[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher from 1961 to 1973, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for whom he appeared in three World Series and, with the Minnesota Twins teams that won two consecutive American League Western Division titles.

After his playing career, Perranoski worked as a Major League pitching coach, winning two more World Series with the Dodgers in the 1980s.

[4] Perranoski attended Michigan State University, where he was a teammate and friend of Dick Radatz, who also would become a standout reliever in the 1960s.

[4] Perranoski was named the Sporting News Reliever of the Year for the American League in 1969 and 1970 while pitching for the Minnesota Twins.

[7] He led the American League in saves in 1969 with 31, and did so again in 1970 with 34,[4] for Twins teams that won the Western Division each of those years, but lost to the Orioles in the playoffs both times.