Ronald Peter Perranoski (April 1, 1936 – October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball player and coach. 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

Perranoski was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where he attended Fair Lawn High School, and pitched on its state champion baseball team. As a child attending Yankees games, he was inspired by watching Yankees pitcher Joe Page to want to become a relief pitcher. 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 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. He appeared in Game Two of that Series and earned a save in relief of Johnny Podres. 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. Perranoski was named the Sporting News Reliever of the Year for the American League in 1969 and 1970 while pitching for the Minnesota Twins. He led the American League in saves in 1969 with 31, and did so again in 1970 with 34, for Twins teams that won the Western Division each of those years, but lost to the Orioles in the playoffs both times. 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. 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. Perranoski died in his home in Vero Beach, Florida, on October 2, 2020, following complications from a long illness.

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