---

Dale Mitchell might best be remembered as the final out in Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He was much more than that.

In college at the University of Oklahoma, Mitchell set still-standing batting average records for the single-season (.507), and career (.467). The Sooners’ home park is named in his honor.

Mitchell broke into the big leagues with the Indians in 1946, hitting .432 (19-for-44) in 11 games. In his first full season in ’47 Mitchell hit .316 and garnered votes in MVP balloting.

The following year the Indians were World Series champs. Mitchell’s 204 hits was second-most in the American League as he hit .336 while striking out only 17 times in 656 plate appearances. In ’49 Mitchell was an All Star for the first time, leading the AL in hits and triples while reducing his strikeouts to 11 in 685 plate appearances.

In 4,358 plate appearances – 3,984 at bats – Mitchell walked 346 times while striking out only 119 times. The 2.91 walk-to-strikeout ratio is the 8th best best in MLB history.

That outstanding batting eye is important to keep in mind. Flash forward to 1956. The Dodgers bought Mitchell from Cleveland at the end of July for their post-season run. With the Yankees’ Don Larsen twirling his perfect game, Brooklyn skipper Walt Alston sent Mitchell up to pinch hit with two out in the 9th. Umpire Babe Pinelli was behind home plate for the final time of his career, though he would finish the series on the bases. On a pitch that appeared up and out of the strike zone, Pinelli’s called strike three on Mitchell, possessor of one of the keenest batting eyes in the history of the game.

In the collection is this government postcard signed by Dale Mitchell.

---

This side of the postcard signed by Dale Mitchell reveals a Cleveland postmark from August 20, 1948. That day Satchel Paige twirled his second career MLB shutout, a three-hit masterpiece over the White Sox.

His first was in his previous outing, giving the 41-year old Negro League legend his second consecutive shutout. Cards like this remain attractive to collectors because they verify the date and place that the card was handled, adding to the piece’s authenticity.

The Indians won 1-0 behind Larry Doby’s 4th inning RBI single that plated Lou Boudreau, producing the game’s only run. Mitchell collected two hits and raised his average to .333 on the season. He would finish the year with a career-high .336 mark.

---

The umpire who made the memorable – and some say questionable – third strike call during Dale Mitchell’s pinch hit at bat in Don Larsen’s perfect game was Babe Pinelli. A big league infielder from 1919-1927, Pinelli found lasting fame in his second baseball career calling balls and strikes. A veteran of 22 seasons as a National League arbiter, Pinelli worked six World Series and four All Star games.

Mitchell matched a keen batting eye with great plate discipline, making him one of the toughest hitters to catch looking. Indeed, his 2.91 walk-to-strikeout ratio ranks him 8^th all time in Major League history. Replays of the last pitch seem to show the ball well off the plate and out of the strike zone.

After the ’56 World Series, Pinelli retired, often saying that there was no better way to go out than calling a perfect game in the Fall Classic.

In the collection is this index card signed by Pinelli. Interestingly, Pinelli refers to Larsen’s gem in the inscription.

 

“Best Wishes

Babe Pinelli

Chief Umpire

Don Larsen – Perfect Game

1956 World Series

Yankees 2 – Dodgers 0”