Ron Perranoski, baseball player, 1961-1973

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

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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

Career ERA 2.79 vs. league average 3.56 across their career seasons — 21.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1961 LAD NL 7 5 53 1 0 0 6 91.7 82 27 41 56 2.65 4.03 (+34%) -
1962 LAD NL 6 6 70 0 0 0 20 107.3 103 34 36 68 2.85 3.96 (+28%) -
1963 LAD NL 16 3 69 0 0 0 21 129.0 112 24 43 75 1.67 3.46 (+52%) -
1964 LAD NL 5 7 72 0 0 0 14 125.3 128 43 46 79 3.09 3.58 (+14%) -
1965 LAD NL 6 6 59 0 0 0 17 104.7 85 26 40 53 2.24 3.50 (+36%) -
1966 LAD NL 6 7 55 0 0 0 7 82.0 82 29 31 50 3.18 3.52 (+10%) -
1967 LAD NL 6 7 70 0 0 0 16 110.0 97 30 45 75 2.45 3.30 (+26%) -
1968 MIN AL 8 7 66 0 0 0 6 87.0 86 30 38 65 3.10 2.98 (-4%) 74.7
1969 MIN AL 9 10 75 0 0 0 31 119.7 85 28 52 62 2.11 3.61 (+42%) 1156.3
1970 MIN AL 7 8 67 0 0 0 34 111.0 108 30 42 55 2.43 3.89 (+37%) 728.0
1971 MIN AL 1 4 36 0 0 0 5 42.7 60 32 28 21 6.75 3.47 (-95%) -847.0
1971 DET AL 0 1 11 0 0 0 2 18.0 16 5 3 8 2.50 3.47 (+28%) -92.4
1972 DET AL 0 1 17 0 0 0 0 18.7 23 16 8 10 7.71 3.26 (-136%) -423.0
1972 LAD NL 2 0 9 0 0 0 0 16.7 19 5 8 5 2.70 3.26 (+17%) -
1973 LAA AL 0 2 8 0 0 0 0 11.0 11 5 7 5 4.09 3.75 (-9%) -

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

Career AVG .096 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 61.5% below league average.

Career OBP .147 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 53.5% below league average.

Career SLG .114 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 69.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.261 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 62.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS 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 MIN AL 36 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1971 DET AL 11 2 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 MIN P 36 0 1 8 2 0
1971 DET P 11 0 0 2 1 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