Gaylord Perry
Baseball · Hometown: Greenville, NC
- High school
- Williamston High School
- Pro team(s)
- San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ National Baseball Hall of Fame
Gaylord Jackson Perry was born on September 15, 1938, in Williamston, North Carolina, the son of a tobacco farmer, and attended Williamston High School before signing with the San Francisco Giants. Perry pitched professionally until age 44, compiling 314 career wins and becoming one of the most colorful and controversial figures in baseball history — openly acknowledged in his 1974 autobiography "Me and the Spitter" that he used an illegal spitball throughout his career, befuddling batters and umpires for two decades while managing to be caught only once. The masterful deception was as much psychological as physical: the threat of the spitter made batters hesitant and jumpy even when Perry was throwing clean. He became the first pitcher in history to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues — in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians (AL) and in 1978 with the San Diego Padres (NL). An eight-time All-Star who pitched for eight different teams in a 22-year career, Perry was one of the most durable and effective pitchers of his generation. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Attended Williamston High School in Williamston, North Carolina.