Sherry was born in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish.[1][2] He was born with clubfeet, for which he needed surgery as an infant and wore special shoes.[3] He attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. His brother Norm Sherry also played in Major League Baseball (MLB). The two played together on the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 to 1962, and occasionally formed a battery, with Larry pitching and Norm catching.[4]
Baseball career
From Los Angeles, Sherry made his debut with his hometown Dodgers on April 17, 1958 – just their third game after moving west. Adding to the pressure, the game was played on the road against their hated rivals, the San Francisco Giants, who had also relocated from New York City. Sherry had a brief outing, facing four batters without recording an out, and appeared in only four more games all year.
But he returned with a solid season in 1959, winning 7 games with only two losses, with an earned run average of 2.19.[2] He was named MVP of the 1959 World Series, in which the Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in 6 games, and also received the Babe Ruth Award.[2] Sherry completed all four Dodger victories during the Series, winning two of them and saving the two others, and had a 0.71 ERA in 12+2⁄3innings.[5]
In 1960 he won a career-high 14 games, finished 38 games (4th in the league), pitched in 57 games (6th in the league), and even received support for MVP, coming in 20th in the voting.[2]
Sherry in 1961
In 1961 he was 5th in the NL in saves (15) and games finished (34), and 9th in games pitched (53).[2] In 1962 he was 7th in saves (11) and games pitched (58).[2]
He was traded to the Tigers for Lou Johnson and cash just before the 1964 season, and spent three and a half years with his new club, earning a career-best 20 saves in 1966, 3rd-best in the AL.[2]
Sherry retired with a record of 53–44, 606 strikeouts, 82 saves and a 3.67 ERA in 416 games and 799+1⁄3 innings.[2]
Through 2010, he was 5th all-time in career games (directly behind Dave Roberts), 8th in strikeouts (directly behind Barney Pelty), and 9th in wins (directly behind Barry Latman) among Jewish major league baseball players.[6]
Coaching career
After his pitching career, Sherry managed in the farm systems of the White Sox (1970–1972) and Pittsburgh Pirates and coached in the Dodgers' minor league organization. He was the Pirates' MLB pitching coach in 1977 and 1978, then held the same post with the California Angels in 1979 and 1980.[citation needed]
Accolades
In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Sherry was the relief pitcher on Stein's Jewish team. [Esquire, Vol. 86 (July, 1976), 74–75, 115.]
