Perry welcomed to Twins Hall of Fame

1970 Cy Young Award winner Jim Perry became the Twins' latest honoree.

June 12, 2011 at 2:11AM
Former Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Perry throws out the ceremonial first pitch after being inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame before a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, June 11, 2011, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Former Twins righthander Jim Perry threw out the ceremonial first pitch after being inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame on Saturday. (Ken Chia — AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Fellow Twins Hall of Famers Rick Aguilera, Gary Gaetti, Tom Kelly, Jim Rantz, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew and Bert Blyleven were on hand Saturday to welcome the newest member of their exclusive club: Jim Perry.

"I'm very excited about this," Perry said, "I really am. It came late, but good. I'm here with an elite group and I'm happy."

Perry, who lives in North Carolina, had about 30 friends and family with him for the induction ceremony. He was 128-90 in 10 years with the Twins, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 1970. He also pitched with Cleveland, Detroit and Oakland and has a career record of 215-174.

He keeps busy with charitable events, especially golf tournaments. He plans to catch the Twins during spring training and hopes to strengthen his ties to the organization.

"Next year, in spring training, [I am going] to see them play more, be involved and see the guys," he said. "They've been trying to get me down there and I'm going to try to go.''

about the writer

about the writer

La Velle E. Neal III

Columnist

La Velle E. Neal III is a sports columnist for the Star Tribune who previously covered the Twins for more than 20 years.

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