Larry Christenson, the right-handed pitcher who spent every one of his eleven major-league seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and helped deliver the franchise its first World Series title, died Friday morning.
He was 72. The team said he passed unexpectedly while on a fishing trip with family and friends in his native Washington state. No medical cause was announced.
Born November 10, 1953, in Everett and raised in nearby Marysville, Christenson was a multi-sport high-school standout whose fastball and power at the plate attracted scouts.
The Phillies selected him third overall in the 1972 draft and signed him for a $75,000 bonus. Less than a year later, on April 13, 1973, the 19-year-old made his debut at Veterans Stadium against the Mets and threw a complete-game 7-1 victory.
He remains the last pitcher to record a complete-game win as a teenager in his first major-league start.
Christenson grew into a durable member of the rotation that lifted Philadelphia out of years of mediocrity. He won 19 games in 1977, working more than 219 innings, and that September he both earned the victory and hit a grand slam in a 15-9, division-clinching rout of the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Pitchers still hit in the National League then, and he finished his career with 11 home runs, tying Rick Wise for the most by any Phillies pitcher. He ranks ninth in club history with 220 starts.
The Phillies won three straight National League East titles from 1976 through 1978 and finally captured the World Series in 1980. Christenson went 5-1 in 14 starts that championship season.
He threw six shutout innings in Game 3 of the NLCS against Houston, though his World Series start against Kansas City lasted only one-third of an inning.
Elbow, shoulder, groin and back problems steadily limited him. After elbow surgery in 1983 he was released on his 30th birthday. His career line stood at 83-71 with a 3.79 ERA, 781 strikeouts and 1,402⅔ innings.
After baseball he built a second career as president of Christenson Investment Partners and stayed visible at Phillies alumni events and charity functions.
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, a teammate for all eleven seasons, remembered him as the man who kept in touch, always smiling, and never forgot a moment spent together.
Larry Bowa called him a tremendous teammate and a true friend. The organization offered condolences to his daughters, Claire and Libby, and to the extended family and former teammates who shared those years.
Christenson’s death closes a chapter that began when a teenager from Washington walked onto the mound in South Philadelphia and never left the only uniform he would wear.
The club said fans and the organization remain grateful for the contributions and the legacy he leaves behind.
