Don Larsen was 89 years old for his final pinstriped embrace at Yankee Stadium. It was Old-Timers’ Day in 2019, and Larsen rose from a wheelchair by the first base coach’s box in the Bronx. He clutched a walker as three tiers of cheering wafted over him like summer breeze, gently pushing Larsen to the gathering of legends on the infield. There to greet him were David Cone and David Wells, the only other Yankees to throw perfect games.
“That’s pretty impressive,” said Geoff Blum, watching from above home plate in the broadcast booth of the visiting Houston Astros. Blum never pitched, but he was perfect in his own way. He batted one time in the World Series — for the White Sox in 2005 — and slugged a home run. It broke a tie in the 14th inning of Game 3 in Houston, and the next night Chicago completed a sweep.
The standard for one-and-done World Series homers, of course, will always be the Game 1 blast by a hobbled Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers in 1988. But Gibson was soon to be named the N.L.’s most valuable player and had also starred for the Tigers in the 1984 World Series. This was Blum’s only shot at glory.
