Dec. 1 (UPI) — Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry, who won two Cy Young Awards and was famous for his spitball, died Thursday in Gaffney, S.C., Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said. He was 84.
Fowler said Perry died of natural causes about 5 a.m. EST at his home.
“Saddened to get the call that Gaylord Perry passed away this morning,” fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins tweeted.
“A great friend and a great teammate. My thoughts go out to the Perry family. We’ll miss you Gaylord.”
Perry was born Sept. 15, 1938 in Williamston, NC. He attended Williamston High School and Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. Perry made his MLB debut in 1962 for the San Francisco Giants. He went on to log a 3.11 ERA and 314-265 record over his 22-year career.
MLB Network mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. pic.twitter.com/ZrYBhDldAe— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 1, 2022
Perry went 24-16 with a 1.92 ERA in 29 starts en route to his first Cy Young Award in 1972 for the Cleveland Indians. He won his second Cy Young Award in 1978, when he logged a 21-6 record and 2.73 ERA in 37 starts for the San Diego Padres. With that honor, Perry became the first player to claim Cy Young Awards in the American League and National League.
The right-handed pitcher was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991. He later wrote the book Me and the Spitter,” which details his infamous spitball.
We have lost another member of our Hall of Fame family thoughts and prayers go out to Gaylord Perry’s family and friends RIP my friend you’ll be dearly missed — Wade Boggs (@ChickenMan3010) December 1, 2022
Perry, who also spent time with the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees, spent his final season split between the Mariners and Royals in 1983. He was a five-time All-Star.
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