Carl DeRose: 1947. A most painful perfect game
Carl DeRose was a big (6-4, 220), strong right-hander who could curse his bad luck that he did not have a chance to be part of the mighty Yankees' post-WWII run. Signed as a teen out of Minnesota, he won 19 games in his pro debut, but then was drawn into the war effort. He returned in 1946, pushed up to Triple-A, and was a solid 12-6, 3.16. Knowing he had the eye of the Yankees, he overdid it in spring training the following year and blew out his arm.
Shelved for much of the first two months of the 1947 season, he declared himself ready to go to make a start for Kansas City against his hometown team, Minneapolis, on June 26. The compelling game account reads like a Hollywood script:
"DeRose, 25, pitched the first perfect no-hit, no-run game in the long history of the American Association -- and he pitched it with a "dead arm." DeRose, who hadn't pitched in more than a month, was in such pain that tears streamed down his face from the third inning on. Unless a successful operation is performed on his arm, he must give up baseball. DeRose threw only 93 pitches in retiring the Millers' 27 batters in order."
He went to a three-ball count only once, and got a called third strike.
LaRose did pitch again, as his career lasted until 1950, but he was never the same and did not have another winning season.
