Highlighted Year: Jim Perry, 1961

Pitcher, Cleveland Indians

Age: 25

3^rd season with Indians

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 190 

Prior to 1961:

A native of Williamston, North Carolina, Perry pitched for his high school team and was eventually joined by younger brother Gaylord (who also went on to a long major league pitching career). The brothers alternated at third base when not pitching. Moving on to Campbell College, Perry was signed by the Indians in 1956. Assigned to North Platte of the Class D Nebraska State League he went 7-8 in his first taste of professional action with a 4.80 ERA and 124 strikeouts over 120 innings pitched. Moving along to Fargo-Moorhead of the Class C Northern League in 1957 Perry improved to 15-12 with a 2.88 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 231 innings. His next stop was Reading of the Class A Eastern League in 1958, where he produced a 16-8 record and 2.79 ERA with 135 strikeouts. Invited to spring training with the Indians in 1959, he made the pitching staff and was used primarily as a reliever during the first half of the season on his way to a 12-10 tally with a 2.65 ERA, 4 saves, and 79 strikeouts over 153 innings pitched. He placed second in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Fully in the starting rotation in 1960, Perry, who relied on a fastball, curve, and slider, tied for the league lead in wins with his 18-10 record. He also had a 3.62 ERA and 120 strikeouts while showing a tendency to give up home runs, leading the AL by surrendering 35 homers.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 35

Games Started – 35 [5, tied with Jim Grant]

Complete Games – 6

Wins – 10

Losses – 17 [3, tied with Bud Daley & Jim Kaat]

PCT - .370

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 1

Innings Pitched – 223.2 [13]

Hits – 238 [8]

Runs – 132 [2]

Earned Runs – 117 [1, tied with Frank Baumann]

Home Runs – 28 [6, tied with Ken McBride]

Bases on Balls – 87 [14]

Strikeouts – 90

ERA – 4.71

Hit Batters – 6 [12, tied with Don Schwall, Frank Lary & Gary Bell]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 5

Midseason Snapshot: 7-7, ERA - 4.17, SO - 44 in 116.2 IP

---

Most strikeouts, game – 6 (in 5 IP) vs. LA Angels 7/15, (in 5.2 IP) vs. Minnesota 9/17

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 4 (in 9 IP) at LA Angels 7/29, (in 9 IP) at Baltimore 9/2, (in 8 IP) at Chi. White Sox 5/9

Batting

PA – 79, AB – 73, R – 4, H – 12, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 3, BB – 1, SO – 14, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .164, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 5, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 59

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 37

Errors – 5

DP – 5

Pct. - .915

Awards & Honors:

All-Star

---

The Indians went 78-83 to finish fifth in the AL, 30.5 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The Indians started well, moved into contention, and were in first place from June 6-16 before a seven-game losing streak dropped them out of contention. A rough second half, primarily caused by inadequate pitching, left them in fifth place and led to the dismissal of manager Jimmy Dykes.

Aftermath of 1961:

Having suffered from inconsistency in 1961, Perry broke even at 12-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 1962. Back in the Cleveland bullpen at the start of 1963, he was dealt to the Minnesota Twins in May and utilized primarily as a starter finished at 9-9 with a 3.83 ERA. Almost exclusively a reliever in 1964, Perry was 6-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 42 appearances. Working with new pitching coach Johnny Sain in 1965, he improved his fastball and curve and, when RHP Camilo Pascual was out for an extended period, Perry took his place in the rotation. For the year he appeared in 36 games, 19 of them starts, and compiled a 12-7 record with a 2.63 ERA. The Twins won the AL pennant and Perry made two relief appearances in the seven-game World Series loss to the Dodgers. Primarily a spot starter in 1966, he produced an 11-7 mark with a 2.54 ERA and 122 strikeouts over 184.1 innings. Sain departed for Detroit following the ’66 season, and Perry continued to be a starter/reliever in 1967 and ’68, posting an 8-7 tally with a 3.03 ERA in 37 appearances in ’67 and going 8-6 with a 2.27 ERA in 1968. In 1969, new manager Billy Martin put Perry in the rotation with good results, as he contributed a 20-6 record for the division-winning Twins along with a 2.82 ERA and 153 strikeouts. Another new manager, Bill Rigney, kept him in place as the ace of the staff in 1970 and he won the AL Cy Young Award with his 24-12 record, 3.04 ERA, and 168 strikeouts over 278.2 innings as the Twins won another division title. The Twins sank in the standings in 1971 and Perry’s record dropped to 17-17 with a 4.23 ERA and he again had problems giving up the long ball, surrendering a league-high 39 home runs. In 1972 he went 13-16 with a 3.35 ERA and he was traded to Detroit just prior to the 1973 season, reuniting him with manager Billy Martin. Martin didn’t last the year with the Tigers and Perry went 14-13 with a 4.03 ERA. Dealt back to Cleveland in 1974, Perry was now teamed with his brother Gaylord, and the Perry brothers won 38 games between them, as Gaylord went 21-13 and Jim added a 17-12 tally with a 2.96 ERA. The rest of the staff was disappointing, and when Jim got off to a 1-6 start in 1975, he was traded to Oakland, where he went 3-4 the rest of the way, including a one-hitter against Baltimore. Released in August, Perry retired. For his major league career, he posted a 215-174 record with a 3.45 ERA, 109 complete games, 32 shutouts, and 1576 strikeouts over 3285.2 innings. With Cleveland he was 70-67 with a 3.76 ERA, 39 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 452 strikeouts over 1131.2 innings. Appearing in five postseason games (two starts) he was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star and was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2011.

---

Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.