Sports briefly: Don Larsen dead at age 90

Don Larsen, the journeyman pitcher who reached the heights of baseball glory in 1956 for the New York Yankees when he threw a perfect game and the only no-hitter in World Series history, died Wednesday night. He was 90. Larsen's agent, Andrew Levy, said the former pitcher died of esophageal cancer.

Larsen was the unlikeliest of characters to attain what so many Hall of Famers couldn't pull off in the Fall Classic. He was 81-91 lifetime, never won more than 11 games in a season and finished an unsightly 3-21 with Baltimore in 1954, the year before he was dealt to the Yankees as part of an 18-player trade.

In the 1956 World Series, won in seven games by the Yankees, he was knocked out in the second inning of Game 2 by the Brooklyn Dodgers and didn't think he would have another opportunity to pitch. But when he reached Yankee Stadium on the morning of Oct. 8, he found a baseball in his shoe, the signal from manager Casey Stengel that he would start Game 5.

"I must admit I was shocked," Larsen wrote in his autobiography. "I knew I had to do better than the last time, keep the game close and somehow give our team a chance to win. Casey was betting on me, and I was determined not to let him down this time."

With two out in the ninth, pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell took a third strike, completing the perfect game and sending catcher Yogi Berra dashing out from behind the plate to leap into Larsen's arms. It remains one of baseball's most joyous images.

The league found no evidence linking Coach Bill Belichick or others on the New England Patriots' football staff to the video shot by a crew on behalf of the team showing footage of the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline during a game last month in Cleveland, according to people familiar with the matter.

The league's investigation of the latest video incident involving the Patriots could be completed as soon as this week. It remains likely, barring the last-minute uncovering of more damaging evidence, that the Patriots probably would be facing a fine and possibly the loss or reduction in value of a draft pick.

Hockey: The U.S. U18 women's hockey team defeated Russia 3-0 in the semifinals of the world hockey championship.