-5). After
high school he signed with the San Francisco Giants for a $60,000 bonus. He was
first assigned to St. Cloud of the Class C Northern League in 1958, where he
was 9-5 with a 2.39 ERA. He had a more difficult time in 1959 with Corpus
Christi of the Class AA Texas League, compiling a 10-11 record with a 4.05 ERA.
Perry was back in the Texas League in 1960, this time with the Rio Grande
Valley Giants. His record was a mediocre 9-13, but he led the league with a
2.82 ERA. He moved on to Tacoma of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1961,
where he was outstanding with a 16-10 tally and a 2.55 ERA. Making it to the
Giants in 1962 as a reliever and spot starter, Perry struggled and was 1-6 with
a 6.25 ERA when he was sent down to Tacoma in June. Back in the PCL, Perry was
10-7 with a 2.48 ERA. His fastball was highly effective, and he returned to the
Giants, who were locked in a hot pennant race with the Dodgers. He ended up
posting a 3-1 major league record with a 5.23 ERA. In 1963 with the Giants, he
was a seldom-used reliever who appeared in 31 games, four of them starts, and
went 1-6 with a 4.03 ERA. Following a strong Dominican League performance in
the winter, Perry learned how to throw a spitball during the spring from RHP
Bob Shaw. The illegal pitch was in wide use and Perry developed it along with a
slider to supplement his fastball and curve. Appearing in 44 games in 1964 (19
of them starts) he was 12-11 with a 2.75 ERA and 155 strikeouts. In 1965, still
utilized as a starter and reliever, Perry dropped to 8-12 with a 4.19 ERA and
170 strikeouts. In 1966, having adjusted from a three-quarters pitching motion
to straight over-the-top, he added a hard slider to his repertoire (in addition
to his regular slider) and moved firmly into the starting rotation. He
delivered a 21-8 record with a 2.99 ERA and 201 strikeouts. He was also an
All-Star selection for the first time. His ERA was 2.61 in 1967 although his
record dropped to 15-17 with 230 strikeouts. By this point he had added an
elaborate ritual of hand motions to distract from how he was applying foreign
substances to the ball to throw the spitball. In 1968 Perry’s record was only
16-15 despite a 2.45 ERA that included a no-hitter against the pennant-winning
Cardinals (whose RHP Ray Washburn returned the favor the next day). Now part of
an effective one-two punch with RHP Juan Marichal, the staff ace, Perry
continued in 1969 with a 19-14 record and 2.49 ERA with 233 strikeouts. He also
compiled 26 complete games and a league-leading 325.1 innings pitched.
Routinely checked by umpires for foreign substances, he remained highly
effective and unsanctioned. Perry had a big year in 1970, as he added a
forkball to his repertoire, in which he went 23-13 to lead the NL in wins,
along with a 3.20 ERA and 214 strikeouts. He again topped the circuit with
328.2 innings pitched that included 23 complete games and 5 shutouts. The
Giants won the NL West in 1971 and Perry contributed a 16-12 mark with a 2.76
ERA and 158 strikeouts. He was 1-1 in the only postseason action of his career.
In the offseason Perry was dealt to the Cleveland Indians along with shortstop
Frank Duffy for LHP Sam McDowell.
