Don Larsen
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Donald James Larsen (born August 7, 1929 in Michigan City, Indiana) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for 14 seasons. Above all else, he is known for pitching a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
Career statistics
Don Larsen's career won-loss record was 81-91, as a journeyman pitcher for seven different franchises from 1953-1967. He only had two 10-win seasons, in 1956 and 1957. In 1954, Larsen went 3-21 with the Baltimore Orioles, which by itself accounts for his career losing record.Larsen was part of an enormous two-part, 17-player trade following the 1954 season. As a member of the New York Yankees from 1955-1959, Larsen was used by manager Casey Stengel as a backup starter and occasional reliever. He went 45-24 during his five seasons in New York, making 90 starts in 128 appearances. His 1956 season was the best of Larsen's career; after adopting a no-windup delivery, he posted an 11-6 record, with a career best 107 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA.
Larsen also had a reputation as a partier. When Larsen crashed his car into a lightpole in the middle of the night, after curfew, Stengel quipped, "He must have went out to mail a letter." Larsen's teammates gave the gangly righthander the nickname "Gooney Bird."
The perfect game
Larsen's singular accomplishment was pitching the only perfect game in the history of the World Series, and one of only 17 perfect games overall. It occurred in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, on October 8, 1956. His perfect game remains the only no-hitter of any type ever pitched in postseason play.Larsen's opponent in the game was Brooklyn's Sal Maglie. The Larsen start was a slight surprise considering his previous performance in Game 2 of the Series. Despite being given a 6-0 lead by the Yankee batters, Larsen had lasted less than two innings, allowing four runs on four walks. Larsen did not even know he was going to start the fifth game of the World Series until he arrived in Yankee Stadium that morning.
Unlike his previous start, Larsen's control did not desert him. He needed just 97 pitches to complete the game, and only one Dodger batter (Pee Wee Reese) was able to get a three-ball count. In 1998, Larsen recalled, "I had great control. I never had that kind of control in my life."
There were two close calls. The first was a "bang-bang" play in the second inning, when Dodger second baseman Jackie Robinson hit a line drive that caromed off Yankee third baseman Andy Carey's glove; fortunately for Larsen, it bounced straight to shortstop Gil McDougald, who threw out Robinson in a close play. In the fifth inning, centerfielder Mickey Mantle made a one-handed catch in left center, running down a deep drive by Gil Hodges.
Brooklyn's Maglie also pitched an outstanding game, giving up only two runs on five hits. Mickey Mantle's fourth inning home run broke the scoreless tie. The Yankees added what would prove to be an insurance run in the sixth.
The later innings were tense for players and fans alike. Larsen's teammates remained silent; baseball custom dictated that players never discuss the possibility of a no-hitter as it unfolds. Announcer Red Barber was criticized for mentioning the no-hitter during his broadcast of the game. This particular tradition meant little to Larsen, who playfully asked his teammates if he thought he could complete the no-hitter, earning a gruff dismissal from Mantle. The unconcerned Larsen even took a cigarette break in the clubhouse during the seventh inning stretch.
With two outs in the ninth inning, Larsen faced pinch hitter Dale Mitchell. Throwing fastballs, Larsen got ahead of the count at one ball and two strikes. On his 97th pitch, a called strike, Larsen caught Mitchell looking for the 27th and last out. Mitchell complained that the pitch was high and outside to home plate umpire Babe Pinelli (who was working his final game behind the plate, retiring after the season). But all eyes were on Larsen. As he walked off the mound, Yankee catcher Yogi Berra leaped into his arms, creating an indelible, iconic image in American sport.
Don Larsen's unparalleled game earned him the award for World Series MVP. Alluding to Larsen's carousing habits and lackluster record, the following day's New York Daily News included the well-remembered lead suggested by columnist Dick Young, "The imperfect man pitched the perfect game."
Further career
Larsen would win additional World Series games, one each in the two classic tilts with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and 1958. However, both the Yankees' and Don Larsen's fortunes would dip in 1959. New York slipped to third place and Don Larsen dropped below .500 for the first time in his Yankee career, going 6-7. He was part of the trade to the Kansas City Athletics that brought Roger Maris to the Yankees.He made a comeback of sorts in 1961, going 8-2 while playing for both Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox. Going to San Francisco in 1962, Larsen became a full-time relief pitcher, anchoring a strong bullpen that included Bob Bolin and Stu Miller. He had five wins with 11 saves for the pennant-winning Giants. In fact, Larsen won the deciding game of the three-game playoff series against the L.A. Dodgers, relieving Juan Marichal in the eighth inning. In the 1962 World Series, Larsen won Game 4 in relief, giving him a career World Series record of 4-2 with an ERA of 2.75.
In 1964, the pitching-poor Houston Colt 45s pressed Larsen back into a starting role. He responded well at age 35, going 4-8 with a fine 2.27 ERA. Larsen was also a good-hitting pitcher, finishing his career with a .242 average and 14 home runs. He was regarded well enough by his managers that he was used as a pinch hitter 66 times.
Post career
Larsen was in Yankee Stadium for two of baseball's 15 modern perfect games: his own in 1956, and David Cone's in 1999. Cone's game occurred on Yogi BerraDay; Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra before the game.When David Wells threw a perfect game in 1998, it was noted that, coincidentally, Larsen and Wells had both attended San Diego's Point Loma High School. Larsen phoned Wells to congratulate him, and later told a reporter, "He won't forget it. He'll think about it every day, like I do."
Larsen's career was mostly forgettable, and is typically boiled down to those 2 hours and 6 minutes on October 8, 1956. Over the years, Larsen has often been asked whether he ever gets tired of talking about the same one game. "No," he says, "why should I?"
External links
- [Baseball-Reference.com] - career statistics and analysis
- [The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Don Larsen's Perfect Game]
- [The box score for Larsen's perfect game]
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