Don Larsen is selling part of the New York Yankees uniform he wore when he pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
Larsen told The New York Times on Friday he is selling his uniform jersey and pants in order to fund his two grandsons’ college education.
“What the uniform actually sells for is not that important to me; whatever happens, happens. I’m just hoping for enough to help the grandkids,†Larsen, 82, told the newspaper in a telephone interview from his home in Idaho.
Bidding for the uniform will begin Oct. 8, on the 56th anniversary of the perfect game, and end Dec. 2. Steiner Sports Marketing will conduct the auction, the Times reported.
The uniform has “a whole lifetime of memories wrapped up in it,” Larsen told the Times.
“I really don’t know what it is worth,†he was quoted as saying. “But what I do know is that in terms of historic importance, my uniform is a part of one of the greatest moments in the history of sports. I have thought about that perfect game, more than once a day, every day of my life since the day I threw it.â€
Ten years ago, Larsen auctioned off his cap, glove and spikes from the perfect game, as well as the ball from the game’s final out.
He received $120,750, according to the Times.
“That money was also put into a trust for my grandkids,†said Larsen, who told the Times his highest salary as a player was $20,000 in 1964.
The game uniform worn by Larsen’s catcher, Yogi Berra, sold for $565,000 in an auction two years ago, the Times reported.
The seller, Ron Stevenot, wore the outfit during a tryout with the Yankees more than 50 years ago.
The buyer of Berra’s uniform loaned it to the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center. Berra is hopeful that whoever buys Larsen’s uniform will do the same thing.
“That would be pretty fitting,†Berra told the Times.
News of the Larsen auction comes shortly after a game-worn Babe Ruth jersey sold for a record $4.4 million at auction.
WRITTEN BY ASN & FULL STORY HERE
