Ron Perranoski

Ronald Peter Perranoski
born Ronald Peter Perzanowski

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 192 lb.
• School Michigan State University
• High School Fair Lawn High School
• Debut April 14, 1961
• Final Game June 17, 1973
• Born April 1, 1936 in Paterson, NJ USA
• Died October 2, 2020 in Vero Beach, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ron Perranoski was a reliever for 13 seasons in the big leagues. He led the American League in saves in 1969 and 1970 for the Minnesota Twins, and was second in the National League in saves in 1962 and 1963 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1963 he led the league with an .842 winning percentage as he had a record of 16-3 along with his 21 saves. He appeared in three World Series with the Dodgers, in 1963, 1965 and 1966. He was also in the post-season in 1969 and 1970 with Minnesota.

He served as the Dodgers' pitching coach under manager Tommy Lasorda from 1981 to 1994, working with pitchers such as Fernando Valenzuela, Bob Welch and Orel Hershiser. He later was pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants and then worked in the team's front office. He died on October 2, 2020 at the age of 84, the same day that Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson also died at age 84.

He is one of the ten best relievers according to The Relief Pitcher for being the most dominant reliever of his era.

He is a cousin of Stan Perzanowski, who retained the family name's original spelling, and uncle of Brad Driesen.

Notable Achievements

• 2-time AL Reliever of the Year Award Winner (1969 & 1970)
• NL Winning Percentage Leader (1963)
• 3-time NL Games Pitched Leader (1962, 1963 & 1967)
• 2-time AL Saves leader (1969 & 1970)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1963)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 2 (1969 & 1970)
• Won two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1963 & 1965)

Further Reading

• Kevin Neary, with Leigh A. Tobin: "Ron Perranoski", in Closer: Major League Players Reveal the Inside Pitch on Saving the Game, Running Press, Philadelphia, PA, 2013, pp. 64-68. ISBN 978-0762446797
• Wayne M. Towers: "Reliever Ron Perranoski: A[nother] Tale of Two Cities", in Michael J. Haupert, ed.: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, The National Pastime, 2024 Edition, pp. 71-73.

Related Sites

• Ron Perranoski at the SABR Bio Project