Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers (6:10 p.m. start) as part of the Seattle Mariners 40th Anniversary celebration presented by Alaska Airlines.
Coincidentally, Saturday also marks the 35th anniversary of one of Perry's many career milestones - his 300th career win, a complete-game 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees at the Kingdome in 1982.
Tickets for Saturday's game, which is also Felix Hernandez Bobblehead Night, are still available at Mariners.com/Tickets and Mariners Team Stores. Fans attending the game are also encouraged to bring an unopened jar of peanut butter for the Ford Peanut Butter Drive to benefit Northwest Harvest.
In 1979, Perry pitched for the National League in the All-Star Game at the Kingdome. He was one of 13 future National Baseball Hall of Famers who played in the Mid-Summer Classic that year.
Perry signed with Seattle at the start of the 1982 season at the age of 43, earning the nickname "The Ancient Mariner." On May 6 of that year, Perry became the first pitcher since Early Wynn (1963) to record 300 wins with his victory over the Yankees. The following week, Sports Illustrated called his performance "a mixture of guile and guts, the combination that will carry Gaylord Perry into the Hall of Fame. He gave up a home run, then got the next three outs on three pitches. He loaded the bases in the eighth, then got the cleanup hitter on an 0-2 fastball. He gave up nine hits, but breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth."
Widely suspected over the years of "doctoring the baseball," or at least making hitters think he did, Perry was ejected from a game at the Kingdome against the Boston Red Sox on August 23, 1982, suspended 10 games and fined $250 for violating official MLB playing rules 3.02 and 8.02 for intentionally "applying a foreign substance" to the ball. It was the first and only time Perry was penalized for that offense.
Perry posted a 3-10 record early in the 1983 season and was designated for assignment by the Mariners. He was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. There, he recorded his 3,534th strikeout and 314th win, and was even involved in the George Brett pine tar incident when he tried to hide Brett's bat from the umpires.
Perry retired at the end of the 1983 season having played for the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers (twice), San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Mariners and Royals.
In addition to Perry, other Mariners Legends to be honored at Safeco Field as part of the team's 40th Anniversary celebration include Rich Amaral, Mike Cameron, Freddy Garcia and Norm Charlton.
Tickets for Saturday's game, and all other games on the Mariners 2017 home schedule, are available at Mariners.com/Tickets. They can also be purchased with no service charge at Seattle Mariners Team Stores (Bellevue Square, Southcenter Mall, Alderwood Mall, and at 4th and Stewart in downtown Seattle) and the Safeco Field box office, or by calling 1-888-SEA-HITS.