On this day in 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitches the only perfect game and no-hitter ever in a World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, retiring 27 batters in a row in the fifth game of the matchup. (All perfect games are no-hitters, but not all no-hitters are perfect games. In World Series lore, 2022 saw an Astros no-hitter, but 1956 remains the only perfect game and no-hitter.) Larsen started his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1953, then decamped to the newly formed Baltimore Orioles a year later where he was finally traded to the Yankees for the 1955 season — only to be demoted to the Denver Bears, a AAA ball club, because of a lackluster start. The Yankees brought him back to keep the bullpen warm later in 1955, although he had some bright moments as a relief pitcher in 1956 and finished the regular season that year by demolishing the Boston Red Sox in a 7-3 rout (making the bus ride home to Fenway probably seem longer than usual). By the time Larsen and the Bronx Bombers got to Game 5, they’d been neck and neck with the Dodgers during the classic Subway Series, a stretch between 1950 and 1958 when at least one New York team made it to the big dance. There were many highlights during this excellent era of baseball, but the perfect game thrown by Larsen that’s never been bested is arguably the high point. Thanks in part to him, the Yankees went on to win the series in seven games in 1956. Photo: Bowman Baseball Card of Larsen during his short-lived career in Baltimore (public domain).
NCPA
