Former Yankees pitcher Don Larsen, the author of the only perfect game in World Series history, parted with a prized possession and a piece of baseball history Wednesday night.
The jersey Larsen wore during Game 5 of the 1956 World Series went for $756,000 at an auction held by Steiner Sports, according to an ESPN.com report. Larsen offered up that uniform, which he wore while blanking the Brooklyn Dodgers and kept until Wednesday, to help pay for his grandchildren's college education.
When asked in June how much he hoped to receive for auctioning off the jersey, Larsen told The Associated Press, "A million. Why go cheap?" His prized possession fell short of that lofty goal, but it will still go a long way toward helping his two grandchildren attend college.
"I've been thinking about it for a bit," Larsen told the AP in October. "I'm not getting any younger and I don't know how much longer I'll be around. I want to make sure they can both go to college, which isn't cheap these days.
"So, I figured it was the right time."
