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Don Larsen Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:

Yankees coming off the field after the historic game

Yankee Perfect Game pitchers: David Cone, Don Larsen, David Wells

Another view of Don Larsen and Yogi Berra

Don Larsen and Yogi Berra in later years

Scoreboard during the Don Larsen Perfect Game

Don Larsen mobbed by reporters after the game

Iconic photo of Don Larsen and Yogi Berra

The famous 1956 Don Larsen World Series Perfect Game

Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium: Don Larsen, Bobby Brown, Eddie Robinson, June 12, 2016

Don Larsen at a Yankee’s Old-Timers’ game.

Sal Maglie pitched a gem that day, but was totally overshadowed by Larsen’s masterpiece.

Walter O’Malley askes Larsen for his autograph after the game.

One of our readers, Victoria Martin was friends with Don Larsen through their association with the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. Vicki wrote a beautiful tribute to Don at the time of his passing yesterday. Here’s a link, I recommend checking it out: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2657691000933390…

The Baseball World Says a Sad Good-Bye to Don Larsen

“This most assuredly was the greatest game ever pitched in the history of baseball!” -Vin Scully, at the mic for Don Larsen’s Perfect Game.

Don Larsen passed away yesterday at the age of 90. In tribute, we’re reposting a piece by Gary accompanied by the artwork of our friend Graig Kreindler, one of the most brilliant sports artist of today. Larsen’s on the mound during his World Series Perfect Game on October 8, 1956.

We’ve spotlighted this game before, but it’s always worth a revisit. Here’s a few words about Larsen and his World Series masterpiece:

During a 15-year major league career, Don Larsen pitched from 1953–1967 for seven different teams: St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles (1953–1954; 1965), New York Yankees (1955–1959), Kansas City Athletics (1960–1961), Chicago White Sox (1961), San Francisco Giants (1962–1964), Houston Colt .45’s (1964–1965), and Chicago Cubs (1967).

Larsen’s most notable accomplishment was pitching the only perfect game in World Series history on October 8, 1956. It is one of only 23 perfect games in major league history. He was pitching for the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers. His perfect game remained the only no-hitter of any type ever pitched in postseason play until Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on October 6, 2010, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Larsen was hardly the best-conditioned player on the field that day. He had been “out-on-the-town” the night before as was his custom in those days. The six-foot, 235 pound, right-hander needed just 97 pitches to complete the game, throwing 72 strikes and 26 balls. Larsen was perfect against a great Dodger line-up that included Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and Gil Hodges. Only one Dodger batter – Reese in the first inning – was able to get a 3-ball count. In 1998, Larsen recalled, “I had great control. I never had that kind of control in my life.”

Larsen’s opponent, Dodger Sal Maglie, who had thrown a no-hitter himself in the final week of the season, gave up just two runs on five hits, but was completely overshadowed by Larsen’s gem. Mickey Mantle’s fourth-inning home run broke the scoreless tie. The Yankees added an insurance run in the sixth. After Roy Campanella grounded out to Billy Martin for the second out of the 9th inning, Larsen faced pinch hitter Dale Mitchell, a .311 career hitter. Throwing fastballs, Larsen got ahead in the count at 1–2. On his 97th pitch, the crowd of 64,000 was on its feet and roared as Larsen completed his masterpiece, getting a questionable call from umpire Babe Pinelli. Larsen caught Mitchell looking for the 27th and last out.

Vin Scully was at the mike that day and proclaimed: “This most assuredly was the greatest game ever pitched in the history of baseball!”

Sixty-fou years later, it’s still hard to argue with that assessment.

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Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: Artwork done by Graig Kreindler, all others from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the 1956 World Series Wikipedia page.

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One thought on “The Baseball World Says a Sad Good-Bye to Don Larsen”

In this game, Mantle helped save the perfecto with a great running catch off the bat of Hodges but the Duke also made a SPECTACULAR grab, similar to the Swoboda catch of ’69, off the bat of Yogi that left me astonished! NY possessed the greatest centerfielders, arguably, of all-time with Willie, Mickey and the Duke!