Gaylord Perry spent more time with the San Francisco Giants (ten years) than he did with any other team, but the Cooperstown resident is not one of the first Pitchers you think of when the story of the Giants is discussed. Perhaps, that is because he won his two Cy Young Awards elsewhere (Cleveland and San Diego), but it was in SF where he became a star.
The spitball master did not learn that trick pitch right away. He first debuted for San Francisco in 1962, mostly coming in from the bullpen, and he did not stick in the Majors until 1964, the same year he adopted the spitter.
Perry had his break-out year in 1966, finishing 21-8 with an ERA of 2.99. He went to his first All-Star Game and fanned 201 batters, the first of four times he struck out at least 200. Now the ace of the staff (or at least at the top of the rotation), Perry kept compiling good numbers, keeping his ERA under three for the most part, while also leading the NL twice in Innings Pitched (1969 & 1970). His best season as a Giant was in 1970 when he was again an All-Star and led the NL in Wins (23). Perry was second in Cy Young voting that year.
Perry was an outstanding hurler, but the Giants thought that at age 33, his best years were behind him. He was traded to Cleveland and promptly proved that San Francisco was wrong, and it remains one of the worst trades in franchise history.
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 monstrous first class of their Wall of Fame.
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