The Perfect Yankee: The Incredible Story of the Greatest Miracle in Baseball History

by Don Larsen, Mark Shaw

By all accounts, the perfect game pitched by New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series qualifies as a true miracle. No one knows why it happened, or why an unlikely baseball player such as Larsen was the one who tossed it. In The Perfect Yankee Larsen describes the facts surrounding one of the most famous games in baseball history and details the complete story behind the amazing "Walter Mitty" performance. A former Baltimore Orioles pitcher who lost 21 games in 1954, the free-spirited Larsen reveals how comic book "Ghoulies" told him he should experiment with a no-windup pitching delivery just prior to the ‘56 World Series. Knocked out in Game Two, the man known as Gooney Bird to his teammates regrouped to record a miracle win that propelled the Casey Stengel-led Yankees to the world championship over the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Austin Trammell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Perfect Yankee is a good read for any baseball fan. It was cool to be in the mind of a player who’s played with and against some of the best and most recognized baseball players in the history of the sport. I really enjoyed the perspective of game 5 of the 1956 World Series, the only perfect game in World Series history, as it was told inning by inning - almost pitch by pitch - from Larsen.

The amount of stats kept in the book are fun for true followers of the game, but could easily be overwhelming the average fan. Additionally, the amount of quotes from other authors throughout the book is a bit redundant and can take away from the reader being able to fully immerse themselves in one of baseball’s greatest moments.

All-in-all, a good read that brings plenty of insight and perspective to a historic baseball event.

[Riley Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this book is Don Larsen's commentary about what he was thinking as the game unfolded and how it affected him afterwards. There is also a good portion of the book that is filled with short bios of the other players in the game, woven in by the co-author (I presume) as the inning-by-inning synopsis goes by. That's not as compelling, but it does add some background and depth to the players, making it a good addition to the book. Finally, I enjoyed the excerpts from game write-ups at the time, giving us a look at how the game was perceived by the baseball world. Having been only 3 at the time, this was an excellent way to frame the accomplishment for those of us who missed it.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather is the reason I became a Yankee fan growing up. I use to love watching games with him and hearing about the old yankee legends from the 20's -60's. He bought me this book as a gift and even though its been years since I read it, i remember liking it.

Don Larsens perfect game is an incredible feat in yankee lore and even more amazing that it happened in the World Series.

if you are a sports fan or a yankees fan you will enjoy this.