1959 World Series MVP Sherry dies

LOS ANGELES -- Larry Sherry, Most Valuable Player of the Dodgers' 1959 World Series championship and longtime Minor Leaguer, died Sunday from cancer. He was 71.

Sherry, a rookie reliever, was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.71 ERA in the Dodgers' 1959 World Series win over the Chicago White Sox.

"Larry Sherry was a local product who became a household name in Los Angeles with his World Series heroics in 1959," the Dodgers said in a statement. "He will always be associated with the Dodgers' first championship in Los Angeles, and our deepest sympathies go out to his brother, Norm, and the entire Sherry family."

Sherry, brother of fellow Major Leaguer and former manager Norm Sherry, grew up in Los Angeles and died at his home in Mission Viejo, Calif. Sherry had to overcome birth defects and several operations on his feet to become a multiple-sport star in high school.

Signed out of high school by the Dodgers in 1953, Sherry has seven consecutive losing seasons in their farm system, going 47-65. The 6-foot-2 right-hander spent part of 1957 with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, where he was a teammate of Tommy Lasorda, Sparky Anderson and longtime Minor League great Steve Bilko.

Sherry finally broke through to the big leagues in 1959, shortly after his borther Norm taught him how to throw a slider, which would become his out pitch.

In 1960, the Sherry brothers became the first all-Jewish battery in Major League history. Sherry also pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and California Angels, compiling a 53-44 record, 3.67 ERA and 82 saves.

Sherry was traded by the Dodgers to the Tigers for Lou Johnson, who helped the Dodgers win the 1965 World Series. He returned to the Minors for three years before retiring in 1970. After his playing career, Sherry was a pitching coach for the Pittsburgh and California organizations.