Don Larsen, Yankees Pitcher & World Series Champion, Dies At 90

Don Larsen, the only man to ever pitch a perfect game in a World Series, died at the age of 90 Wednesday, according to his representative Andrew Levy. Levy told ESPN the former Yankee pitcher died from esophageal cancer while in hospice care in Hayden, Idaho. The death was also confirmed by Larsen’s son Scott.

Although he is an MLB Hall of Famer, it was a crazy path for him to get there. Larsen had a record of 81-91 and never won more than 11 games in a season. Before he was traded to the Yankees as a piece of a 17 player trade, he finished the 1954 season with a rough 3-21 record for the Baltimore Orioles.

In 1956 the Yankees reached the World Series and called upon Larson to pitch game five after he was physically knocked out in game two. Initially he wasn’t sure if he would be chosen by manager Casey Stengel to pitch again, and was reportedly enjoying late night festivities the night before. However, when he arrived at Yankee Stadium on October 8, he found a baseball in his shoe which meant Stengel had named him as the starter.

“I must admit I was shocked,” Larsen wrote in his autobiography. “I knew I had to do better than the last time, keep the game close and somehow give our team a chance to win. Casey was betting on me, and I was determined not to let him down this time.”

The series was tied at two games a piece and Stengel thought Larsen’s pitching technique of throwing the ball without a windup would be very tricky for batters to handle. His prediction was right as Larson recorded seven strikeouts and threw only 97 pitches to get the job done. He only gave up three balls the entire game.

“Don’s perfect game is a defining moment for our franchise, encapsulating a storied era of Yankees success and ranking among the greatest single-game performances in Major League Baseball history,” the Yankees tweeted in a statement. “The unmitigated joy reflected in his embrace with Yogi Berra after the game’s final out will forever hold a secure place in Yankees lore. It was the pinnacle of baseball success and a reminder of the incredible, unforgettable things that can take place on a baseball field.”

For 63 years he has remained the only player to throw a perfect game in the World Series. “They can never break my record,” Larsen said. “The best they can do is tie it. Oct. 8, 1956, was a mystical trip through fantasyland. Sometimes I still wonder whether it really all happened.”

Other than his son, Larsen is survived by wife of 62 years, Corrine, daughter-in-law Nancy and grandsons Justin and Cody.