The Lion's Den: Don Larsen, who pitched only perfect World Series game, dies at 90

NEW YORK -- Don Larsen, the journeyman pitcher who reached the heights of baseball glory when he pitched the only perfect game in World Series history in 1956 with the New York Yankees, died Wednesday, his representative, Andrew Levy, tweeted Wednesday night. Larsen was 90.

Levy said the former pitcher died of esophageal cancer in hospice care in Hayden, Idaho. Levy said Larsen's son, Scott, confirmed the death.

Larsen was the unlikeliest of characters to attain what so many Hall of Famers couldn't pull off in the Fall Classic. He was 81-91 in his career, never won more than 11 games in a season and finished an unsightly 3-21 with Baltimore in 1954, the year before he was dealt to the Yankees as part of a 17-player trade.

In the 1956 World Series, won in seven games by the Yankees, Larsen was knocked out in the second inning of Game 2 by the Brooklyn Dodgers and didn't think he would have another opportunity to pitch. But when he reached Yankee Stadium on the morning of Oct. 8, he found a baseball in his shoe, the signal from manager Casey Stengel that he would start Game 5.

Don James Larsen was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball career, he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams: the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore ... Wikipedia

Born: August 7, 1929, Michigan City, IN

Died: January 1, 2020, Hayden, ID

Bats: Right-handed

Weight: 215 lbs

Education: Point Loma High School