1972 Season Summary
Appeared in 41
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 41
Games Started –
40 [4, tied with Tom Bradley]
Complete Games
– 29 [1]
Wins – 24 [1,
tied with Wilbur Wood]
Losses – 16 [7,
tied with Stan Bahnsen, Nolan Ryan & Jim Perry]
PCT - .600 [10,
tied with Mike Cuellar]
Saves – 1
Shutouts – 5 [7,
tied with Jim Hunter]
Innings Pitched
– 342.2 [2]
Hits – 253 [5]
Runs – 79
Earned Runs – 73
Home Runs – 17
[17, tied with Fritz Peterson, Sonny Siebert & Jim Lonborg]
Bases on Balls
– 82 [8, tied with Rudy May]
Strikeouts – 234
[3]
ERA – 1.92 [2]
Hit Batters – 12
[2]
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 11
[3, tied with Wilbur Wood]
League-leading
complete games were +6 ahead of runner-up Mickey Lolich
Midseason
Snapshot: 16-8, ERA - 1.73, SO - 139 in 213.1 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 12 (in 7.2 IP) at Texas 5/2
10+ strikeout
games – 6
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) vs. Baltimore 8/1
Batting
PA – 131, AB – 110,
R – 5, H – 17, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 9, BB – 5, SO – 43, SB – 0, CS –
0, AVG - .155, GDP – 2, HBP – 1, SH – 14, SF – 1
Fielding
Chances – 81
Put Outs – 18
Assists – 61
Errors – 2
DP – 7
Pct. - .975
Awards & Honors:
AL Cy Young
Award: BBWAA
All-Star
6th in
AL MVP voting (88 points, 26% share)
AL Cy Young
voting (Top 5):
Gaylord Perry, Clev.:
64 pts. – 9 of 24 first place votes, 53% share
Wilbur Wood,
ChiWS: 58 pts. – 7 first place votes, 48% share
Mickey Lolich,
Det.: 27 pts. – 3 first place votes, 23% share
Jim Hunter, Oak.:
26 pts. – 2 first place votes, 22% share
Jim Palmer,
Balt.: 20 pts. – 2 first place votes, 17% share
---
Indians went 72-84
to finish fifth in the AL Eastern Division, 14 games behind the
division-winning Detroit Tigers. Due to a players’ strike in April that delayed
the start of the season and caused 86 games to be cancelled. The Indians
started strong and were leading the AL East with an 18-10 record on May 23. They
slumped badly thereafter, losing 41 of 58 games prior to the All-Star break.
The club went 36-33 the rest of the way to finish respectably.
Aftermath of ‘72:
Perry went
19-19 for the last-place Indians in 1973 with a 3.38 ERA, 29 complete games,
and 238 strikeouts. Allegations of throwing illegal pitches continued to follow
Perry, who seemed to embrace the controversy and the psychological effect on
opposing batters. He had a strong season in 1974, the same year in which he
released Me and the Spitter, An Autobiographical Confession in which he
claimed to no longer be using the illegal pitch, which did not allay the
suspicions. He compiled a 21-13 record in ’74 that included a 15-game winning
streak. The 1975 season was highlighted by feuding with new manager Frank
Robinson. He had a 6-9 record when he was traded to the Texas Rangers in June.
He finished with a combined tally of 18-17 with a 3.24 ERA and 233 strikeouts
while still completing 25 games, five of them shutouts. In 1976 he went 15-14
with a 3.24 ERA and 143 strikeouts while pitching 250 innings and completing 21
games. In 1977 the Rangers finished a surprising second in the AL West and the
38-year-old Perry was 15-12 with a 3.37 ERA and 177 strikeouts over 238
innings. Seeking an infusion of youth, the Rangers traded Perry to the Padres
just prior to spring training in 1978. Perry produced a 21-6 record for the Padres with
a 2.73 ERA and 154 strikeouts. He received the NL Cy Young Award as a result.
He followed up in 1979 with another solid season in which he posted a 12-11
record with a 3.06 ERA and 140 strikeouts. However, he feuded with manager
Roger Craig and, never one to tolerate defensive miscues, publicly berated the
poor defensive play behind him. Desiring to be traded, Perry quit the club in
September and got his wish just prior to spring training in 1980 when he was
dealt back to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Willie Montanez. Perry
started 24 games for the Rangers, battled with another manager (Pat Corrales)
and was 6-9 with a 3.43 ERA when he was traded to the New York Yankees in
August. He went 4-4 the rest of the way with a 4.44 ERA. A free agent in the
offseason, he signed with the Atlanta Braves for 1981 and was 8-9 during the
strike-interrupted season with a 3.94 ERA. He signed with the Seattle Mariners
for 1982 and compiled a 10-12 record that included his 300th career
win, along with a 4.40 ERA. He was also ejected from a game for allegedly
throwing illegal pitches for the only time in his long career. He split the
1983 season between Seattle and the Kansas City Royals, posting a combined
record of 7-14 with a 4.64 ERA, after which he retired. Overall for his major
league career, Perry was 314-265 with a 3.11 ERA and struck out 3534 batters
over 5350 innings pitched. He further hurled 303 complete games that included
53 shutouts. With the Indians he went 70-57 with a 2.71 ERA and 773 strikeouts
over the course of 1130.2 innings. A five-time All-Star who won a Cy Young
Award in each league, Perry was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
His #36 was retired by the San Francisco Giants.
--
Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of
the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to
present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its
inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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