“Ron Perranoski played a major role in the success of the Dodgers as a great reliever and a mentor to many great young pitchers over his 30-year career in the organization,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said.

Perranoski led the National League in appearances in 1962 with 70, 1963 with 69 and 1967 with 70. He also led the American League in saves with Minnesota with 31 in 1969 and 34 in 1970.

Following his career, Perranoski served the Dodgers’ minor league pitching coordinator from 1973-80. He was their pitching coach from 1981-94 and was instrumental in the success of Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela.

Perranoski joined the San Francisco Giants as minor league pitching coordinator in 1995, was promoted to bench coach in 1997 and then to pitching coach from 1998-99. The following year he became a special assistant to then-general manager Brian Sabean.

“He was a ballplayer and he loved that life, he thrived on it,” his sister said.

He was born Ronald Peter Perranoski on April 1, 1936, in Paterson, New Jersey, and grew up in Fair Lawn. In 1983, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

Perranoski lived in Vero Beach, the Dodgers’ former spring training home, for over 30 years.

“He was a fixture in that town and almost everyone knows him,” his sister said. “He would love it when people would come up to him and say, ‘Can you sign this card?’ and then the stories would start. No one could tell stories like he could. He was just the person that everybody wanted to be friends with.”