Former pitcher Jansen dead at 89

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VERBOORT, Ore. (AP) -- Larry Jansen, the winning pitcher for the New York Giants in the 1951 playoff game decided by Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World," has died. He was 89.

The San Francisco Giants said Jansen died at his home in Oregon on Saturday.

Jansen spent nine years in the major leagues, making his biggest mark with the Giants during their pennant-winning season. He won 23 games in 1951, including one of the biggest in team -- and baseball -- history.

Jansen, in relief of Sal Maglie, struck out two batters in the top of the ninth before the Giants rallied with four runs in the bottom half of the inning -- three on Thomson's homer off Ralph Branca -- to beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-4 in the third and deciding playoff game.

Jansen won 21 games as a rookie in 1947 and finished with a 122-89 career record and 3.58 ERA. He spent eight seasons with the Giants before pitching briefly for Cincinnati in 1956.

He allowed Mickey Mantle's first World Series hit -- a bunt single in Game 2 of the 1951 Series -- and gave up a double to Joe DiMaggio in the eighth inning of Game 6, the final at-bat of the Hall of Famer's career.

Jansen was the losing pitcher in Game 2 and Game 5 of that Series.

Jansen spent 11 seasons as the pitching coach for the Giants and was also the pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs.

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