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Ron Perranoski

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Ron Perranoski
Pitcher
Born: (1936-04-01)April 1, 1936
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: October 2, 2020(2020-10-02) (aged 84)
Vero Beach, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 14, 1961, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
June 17, 1973, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record79–74
Earned run average2.79
Strikeouts687
Saves178
Teams
As player

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Ronald Peter Perranoski (April 1, 1936 – October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball player and coach.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher from 1961 to 1973, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for whom he appeared in three World Series and, with the Minnesota Twins teams that won two consecutive American League Western Division titles. He also played for the Detroit Tigers and the California Angels. After his playing career, Perranoski worked as a Major League pitching coach, winning two more World Series with the Dodgers in the 1980s.

Baseball career

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Perranoski was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey,[2] where he attended Fair Lawn High School, and pitched on its state champion baseball team.[3][4] As a child attending Yankees games, he was inspired by watching Yankees pitcher Joe Page to want to become a relief pitcher.[4]

Perranoski attended Michigan State University, where he was a teammate and friend of Dick Radatz, who also would become a standout reliever in the 1960s.[4] In 1963, Perranoski appeared in 69 games, saved 21 games, had a 1.67 ERA, and won 16 of 19 relief decisions for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win that year's World Series in four consecutive games over the New York Yankees.[5][4] He appeared in Game Two of that Series and earned a save in relief of Johnny Podres.[6]

Perranoski would again pitch in and win the 1965 World Series with the Dodgers over the Minnesota Twins. He returned with the Dodgers to the 1966 World Series, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in four straight games.[4]

Perranoski was named the Sporting News Reliever of the Year for the American League in 1969 and 1970 while pitching for the Minnesota Twins.[7] He led the American League in saves in 1969 with 31, and did so again in 1970 with 34,[4] for Twins teams that won the Western Division each of those years, but lost to the Orioles in the playoffs both times.[8]

After his playing career ended, Perranoski was the Dodgers' minor league pitching coordinator (1973–80), then the MLB pitching coach for Los Angeles for 14 seasons (1981–94). He joined the San Francisco Giants as minor league pitching coordinator in 1995, was promoted to bench coach in 1997 and then to pitching coach in 1998-99. He had been a special assistant to general manager Brian Sabean since 2000.

In 1983, Perranoski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.[9]

In 1965, Perranoski appeared in an episode of the television series Branded ("Coward Step Aside", S1, Ep 7) with former baseball player and series star Chuck Connors.[10][11]

Perranoski died in his home in Vero Beach, Florida, on October 2, 2020, following complications from a long illness.[12][5]

Transactions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ron Perranoski". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Finch, Frank (June 7, 1964). "Sluggers Benched, So Dodgers Jar Mets 9-2". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011. Several thousand fans from Fair Lawn, NJ, were on hand to honor their most celebrated citizen, Ron Perranoski
  3. ^ Schwartz, Paul (October 24, 2007). "Bob Potts dead at 73; Fair Lawn native heart and soul of Met League". The Record (Bergen County). In 1954, as a 17-year-old Fair Lawn High School student, Potts established the Fair Lawn Athletic Club baseball team to give himself and his friends a chance to play summer baseball. The team soon became the Paterson and later the Clifton Phillies, which was one of the most successful teams of its kind in the country until it folded in 1999. Among the first players on the Phillies was Potts' high school teammate, Ron Perranoski, who later starred as a relief pitcher on several Los Angeles Dodgers world championship teams.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Goldstein, Richard (October 5, 2020). "Ron Perranoski, Ace Reliever in Dodgers' Storied '60s, Dies at 84". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b Cole, Howard (October 3, 2020). "Dodgers Relief Great Ron Perranoski Passes Away". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "Perranoski, 2-time WS champ with Dodgers, dies". ESPN.com. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Fireman of the Year Award / Reliever of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "MLB LCS History (1969-2024) | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ron Perranoski – NPASHF". Polishsportshof.com. June 9, 1983. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. ^ ""Branded" Coward Step Aside (TV Episode 1965) - IMDb". IMDb.
  11. ^ Trostler, Bob. "Ron Perranoski – Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Former Dodgers lefty Perranoski dies at 84
  13. ^ Joyce, Dick. "L.A. Trades Roseboro to Twins," United Press International (UPI), Wednesday, November 29, 1967. Retrieved April 18, 2020
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Los Angeles Dodgers Pitching coach
1981–1994 		Succeeded by
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