Larry Christenson
Baseball

A standout athlete in several varsity sports at Marysville High School, Larry Christenson had an excellent pitching record with once pitching back-to-back no-hitters. He was also known for his long home runs. During his senior season, up to 50 scouts attended his games and he eventually decided to give up the idea of playing college basketball to concentrate on a baseball career. The day after graduating from high school, he was selected third overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Major League Baseball Draft.

He made his Major League debut for the Phillies on April 13, 1973 with a complete game victory over the New York Mets. At age 19, he was the youngest player in the Majors that season. In 1975 he was a major part of the Phillies pitching staff as he compiled an 11-6 record in his first full season in the Majors Leagues. He was a key cog in the Phillies three-straight National League East Division titles from 1976-78. In 1976 he sported an earned run average of 3.68 and in 1978 he went 19-6, winning 15 of his last 16 decisions. In 1980 Larry fought through injuries to finish the season 5-1 and was a member of the Phillies World Series Championship team. He finished his Major League career with 83 wins and 71 losses and a 3.79 earned run average.

An excellent hitter for a pitcher, Larry Christenson once hit two home runs in a game and holds the Phillies record for home runs by a pitcher with 11 in his career. He played his entire 11 year big league career with the Phillies. Currently, Christenson resides in the Philadelphia area where he is president of an investment company and active in numerous charity organizations.