Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 17, 1994 TAG: 9403170151
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Short
Perry, the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win the Cy Young Award in both the National and American Leagues, will be at the Hensel Eckman YMCA at 1 p.m. Youngsters will be able to meet and speak with Perry.
There is no admission charge. Perry's visit is being sponsored by Pulaski resident Chuck Shomo, a longtime Perry friend, and the Kiwanis Club.
Perry, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992, compiled a record of 314 wins and 265 losses and played for six teams during a 22-year Major League career that ended in 1983.
In addition to his longevity and winning record, Perry gained fame as an expert on throwing illegal pitches. In fact, some would say his longevity and winning record resulted from his mastery of delivering "spitballs," pitches so named because the baseball is doctored with dollops of foreign substances such as saliva or vaseline that make the pitch dip or curve curiously on its way to the plate.
Although Perry wrote an authoritative book on the spitter, he maintains that his reputation as a spitballer is mostly mythical.
by CNB