Larry Christenson, the durable right-hander who spent all 11 seasons of his major league career with the Philadelphia Phillies and won a World Series ring with the 1980 club, died unexpectedly on the morning of Friday, August 28, 2026, while on a fishing trip in Washington state with family and friends. He was 72. No cause of death has been released.
The Phillies announced his death that day in a statement and in a post on X. “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.
Known across the sport simply as “LC,” Christenson was a native of Everett, Wash., who was drafted by the Phillies in 1972 and never wore another uniform. Over 11 seasons from 1973 to 1983, he went 83-71 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 781 batters in 1,402 2/3 innings across 243 appearances, including 220 starts. Those 220 starts rank ninth all-time among Phillies pitchers, and the club reached the postseason six times during his career.
The Phillies took him with the third overall pick in the first round of the 1972 draft, one day after his high school graduation.
A Complete Game at 19
Christenson’s introduction to the majors is the kind of debut that no longer happens. On April 13, 1973, at 19 years old, he took the ball at Veterans Stadium against the New York Mets and went the distance in a 7-1 victory. He remains the last pitcher to earn a complete-game victory as a teenager in his major league debut.
Shortstop Larry Bowa led off that day and went 2-for-5, and he would remain 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 became a workhorse for the Phillies teams of the late 1970s, anchoring a rotation on three consecutive National League East championship clubs from 1976 to 1978. Over that stretch, he went 45-28 with a 3.65 ERA across 616 innings.
His signature season came in 1977, when he won a career-high 19 games. The exclamation point arrived September 27, 1977, in a 15-9 win at Wrigley Field over the Chicago Cubs that clinched a second straight division title. Christenson picked up the win as the starter and, in the seventh inning, launched a grand slam of his own. He was a genuine threat with the bat: his 11 career home runs leave him even with former Phillies pitcher Rick Wise atop the franchise’s list for pitchers.
Christenson is also associated with a curious piece of team lore. He started on May 19, 1979, the only game the Phillies ever played in burgundy uniforms. The club had lined up several more nights for the look that season. Then Christenson brushed Montreal catcher Gary Carter off the plate in the second inning and hit him with a pitch in the fourth, the benches cleared, the Expos scored 10 straight runs and Philadelphia lost 10-5. Christenson later recalled Greg “Bull” Luzinski going upstairs afterward and telling owner Ruly Carpenter: “Ruly, I’m never wearing this uniform again. You can release me. You can trade me. I don’t care. I’m never wearing this thing again.” Carpenter retired the uniforms. Photographs of that night still show Christenson in burgundy.
A Ring in 1980 and a Life in Philadelphia
Injuries limited Christenson to 14 starts during the Phillies’ championship season of 1980, but he made them count, going 5-1 with a 4.03 ERA. His World Series turn did not go his way: he was charged with four runs on five hits while recording just one out in his Game 4 start, a 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on October 18. Philadelphia recovered to win the franchise’s first title, in six games. Three years later, he was part of the 1983 club that captured the National League pennant.
After his playing days ended, Christenson stayed in the Philadelphia area, built a successful business career, and threw himself into local charity work. He gave steady, hands-on support to Phillies Charities, Inc. and other area nonprofits, 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”
Tributes came quickly from the men who shared a clubhouse with him. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt said he had just learned of the death of a friend of 50 years. “Larry was very special, the guy that kept in touch with all of us, he always had a smile on his face, he never forgot a moment he spent with you,” Schmidt said.
“His passing will leave a hole in all of our hearts,” Schmidt added.
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.
As of September 3, no cause of death had been released, no funeral or memorial arrangements had been announced, and the Phillies had not announced an on-field tribute at Citizens Bank Park.
