Born in Chattahoochee, Georgia, the son of former MLB pitcher Tiny Osborne, Larry Osborne graduated from West Fulton High School in Atlanta and passed up a football scholarship from Auburn University to sign a pro baseball contract with the Tigers in 1953.
A first baseman and third baseman, Osborne appeared in 359 games over six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers (1957-1959. 1961-1962) and Washington Senators (1963). He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, and was listed at 6 feet 1 inch (185 m) tall and 205 pounds (93 kg).
A power hitter in minor league baseball, Osborne played four full seasons in the Majors.
In 1959, he was the Tigers" second-string first baseman, playing behind veteran Gail Harris. He appeared in 86 games, but batted only.196.
In March 1963, Washington acquired Osborne in a trade for outfielder Wayne Comer, and he ultimately became the Senators" starter at first base in 1963, appearing in 125 games and slugging 12 of his 17 big-league home runs, including a two-homer day on May 2 against his former team In winning the batting title, Osborne edged Minneapolis Millers outfielder Carl Yastrzemski by three percentage points.
Osbone collected 157 hits in the Major Leagues, with 30 doubles and two triples accompanying his 17 home runs.
He had 86 runs batted in. After his MLB career concluded in 1963, he played six more seasons in the minor leagues, through 1969, then became a longtime scout for the San Francisco Giants based in Woodstock, Georgia. He died at 75 from complications of diabetes and other illnesses.
