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.
Ron Perranoski | |
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Pitcher | |
Born: Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. | April 1, 1936|
Died: October 2, 2020 Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 84)|
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 record | 79–74 |
Earned run average | 2.79 |
Strikeouts | 687 |
Saves | 178 |
Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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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.[3]
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. In 1963, Perranoski 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. He appeared in Game Two of that Series and earned a save in relief of Johnny Podres.
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.[4]
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.[5]
Perranoski died in his home in Vero Beach, Florida, on October 2, 2020, following complications from a long illness.[6][7]
Several thousand fans from Fair Lawn, NJ, were on hand to honor their most celebrated citizen, Ron Perranoski
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.