Pretty much an average pitcher during most of his career but then on one day joined a club that's as exclusive as it gets.

Perfection

He had a fascinating statistical career that will probably never happen again.

His first full year as a starting pitcher he went 3-21. Three and Twenty One!!. But he had 12 complete games and a 4.36 ERA. It was with the Orioles in 1954 and they finished the year 54-100.

He then had a very productive run at NYY from 1955-1959 going 45-24 with a 3.50 ERA and 7 shutouts. He pitched in 128 games with 90 starts.

He left in 1960 and went to the Kansas City Athletics, a team that went 58-96, and went 1-10 with a 5.38 ERA.

He then bounced around in his 30s between Astros, Cubs, White Sox, and Giants going 24-22 with an ERA under 4.00, mostly out of the bullpen. He pitched and won a game in the World Series in 1962 for the Giants, losing to his former Yankees.

So he finished 81-91, but he was a much better pitcher than that.

He also batted .242 with 14 HRs in 596 ABs.


When I was a kid in the 80s I had a 45rpm recording of his last inning in the perfect game.

RIP.

sad news.

apparently he was the last living player from that 1956 WS game.

preceded in death by his catcher that day...Yogi Berra (died in 2015)

W said:

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sad news.

apparently he was the last living player from that 1956 WS game.

preceded in death by his catcher that day...Yogi Berra (died in 2015)

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True. Only five participants from that World Series are still alive:
NY - Whitey Ford, Tom Carroll (on the roster, did not play)
BRK - Roger Craig, Carl Erskine, Sandy Koufax

None of which played in Game 5 when Larsen threw his perfect game.

I saw a fantastic quote from Larsen. Many years after 1956, a writer asked him if he ever got tired of talking about his perfect game. His response: "No, why should I?"

RIP