Pitcher with only World Series perfect game dies

Don Larsen, the New York Yankee who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, has died. He was 90.

What did he accomplish? Larsen was the only pitcher in World Series history to last nine innings and keep the opposing team from ever reaching base. A photo of him embracing catcher Yogi Berra afterward became emblematic of the joy of victory in baseball. Larsen had a career record of 81-91 and wasn’t known as one of the game’s top talents. But his no-windup delivery confounded the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series that year, and the Yankees triumphed with a home run from Mickey Mantle and an RBI single by Hank Bauer. They went on to win the Fall Classic in seven games.

“October 8, 1956, was a mystical trip through fantasyland,” Larsen said. “Sometimes I still wonder whether it really all happened.”

Dig deeper: Another remarkable sports figure, former NBA Commissioner David Stern, died Wednesday at age 77. Read about how he built the league into the marketing powerhouse it is today.