Don Larsen Pitches a Perfect Game in the World Series

On October 8, 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees retired all 27 Brooklyn Dodgers batters he faced in Game 5 of the World Series, throwing the only perfect game in postseason history. The Yankees won 2-0 at Yankee Stadium before 64,519 spectators. No World Series pitcher has thrown a no-hitter before or since.

Larsen was an unlikely candidate for perfection. He had gone 3-21 with the Baltimore Orioles in 1954 before coming to the Yankees. He was 11-5 during the 1956 regular season, a decent record but not the stuff of legend. In Game 2 of the same Series, three days earlier, he had been knocked out in the second inning after walking four batters.

Manager Casey Stengel surprised everyone by giving Larsen the Game 5 start. Larsen used a no-windup delivery, working quickly and throwing strikes. He threw 97 pitches in the entire game. The Dodgers lineup he faced included Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, and Roy Campanella, a group that included five future Hall of Famers along with Pee Wee Reese.

The closest call came in the second inning when Jackie Robinson hit a line drive off the glove of third baseman Andy Carey. The ball deflected to shortstop Gil McDougald, who threw Robinson out at first by a step. In the ninth inning, Larsen fell behind pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell with a ball on the first pitch, then threw three strikes. Umpire Babe Pinelli called the final pitch strike three, and Yogi Berra ran to the mound and leaped into Larsen's arms, creating one of the most reproduced photographs in baseball history.