Ron Perranoski
Born: 4/1/1936 in Paterson, NJ, USA
Died: 10/2/2020 in Vero Beach, FL, USA
MLB Debut: 1961-04-14 | Final Game: 1973-06-17
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs
Full name: Ronald Peter Perranoski
Biography
Ron Perranoski, born in 1936, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1961 to 1973. Known for his versatility and effectiveness out of the bullpen, Perranoski established himself as one of the early masters of the relief pitching role, particularly in an era when the specialization of relief pitchers was just beginning to take shape. Over his career, he compiled a record of 79-74 with an impressive earned run average of 2.79, demonstrating his ability to keep runs off the board and provide stability to his team's pitching staff.
Perranoski's career totals included 687 strikeouts and 179 saves, reflecting his prowess in high-pressure situations and his role as a reliable closer. His contributions were especially noted during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was instrumental in their success in the 1960s and early 1970s. Perranoski's performance on the mound helped pave the way for future generations of relief pitchers, and his legacy is remembered as a key figure in the evolution of bullpen strategy in baseball.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 74 | 737 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 179 | 1174.7 | 1097 | 364 | 50 | 468 | 687 | 2.79 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | LAD | NL | 7 | 5 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 91.7 | 82 | 27 | 41 | 56 | 2.65 | - |
| 1962 | LAD | NL | 6 | 6 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 107.3 | 103 | 34 | 36 | 68 | 2.85 | - |
| 1963 | LAD | NL | 16 | 3 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 129.0 | 112 | 24 | 43 | 75 | 1.67 | - |
| 1964 | LAD | NL | 5 | 7 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 125.3 | 128 | 43 | 46 | 79 | 3.09 | - |
| 1965 | LAD | NL | 6 | 6 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 104.7 | 85 | 26 | 40 | 53 | 2.24 | - |
| 1966 | LAD | NL | 6 | 7 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 82.0 | 82 | 29 | 31 | 50 | 3.18 | - |
| 1967 | LAD | NL | 6 | 7 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 110.0 | 97 | 30 | 45 | 75 | 2.45 | - |
| 1968 | MIN | AL | 8 | 7 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 87.0 | 86 | 30 | 38 | 65 | 3.10 | 74.7 |
| 1969 | MIN | AL | 9 | 10 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 119.7 | 85 | 28 | 52 | 62 | 2.11 | 1156.3 |
| 1970 | MIN | AL | 7 | 8 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 111.0 | 108 | 30 | 42 | 55 | 2.43 | 728.0 |
| 1971 | DET | AL | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18.0 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2.50 | -92.4 |
| 1971 | MIN | AL | 1 | 4 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 42.7 | 60 | 32 | 28 | 21 | 6.75 | -847.0 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.7 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 7.71 | -423.0 |
| 1972 | LAD | NL | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.7 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2.70 | - |
| 1973 | LAA | AL | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4.09 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 737 | 167 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 92 | 0.096 | 0.147 | 0.114 | 0.261 | 0.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | LAD | NL | 53 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0.083 | 0.0 |
| 1962 | LAD | NL | 70 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.071 | 0.0 |
| 1963 | LAD | NL | 69 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0.125 | 0.0 |
| 1964 | LAD | NL | 72 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.105 | 0.0 |
| 1965 | LAD | NL | 59 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0.158 | 0.0 |
| 1966 | LAD | NL | 55 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1967 | LAD | NL | 70 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.100 | 0.0 |
| 1968 | MIN | AL | 66 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1969 | MIN | AL | 75 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0.083 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | MIN | AL | 67 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.042 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | DET | AL | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | MIN | AL | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1972 | LAD | NL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1973 | LAA | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ALCS | MIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1969 | ALCS | MIN | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1966 | WS | LAN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1965 | WS | LAN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1963 | WS | LAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 14.7 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 7.98 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ALCS | MIN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 19.29 |
| 1969 | ALCS | MIN | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5.79 |
| 1966 | WS | LAN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5.40 |
| 1965 | WS | LAN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7.36 |
| 1963 | WS | LAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 737 | 1 | 45 | 222 | 18 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | LAN | P | 53 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 1962 | LAN | P | 70 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 3 |
| 1963 | LAN | P | 69 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 1964 | LAN | P | 72 | 0 | 6 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
| 1965 | LAN | P | 59 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 1966 | LAN | P | 55 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| 1967 | LAN | P | 70 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 1968 | MIN | P | 66 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | MIN | P | 75 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| 1970 | MIN | P | 67 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | DET | P | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | MIN | P | 36 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972 | DET | P | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | LAN | P | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | CAL | P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 737 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | TSN Fireman of the Year | |
| 1969 | TSN Fireman of the Year |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | MI | 1956, 1957, 1958 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cy Young Award | AL | 7th | 5.0 | 120 | 1 |
| 1970 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 35.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 25.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 4th | 130.0 | 280 | 0 |