On this day in 1956, Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in World Series history. Yogi Berra caught the final pitch of the game to Dale Mitchell that was called strike three by the home plate umpire.
The story of the man who called that final strike is even more incredible than the game played that day.
Ralph “Babe” Pinelli capped an amazing career in baseball that spanned 40 years as an infielder in the Pacific Coast League, then the American League and the National League. When his playing days ended in the early 1930s, he became an umpire in the PCL before moving up to a 22-year run as a National League umpire.
His life is chronicled in this book, PERFECTION’S ARBITER and is available on Amazon in both e-book and print formats. It can also be found on several other e-book platforms right here: PERFECTION’S ARBITER.
