1956 World Series Game 5

Lore & Background

Larsen displayed an unusual no-windup style and worked the curveball beautifully. The best remembered close play was Gil Hodges' fifth-inning line drive toward Yankee Stadium's Death Valley, snared by center fielder Mickey Mantle with a spectacular running catch. The final out came on a called third strike against pinch hitter Dale Mitchell, after which catcher Yogi Berra leaped into Larsen's arms. When a reporter asked manager Casey Stengel if this was the best game Larsen had ever pitched, Stengel answered, 'So far!'

In Their Own Story

The air at Yankee Stadium grew heavy with humidity as the bottom of the ninth approached. Don Larsen wiped sweat from his brow, eyes locked on Duke Snider standing ready at the plate. The crowd noise faded into a hushed tension for opposing fans, replaced by rhythmic chanting from the home side. With two strikes on Snider, he fouled off pitches before popping up into shallow right field. Yogi Berra leaped, his mitt snatching the ball out of thin air. For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then, the dam broke. The roar was deafening, shaking the very foundations of the stadium as Larsen fell to his knees, the realization washing over him: he had done the impossible.

Reader's Guide

The Yankees scored in the fourth inning on a home run by Mickey Mantle that broke the scoreless tie. They added an insurance run in the sixth when Hank Bauer's single scored Andy Carey, who had opened the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Larsen. Brooklyn's Sal Maglie gave up only two runs on five hits and was perfect himself until Mantle's homer.

Did You Know?

• Larsen's perfect game was the last game that umpire Babe Pinelli called behind the plate.
• Sports cartoonist Willard Mullin drew an illustration of a happy Larsen painting a canvas titled 'The Master Piece,' with a disgusted Brooklyn Bum saying, 'It may be art...but I don't like it!'
• Brooklyn starter Sal Maglie appeared on the game show 'What's My Line?' the night before the game, with former Yankee Phil Rizzuto as a panel member.