Gaylord Perry, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, NC native and Campbell alum, dies at 84

The Associated Press
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GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday. He was 84.

Perry died at his home in Gaffney at about 5 a.m. Thursday of natural causes, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said. He did not provide additional details.

Born to a farming family in Williamston, North Carolina, Perry pitched for eight major-league teams from 1962 until 1983. He won the Cy Young with Cleveland in 1972 and with San Diego in 1978 just after turning 40.

Perry was a five-time All-Star who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

CORRECTS THAT PERRY WAS 84, NOT 88 AS ORIGINALLY SENT - FILE - Home plate umpire John Flaherty checks Cleveland Indians pitcher Gaylord Perry's cap for an illegal substance, at the request of Milwaukee Brewers manager Del Crandall, during the first game of a baseball doubleheader in Milwaukee, Sept. 3, 1973. Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, at his home in Gaffney, S.C. He was 84. (AP Photo/File)

He had a career record of 314-255, finished with 3,554 strikeouts and used a pitching style where he doctored baseballs or made batters believe he was doctoring them. His 1974 autobiography was titled “Me and the Spitter.”

Perry played two years at Campbell before turning pro.

After his career, Perry founded the baseball program at Limestone College in Gaffney and was its coach for the first three years.

CORRECTS THAT PERRY WAS 84, NOT 88 AS ORIGINALLY SENT - FILE - Gaylord Perry greets fans at the All-Star FanFest in Washington, Saturday, July 14, 2018. Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, at his home in Gaffney, S.C. He was 84. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
CORRECTS THAT PERRY WAS 84, NOT 88 AS ORIGINALLY SENT - FILE - Gaylord Perry greets fans at the All-Star FanFest in Washington, Saturday, July 14, 2018. Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, at his home in Gaffney, S.C. He was 84. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Gaylord Perry, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, NC native, dies at 84