Don Larsen, 1956

While he threw the most famous perfect game in major league history—the only one in the World Series to date—Larsen rarely stood out otherwise during his

While he threw the most famous perfect game in major league history—the only one in the World Series to date—Larsen rarely stood out otherwise during his 14-year career. He broke in with the St. Louis Browns in 1953, and in '54, the franchise's first season after having moved to Baltimore to become the Orioles, he went 3-21 with a 4.37 ERA and more walks than strikeouts; those 21 losses marked the only time he led a league in a statistical category.

Traded to the Yankees as part of a 17-player (!) blockbuster in November 1954, Larsen posted a respectable 45-24 record with a 3.50 ERA in five seasons with New York, including 11-5, 2.36 in 1956. On Oct. 8, he overpowered a Brooklyn Dodgers lineup featuring four future Hall of Famers, striking out pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell for the 27th and final out of a 2-0 win. He helped them win pennants again in '57 and '58 and gave up just one run in two starts in the latter season as the Yankees beat the Braves to win the World Series.

In December 1959 New York traded Larsen to the Kansas City A's, the first of six more big league stops he would make. With the Giants in '62, he came out of the bullpen three times in the World Series against the Yankees, winning Game 4. He never made an All-Star appearance, however, and finished his career in 1967 with a record of 81-91 and a 3.78 ERA (99 ERA+).