Perfect: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game by Lew Paper

Author:Lew Paper [Paper, Lew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101140451
Publisher: New American Library
Published: 2009-09-29T07:00:00+00:00

As he waits for Sal Maglie’s pitch to begin the bottom of the sixth inning of the fifth game of the 1956 World Series, Andy Carey is surely eager to vindicate Stengel’s decision to keep him in the lineup. The third baseman swings hard at Maglie’s first pitch and sends a low line drive over second base into center field for the Yankees’ second hit.

Don Larsen lumbers up to the plate and is greeted with cheers and sustained applause from the fans. (“Listen to the crowd,” Bob Wolff tells his radio listeners.) The Dodgers assume that Larsen will try to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move Carey into scoring position at second base. Jackie Robinson moves in from third and positions himself at the edge of the infield grass. But Larsen fools his adversaries—he does not square around to bunt but swings hard at Maglie’s first pitch and sends a foul ball into the lower box seats just beyond the Dodger dugout on the third-base line. The threat of a bunt remains, however, and Robinson resumes his position on the infield grass as Maglie throws a second pitch. This time Larsen does square around to bunt, but Robinson watches as the ball rolls foul just outside the third-base line.

With two strikes, Robinson assumes that Larsen will abandon any attempt to bunt (because the risk of a foul ball—and a strikeout—are too great). The Dodger third baseman has a brief conference with Maglie on the mound and then takes his position—but this time well behind the third-base bag. As he does so, Larsen steps out of the batter’s box for a brief moment to take the sign from third-base coach Frank Crosetti.

Once again the Dodgers have made the wrong guess. As soon as Maglie goes into his motion, Larsen squares around to bunt and now lays down a perfect sacrifice in front of the plate. Campanella pounces on the ball and, having no play at second base to catch Carey, throws the ball to second baseman Jim Gilliam, who is covering first base for Gil Hodges (who has charged the plate in an effort to field Larsen’s bunt).

Hank Bauer steps into the batter’s box with a chance to increase the Yankees’ lead. And he does not let the opportunity pass. After taking a called strike on Maglie’s first pitch, the Yankee right fielder drives a ball between Robinson and Pee Wee Reese into left field for the team’s third hit. As Carey races around third base for home plate, Sandy Amoros fumbles the ball briefly and then throws it to Reese at second base to make sure that Bauer does not advance. Carey scores easily with the Yankees’ second run.

First baseman Joe Collins follows Bauer to the plate, and he keeps the rally alive with a line drive to right center field that Duke Snider cannot catch. Snider grabs the ball on one hop and throws it into second base as Bauer races safely into third. The crowd is alive

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