“My brother Larry. He taught me how hard work and dedication to the game was the only way to make it.”
Larry Yount, King of the One Game Wonders
For his efforts on that September evening, Larry Yount earned the distinction of being the only pitcher in major league history who never appeared in the only game he ever played in. He never threw a major league pitch, never faced a batter, and never played again. However, because he was officially announced as the pitcher, he is in baseball’s record book and he has a file in the Hall of Fame.
Incidentally, Larry Yount’s player file is not the only place in the Hall of Fame where he is referenced. In 1999, his younger brother, Robin, after a 20-year career, all with the Brewers, was elected to the Hall of Fame. That July, Robin walked onto the Induction stage in front of over 50,000 people in Cooperstown. Larry was there, too, and heard Robin’s thoughtful Induction speech. Here, in front of a crowd some eight times larger than the one in Houston that saw Larry warm up and never throw a pitch, the elder Yount found out what his little brother had learned from his experience.
“My brother Larry. He taught me how hard work and dedication to the game was the only way to make it.”
Robin Yount’s speech is also in the collection. You can look it up. In the Hall of Fame Library.
John Odell is the curator of history and research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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