(Republicaninformer.com)- Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry died in his home in South Carolina last Thursday at the age of 84. Perry reportedly won two Cy Young Awards over the course of his 22-year career. The Cy awards are given to the best pitchers in the American League and National League every year.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said that the star pitcher died at 5 a.m. Eastern time due to natural causes. No further details of his death were given.
Perry was known for his spitball and other techniques that made him a force to reckon with on the mound. He held a series of rituals and habits that always kept batters guessing. One said of his pitching that he didn’t think Perry ever threw a spitter, but that he made batters think he was.
Over the course of 22 years, he led a 314-265 record with 3,534 strikeouts.
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Perry began his career in the major leagues in 1962 playing for the San Francisco Giants as a starter and reliever. But it wasn’t until four years later did he start gaining national attention. His earlier records and ERA were virtually unimpressive until he went 20-2 in August 1966.
The star received his first Cy Young Award in 1972 when pitching for the Cleveland Indians. Pitching in 41 games, Perry was 24-16 with a 1.92 ERA and 234 strikeouts. He then won the award again in 1978 when pitching for the San Diego Padres at the age of 39. In 37 games, he held a record of 21-6 and had 154 strikeouts.
He played for eight teams throughout his two-decade long career and was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 by a 77.2% vote. When he retired, he founded the baseball program at Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina where he coached for three years.
