Gaylord Perry’s manger joked that “They’ll land man on the moon before he hits a home run” – he scored one an hours after Apollo 11 landed.

Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former MLB right-hand pitcher. Like most pithers, he was famous for his inability to hit a homerun, which caused his manager Alvin Dark to say “They’ll put man on the moon before he hits a home run.” 

There are other variations of this story, but that doesn’t change the fact that just as Apollo 11 dropped Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, Perry hit the first home run of his baseball career. 

He has pitched for 8 different teams from 1962-1983. During his 22 year long careers, he’s earned 314 wins, 3534 strikeouts, a 3.11 run average, and a nomination for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. And yet that homerun is what he will be remembered fondly for. July 20 1969 represents a small step for more than one man. 

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