October 8, 1956. The Yankees and Dodgers have met 11 times for the World Series, seven while the Dodgers were in Brooklyn and four after their move to Los Angeles. Their seventh and final crosstown meeting was the most memorable, though, because of Don Larsen’s historic Game 5 performance.
The teams split the first four games of the World Series. Larsen, who lasted only 1.2 innings as a starter in Game 2, more than atoned for that performance in Game 5, throwing the only perfect game in World Series history.“
The imperfect man pitched a perfect game yesterday,” wrote the New York Daily News’ Joe Trimble. “…Don, an affable, nerveless man who laughs his way through life, doesn’t know how to worry… With the tension tearing at their nerves and sweat breaking out on the palms of the onlookers, Larsen seemed to be the calmest man in the place.”
Appearances were deceiving. “I was so nervous I couldn’t think straight. [Catcher] Yogi [Berra] had to do my thinking for me,” Larsen told the Daily News afterward. “My arm was still strong [in the ninth inning], but my legs began to wobble. They’re still wobbling now.”
Excerpt from Chris Mueller, “7 of the Most Memorable World Series in Baseball History,” History, October 19, 2021, updated: May 28, 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/memorable-world-series-moments-baseball-history Image credit: Stanley Weston/Getty Images.
