Larsen's perfect game reason to party
Oct. 8, 1956
Two years ago, Don Larsen had a 3-21 record with Baltimore. Today, he's the toast of the baseball world. The imperfect man pitches a perfect game -- in the World Series. The New York Yankees right-hander, known more for his partying than pitching, hurls the only perfect game (and only no-hitter as well) in Series history in beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0.
Three days after blowing a 6-0 lead in Game 2, the no-windup pitcher winds up his classic performance in Game 5 by slipping a called third strike past pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell before 64,519 breathless fans at Yankee Stadium.
Larsen, who came to the Yankees in a 17-player trade, is helped by three outstanding fielding plays. In the second inning, Jackie Robinson's hard grounder goes off third baseman Andy Carey's glove. But shortstop Gil McDougald recovers the ball in time to throw out Robinson. In the fifth, center fielder Mickey Mantle, whose homer had given the Yankees a 1-0 lead, streaks into deep left-center to make a backhanded catch and rob Gil Hodges of an extra-base hit. In the eighth, it's Carey's turn to rob Hodges, as he lunges to catch Hodges' liner inches off the ground.
On a more negative note for Larsen, his estranged wife files a court action seeking to withhold his Series money because he is delinquent in his support payments.
