Gaylord Perry later became baseball's first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues—excelling for Cleveland in the American League and San Diego in the National League. It’s easy for casual fans to overlook his remarkable ten-year stretch of consistent durability in Northern California. He made his major-league debut in April 1962, and initially faced challenges in securing a permanent spot, battling structural inconsistency and often pitching as an unpredictable reliever out of the bullpen. However, everything changed around 1964 when he fully mastered a highly controversial, grease-slicked spitball—an infamous pitch, real or imagined, that showcased his exceptional resilience and endurance.

His 1966 debut as a full-time, leading anchor immediately disrupted the senior circuit rankings. Perry made playing intense, high-stakes matches a disciplined daily practice, resulting in an impressive breakthrough. He ended the season with a 21–8 record, a sterling 2.99 ERA, and a career-high 201 strikeouts across 290.2 heavy frames to command his very first career All-Star selection.

This was just the beginning.

Perry established himself as a consistent presence at the top of the rotation, consistently maintaining an ERA below 3.00. He led the National League in innings pitched consecutively in 1969 (325.1) and 1970 (328.2). Additionally, he secured a place in the franchise's no-hit history by delivering a famous 1–0 game against Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in September 1968.

The peak of his West Coast career came during an exceptional 1970 regular season. Perry delivered an outstanding display of durability, leading the major leagues with a career-high 23 wins and 29 complete games. His performance featured a historic run where he tied the franchise record with four straight shutouts and pitched 40 consecutive scoreless innings. His remarkable efficiency earned him a starting spot for the National League in the All-Star Game and a close second in the NL Cy Young Award voting behind Bob Gibson.

After a 1971 season where his wins dropped to 16, the front office became concerned about age. Believing that the 33-year-old starter had no more physical potential and that his prime was behind him, management made a heavily one-sided winter trade in November 1971, trading their star pitcher to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell. This trade quickly gained a reputation as one of the worst in franchise history.

Although McDowell quickly faded on the West Coast, Perry turned his departure into a new chapter of national prominence, winning the 1972 AL Cy Young award in Cleveland and continuing his successful career for over a dozen more seasons, ultimately reaching 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts.

Perry had 1606 strikeouts with a 134-109 record with the Giants, and he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. San Francisco retired his number 36 in 2005, and three years later he was part of the Wall of Fame's first monstrous class.

It has been rough week for us at Notinhalloffame.com, as following the deaths of John Had and Christine McVie, Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher, Gaylord Perry, passed away at the age of 84.

The master of the spitball used cunning and guile to last 22 Seasons in the Majors, playing for San Francisco, Cleveland, Texas, San Diego, New York (AL), Atlanta, Seattle and Kansas City.  Debuting for the Giants in 1962, Perry did not learn the spitter until two years later, and while it was widely known he used the illegal pitch, he was not caught until 1981.  Batters were flummoxed by Perry before they got into the box, feeling that they were at a disadvantage whether Perry used that trick or not.

A Giant for the first ten years of his career, Perry bounced around afterward, but it was outside of the Bay Area where he had his Cy Youngs.  The first was in 1972 with Cleveland, his first year in the American League.  He would make history as the first Cy Young winner in both leagues, when he won his second award with the Padres in 1979, which he won just before he turned 40.

Perry played until 1983, retiring with a 314-265 record and 3,534 Strikeouts.  He entered the Hall of Fame in 1991, on his third year on the ballot.  Perry is also a member of the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame and Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Gaylord Perry.

Gaylord Perry was already an established superstar when the Texas Rangers traded him to San Diego before the 1978 season, and the 1972 American League Cy Young winner was poised to add more trophies to his mantle.

The spitball specialist led the NL in Wins in 1978 (21), and he made history as the first hurler to win the Cy Young in both leagues.  Perry turned 40 during his second year with San Diego but was still good, going to his fifth (and final) All-Star Game, while posting a 12-11 record with a 3.06 ERA.  He was traded back to Texas afterward, leaving San Diego with 33 Wins against 17 Losses and a 2.88 ERA.

While Perry’s sabermetrics hold him back on this list, and it could be argued that he should not have won the ’78 Cy Young, he DID win it, and it will never be taken from him.

Perry entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Cleveland Indians.

The origin of the Cleveland Indians begins in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1894, where they played in the Western League.  The franchise relocated in 1900, becoming the Cleveland Lake Shores, and eventually were an inaugural team of the American League, going through multiple name changes (Bluebirds, Broncos, Naps) before becoming the Indians for over a decade.

Cleveland would become a great sports town, but the baseball team has not given them very much to cheer for over the years.  The Indians have only won the World Series twice (1920 and 1948), with three other appearances.  

The team has announced that they will soon drop the Indians nickname, though as of this writing, it is not sure what they will change it to and when precisely it will take place.

Our Top 50 lists in baseball look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Bob Feller

2. Nap Lajoie

3. Tris Speaker

4. Lou Boudreau

5. Stan Coveleski

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always, we thank you for your support.

The trade that brought Perry from San Francisco following the 1971 season proved to be one of the most impactful transactions in franchise history. He made an immediate, seismic impact, authoring a 1972 campaign that remains etched in the record books as a masterclass of durability and deception. That year, he recorded 24 wins and a microscopic 1.92 ERA, earning him the American League Cy Young Award and a sixth-place finish in the MVP race. He possessed a specialized ability to disrupt a hitter’s focus, utilizing a vast repertoire of pitches and a high-frequency routine of fidgeting with his jersey and cap to maintain a mental edge over the competition.

The consistency Perry maintained during his stay was nothing short of extraordinary for a man who famously "worked" the baseball. He followed his Cy Young summer with a 1973 season in which he punched out 238 batters, and a 1974 All-Star turn in which he secured 21 victories. He was a model of specialized efficiency, serving as a high-leverage workhorse who consistently led the league in innings pitched and complete games. His craftsmanship wasn't just about his arm; it was about the professional resilience he displayed every fourth day, proving that he could out-think and outlast the most dangerous lineups in the Junior Circuit.

His presence in Cleveland was defined by a veteran poise and a competitive fire that often sparked as much friction as it did success. While he eventually clashed with player-manager Frank Robinson, leading to his 1975 trade to Texas, his statistical peak on the North Coast remained an undeniable achievement. Whether he was grinding through one of his 103 complete games for the Tribe or maintaining a sub-2.00 ERA during the peak of his powers, he competed with a focused intensity that solidified his status as a local immortal. He proved that a player could become a franchise pillar by simply mastering the high-stakes game of gamesmanship.

The chapter reached its conclusion in mid-1975, but the statistical benchmarks he left behind, 70 wins and 773 strikeouts in just over three seasons, are a testament to a pitcher at the height of his powers. He departed as the only man at the time to win a Cy Young in both leagues, having used his stint in Cleveland to cement his path to Cooperstown.

The organization provided the ultimate punctuation on his legacy by inducting him into the Cleveland Hall of Fame in 2012.