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New York Yankees: Remembering legendary pitcher Don Larsen

By Ben Fadden

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 8: Pitcher Don Larsen (r), of the New York Yankees, wraps his arms around catcher Yogi Berra #8 after the final pitch of Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee Stadium in New York. Larsen pitched the first perfect game in World Series history as the Yankees defeated Sal Maglie and the Dodgers, 2-0.(Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 8: Pitcher Don Larsen (r), of the New York Yankees, wraps his arms around catcher Yogi Berra #8 after the final pitch of Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee Stadium in New York. Larsen pitched the first perfect game in World Series history as the Yankees defeated Sal Maglie and the Dodgers, 2-0.(Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
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Don Larsen passed away at the age of 90 so let’s go back and remember the former New York Yankees starting pitcher.

The baseball world learned of some very sad news on New Years Day: legendary New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen had passed away at the age of 90 in hospice in Hayden, Idaho due to esophageal cancer.

Larsen was not a Hall of Fame pitcher by any means, but he became famous on one afternoon at the old Yankee Stadium. He became the first and only pitcher to ever throw a perfect game in the World Series in Game 5 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

After getting relieved in Game 2 of the World Series for control problems, he came back three days later and ended up dominating.

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A very interesting wrinkle in Larsen’s career was after that season. In the winter, general manager George Weiss sent Larsen a contract that would have given him a $1,500 raise from his current $12,000 contract, but Larsen had a problem with that.

According to the New York Daily News, he sent it right back with a note: “If you will forget you ever sent me this, I’ll forget I ever got it,” Larsen said. He would last three more seasons in New York.

Now comes the interesting part that some Yankee fans might not know.

Larsen was traded to the Kansas City A’s on December 12 of 1959 with outfielders Norm Siebern and Hank Bauer along with first baseman Marv Throneberry.

But who was it for?

Roger Maris.

Maris would, of course, set the major league record for home runs with 61–a record that would stand until 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa went at it for the home run crown, only for it to be questioned by their use of steroids.

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Don Larsen was not someone that had an amazing career, but he will be remembered for his perfect game in the 1956 World Series for the New York Yankees.

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