While working my shift, a thought flashed through my memory on Mr. Perry. Two of Gaylord's best years were 1966 and 1972. If memory serves, during BOTH years, Perry had extraordinary seasons going into the All-Star break. I checked SABR and sure enough, my memory did not deceive. In 1966, his SABR feature article said he was 12-1 at the All-Star break and 20-2 on August 20th----WOW! Gaylord was as hot as an old steel playground slide on a 100-degree cloudless July afternoon. Virtually unbeatable.
As for 1972, Gaylord's SABR feature reported that baseball historian extraordinaire Bill James said Gaylord's 1972 season was the best by an American League pitcher since Lefty Grove in 1931! Furthermore, in '72 Gaylord toed the slab long and hard for the fifth place Cleveland Indians, who only scored an average of 3.0 runs per game. Perry was something else.
Then, in each of those years after the break, actually about late August, he seemed to lose something. His great records began crumbling; not to smithereens, just nowhere near what they looked like they were going to be. Too bad. What happened on those occasions? Anyone remember?
Ya got me. Maybe he suffered from an advanced case of dry mouth. Hey guys, that's nothing to spit at, in more ways than one!
----Brian Powell