Gaylord Perry
A master of the spitball who outsmarted hitters for over two decades, becoming the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.
1938–2022 (age 84)·American baseball player·Birthday: September 15·The Silent Generation
Biography
Gaylord Perry emerged from the North Carolina sandlots with a fastball, a sly grin, and a reputation for doctoring baseballs that he never discouraged. For 22 seasons, he was a workhorse of cunning and durability, baffling batters across eight teams with a vast arsenal of pitches and an elaborate, theatrical routine on the mound that kept everyone guessing about the ball's condition. His 1972 season with Cleveland was a masterpiece of old-school pitching, leading the American League in wins and ERA. Six years later, he repeated the feat in the National League with San Diego, cementing a unique legacy not just as a great pitcher, but as the game's most famous and successful practitioner of the 'illegal' pitch, a character who turned gamesmanship into an art form. His 314 career victories and 3,534 strikeouts were a testament to a mind as sharp as his arm.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Gaylord was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gaylord Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Gaylord's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 80
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2022Died at 84
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Won the American League Cy Young Award in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians after leading the league in wins (24) and ERA (1.92).
- Won the National League Cy Young Award in 1978 with the San Diego Padres, leading the NL with 21 wins.
- Became the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues.
- Recorded over 3,500 career strikeouts and secured 314 career wins, one of the last pitchers to reach the 300-win milestone.
- Earned five All-Star selections over his 22-season career.
Did You Know?
He wrote a 1974 autobiography titled 'Me and the Spitter,' openly discussing his use of the illegal pitch.
His first major league hit was a home run, and he hit six total in his career, unusual for a pitcher.
He and his brother Jim Perry combined for 529 career wins, the most by any sibling duo in baseball history.
He was ejected from a game only once in his career, for allegedly throwing a spitball in 1982.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
“I reckon I tried everything on the old apple but salt and pepper and chocolate sauce toppin'.”
