The only man to pitch a perfect game in World Series history has died. Don Larsen, who pitched five seasons with the New York Yankees, passed away at the age of 90.
After joining the Yankees in a Nov. 1954 trade from the Baltimore Orioles, Larsen spun a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 2-0, Game 5 victory at Yankee Stadium. Larsen struck out seven, including Dale Mitchell looking for the final out, before Yogi Berra iconically jumped into the 6’4″ right-hander’s arms.
The world is less “perfect” today. Don Larsen, the only man to pitch a perfect game in World Series history, is gone. Goodbye, my friend. We will miss you! @dcone36 @BoomerWells33 @Yankees @MLB @YESNetwork @WFAN660 @MLBNetwork @espn pic.twitter.com/X9X9y3gbSM
— Andrew Levy (@ALevyNYC) January 2, 2020
That effort earned Larsen the 1956 World Series MVP and helped the Yankees exact revenge on the Dodgers.
Pitching in pinstripes, Larsen totaled a .652 win percentage, 655.1 innings pitched, 128 games, 90 starts, a 3.50 ERA, seven shutouts, 23 complete games, and 356 strikeouts.
Larsen helped pitch the Yankees to four straight pennants from 1955-58 and in addition to his ’56 heroics, Larsen pitched to a 0.96 ERA against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1958 Fall Classic victory.
Although born in Michigan City, IN, Larsen pitched high school ball at Point Loma High School, in San Diego, Calif. That happened to be the same high school that would later be attended by Yankees southpaw David “Boomer” Wells, who would pitch the second perfect game in franchise history, against the Minnesota Twins in 1998.
David Cone would follow the two with a perfect game against the Montreal Expos in 1999. Larsen and Berra were also in the house that afternoon as Yogi made his return to Yankee Stadium.
Along his 14-year career, Larsen also made stops with the St. Louis Browns, Kansas City Athletics, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs.
It’s pretty incredible to think that in Oct. when games are tight and there are more scouting reports and video than ever, Larsen is the only man to accomplish the feat in the history of the game.
