SEATTLE — Gaylord Perry used to call the spitball "my survival pitch," and by the time he got to Seattle in 1982 — barely hanging on at 43 years old, 21 years into his career — survival was his preeminent goal.
Perry was three wins shy of 300, the magic number he knew was needed to reach the Hall of Fame, considering the specter of ball-doctoring that surrounded him. The Braves had released Perry the previous year, and no one but the Mariners, eager for the attendance boost Perry would give them, were willing to give him a contract in '82 — and a month to month one at that. At the end of each month the M's would decide if they still wanted him around.
Well, not only did he last that season and into the next, but Perry's time in Seattle turned out to be one of the most memorable stints in the brief history of the expansion franchise, which had just five seasons — miserable ones, all — under its belt.
