Gaylord Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player.
From 1962 through 1983, he pitched right-handed for eight different Major League Baseball teams. Perry had a 22-year baseball career in which he won 314 games, struck out 3,534 batters, and had a 3.11 earned run average.
Perry, a five-time All-Star, was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues, the American League in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians and the National League in 1978 with the San Diego Padres; his Cy Young Award announcement came just as he turned 40, making him the oldest pitcher to win the award for 26 years.
He is also notable for being a member of the second-winningest sibling combo in baseball history, trailing only the knuckleball-throwing brothers Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro.
Despite Perry’s notoriety for doctoring baseballs (e.g., throwing spitballs), and perhaps even more so for tricking batters into believing he was throwing them on a regular basis (he even titled his 1974 autobiography Me and the Spitter), he was not ejected for the illegal practice until August 23, 1982, in his 21st season in the majors.
Gaylord Perry parents: Ruby Perry, Evan Perry
Evan and Ruby Perry, farmers, gave birth to Gaylord Perry. Evan Perry was well-known for his athletic abilities.
Gaylord and his family grew up in Williamston and the adjoining village of Farmlife in Martin County’s Township of Griffins.
