Larry Christenson, the durable right-hander who pitched all 11 seasons of his major league career for the Philadelphia Phillies, died unexpectedly on the morning of Friday, August 28, 2026 on a fishing trip in Washington state with family and friends. The 1980 club had given him a World Series ring. He was 72. No cause of death has been released.
A statement and a post on X carried the announcement from the Phillies that same day. “The Phillies are saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of former pitcher Larry Christenson this morning while on a fishing trip with family and friends in Washington state,” the club said.
Everyone in the game called him “LC.” A native of Everett, Wash., Christenson was drafted by the Phillies in 1972 and never wore another uniform. His ledger from 1973 to 1983 shows a record of 83-71 and a 3.79 ERA, with 781 batters struck out over 1,402 2/3 innings in 243 appearances, 220 of them starts. That start total ranks ninth all-time among Phillies pitchers, and the club reached the postseason six times during his career.
The third overall pick in the first round of the 1972 draft had gone to Philadelphia, and the club used it on him.
A Complete Game at 19
His arrival in the majors belongs to a vanished era of the sport. At 19 years old, Christenson took the ball at Veterans Stadium on April 13, 1973, faced the New York Mets and finished what he started in a 7-1 victory. He remains the last pitcher to earn a complete-game victory as a teenager in his major league debut, according to MLB.com.
Shortstop Larry Bowa led off that day, went 2-for-5 and stayed Christenson’s teammate from 1973 to 1981. The two became close friends. “My heart is heavy today,” Bowa said after the death. “‘LC’ was a tremendous teammate, an outstanding pitcher and a true friend. Win or lose, he was always the life of the clubhouse.”
A Grand Slam in the Clincher
Christenson grew into a workhorse for the Phillies of the late 1970s, anchoring the rotation on three consecutive National League East championship clubs from 1976 to 1978. He went 45-28 with a 3.65 ERA across 616 innings in that stretch.
A career-high 19 wins made 1977 his signature season. September 27, 1977, at Wrigley Field brought the exclamation point, where a 15-9 win over the Chicago Cubs clinched a second straight division title. Christenson started and picked up the win, and in the seventh inning he launched a grand slam of his own. The bat made him a genuine threat: former Phillies pitcher Rick Wise shares the top of the franchise’s list for pitchers with him, each having hit 11 career home runs.
One curious piece of team lore also belongs to him. The Phillies played exactly one game in burgundy uniforms, on May 19, 1979, and Christenson was the starter. Several more nights had been lined up for the look that season. Then he threw inside at Montreal catcher Gary Carter twice, the second pitch striking Carter in the head; the benches cleared, and the Expos ran up a 10-5 win. Greg “Bull” Luzinski went upstairs afterward and told owner Ruly Carpenter: “I’m never wearing this uniform again. You can release me. You can trade me. I don’t care.” The uniforms were retired by Carpenter. In photographs from that night, Christenson still appears in burgundy.
A Ring in 1980 and a Life in Philadelphia
Injuries held Christenson to 14 starts in 1980, the Phillies’ championship season, and he made them count with a 5-1 record and a 4.03 ERA. The World Series was another story. He recorded just one out in his Game 4 start and was charged with four runs on five hits in a 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on October 18, 1980. The franchise’s first title still came, Philadelphia recovering to win it in six games. The 1983 club that captured the National League pennant also included him, three years later.
Christenson stayed in the Philadelphia area once his playing days ended. A successful business career followed, and local charity work drew him in. Steady, hands-on support went from him to Phillies Charities, Inc. and other area nonprofits; he was the kind of alumnus who turned up whenever the organization needed a familiar face.
“He was always helping people,” Bowa recalled. “If you needed him, he was there.”
Teammates Remember “LC”
The men who shared a clubhouse with him paid tribute quickly. The news, said Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt, had just reached him: a friend of 50 years was dead. “Larry was very special, the guy that kept in touch with all of us,” Schmidt said. “He always had a smile on his face, he never forgot a moment he spent with you.”
“His passing will leave a hole in all of our hearts,” Schmidt said.
Bowa, who also managed the Phillies, called him a good hitter for a pitcher who knew how to keep a clubhouse loose yet turned tough and prepared on the days he pitched. He remembered needling Christenson on mound visits after long home runs and getting an unprintable reply.
In their announcement, the Phillies extended condolences to Christenson’s daughters, Claire and Libby, along with his extended family, friends, and former teammates, and said that what he gave the franchise and the city would not be forgotten.
