Remembering the 62nd Anniversary of Don Larsen’s Perfect Game!

Walk-free

Larsen equalized 4.2 walks per nine innings for his career and 4.8 walks per nine in 1956. In every game that Larsen hurled that season in which he went more than two innings, he emanated at least one walk.

He had two starts that September where he delivered eight (in a shutout) and seven, yet permitted only one run. Moreover, in Larsen’s nine other World Series features, he walked 19 batters in 27 innings.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has several items from Larsen’s perfect game in its acquisition, including autographed baseballs practiced in the game, tickets, photos, and Berra’s catcher’s mitt.

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Photo by Getty Images

The Yanks scored two runs, one getting on Mantle’s home run. Mantle is the all-time World Series base run leader with 18. The other appeared on an RBI hit by Hank Bauer. Bauer’s call to fame is a 17-game World Series hitting streak, the greatest of all time.

Newspaper reports of the game note that Larsen’s mom did not attend the game because of family superstition.

“She made it a rule never to watch Don when he pitches; this is what she told a wire-service reporter as she believed that every time she watches him play, he loses. So, she doesn’t prefer watching it. Moreover, that day also when Don created the history, she didn’t watch!

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