Pietrusza, David; Silverman, Matthew & Gershman, Michael, ed. He is the inspiration for my site's whimsical "Sabbathmetrics" series (examining whether Jewish ballplayers do better or worse on the Sabbath). Koufax was pitching better than ever, however, so he ignored the problem, hoping that the condition would clear up. He was named the World Series MVP in both 1963 and 1965, earning two wins in each Series and striking out 52 batters to lead the team to another pair of titles. [74], On June 20, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets, Koufax pitched his second one-hitter, allowing only a fifth-inning home run by Jim Hickman before the Dodgers came back for a 2-1 win. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Koufax became the youngest player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, and has since served as a pitching instructor for his former team. After the meeting, the pitchers met for dinner, with Koufax complaining that Bavasi was using his teammate against him in the negotiations, taunting, "How come you want that much when Drysdale only wants this much? He was the youngest player (age 36) and the He is an actor, known for 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Shotgun Slade (1959) and Michael Shayne (1960). Despite his injury-shortened career, the pitcher retired at the height of his game and left a lasting mark. Gilbert marveled at what his friend accomplished. He held batters to 5.79 hits per nine innings, and allowed the fewest baserunners per nine innings in any season ever: 7.83, breaking his own record (set two years earlier) of 7.96. Sandy Koufax Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-003d) in Brooklyn, NY us More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame MVP 3x Cy Young 3x Triple Crown 7x All-Star 4x World Series 2x WS MVP 5x ERA Title 2x ML PoY 32 32 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax returned to the Dodgers in January 2013 to serve as [105], At the beginning of his career Koufax fought a tendency to "tip" pitches to the opposing team through variations in his wind-up, which included the position in which he held his hands at the top of the wind-up. [69][70], Koufax's 1964 season started with great expectations. [95] In his three World Series losses, all starts, spread over three different Series, Koufax gave up a total of three earned runs; the Dodgers scored a total of one run in support in all three. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Sandy Koufax debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955 at the age of 19. throughout the year . Koufax also made headlines for adhering to his faith. 3 Sandy Koufax Quotes About Life "There is among us a far closer relationship than the purely social one of a fraternal organization because we are bound together not only by a single interest but by a common goal. Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy 6,337 ratings, 4.06 average rating, 276 reviews Open Preview Sandy Koufax Quotes Showing 1-6 of 6 "In the immortal words of Willie Stargell, trying to hit Koufax was like "trying to drink coffee with a fork." Jane Leavy, Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy 3 likes Like OLDENBURG - Some of the people in this story, the strangest Sandy Koufax story ever told, are dead . When throwing a fastball with baserunners, his hand position in the stretch would be higher than when he threw a curveball. Koufax won the Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 and 1966. He was also named the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1963, and was runner-up for the award the other two years. [91] He started 41 games (for the second year in a row); only two left-handers have started more games in any season over the ensuing years through 2021.[92]. You don't have to wait for the reviews. Join our linker program. Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports. [119], In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". If there was any magic formula, it was getting to pitch every fourth day. He led the Miami Heat to NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 and won another championship with Cleveland in 2016, before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. He Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in the National League against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, September 9, 1965. He struck out 14 batters in the 10 win, at the time the most recorded in a perfect game (tied by Matt Cain in 2012). He won five straight NL ERA titles from 1962-66 and led the Dodgers to the NL pennant in 1963, 1965 and 1966, winning the World Series in 1963 and 1965. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Tuesday, January 17, 11:08PM. 32 was retired alongside those of fellow Dodger greats Roy Campanella Facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Koufax struck out 13 while pitching his first complete game in almost two years. 304 pp. Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, he pitched a major league-leading 335+23 innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. [125], Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans honored at a May 27, 2010, White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month. Koufax, at age 36 in 1972, became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. It's become the stuff of legend in American. After a slow start, his baseball career was cut short by problems with his pitching arm. [1] Koufax, by retiring 27 consecutive batters without allowing any to reach base, became the sixth pitcher of the modern era, eighth overall, to throw a perfect game. Every single product on this site has been approved and licensed by Sandy Koufax. The hard-throwing left-hander was baseball's most dominant pitcher until elbow arthritis forced him to retire at the age of 30. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. Sandy Koufax. [49] Selected as an All-Star for the first time, he appeared in both All-Star Games that year (two All-Star games were held for the years from 1959 to 1962). In a start in Cincinnati his finger split open after one inning. Koufax declined the offer. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Fans and collectors are buying in good faith items they believe are real. With the Series tied at 22, Koufax pitched a complete-game shutout in Game 5 for a 32 Dodgers lead as the Series returned to Metropolitan Stadium for Game 6, which the Twins won to force a seventh game. He managed to pitch and win two more games. Sanford Koufax (/kofks/; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy. Despite giving up on his curveball early in the game after failing to throw strikes with it in the first two innings, and pitching the rest of the game relying almost entirely on fastballs, Koufax threw a three-hit shutout to clinch the Series. Koufax agreed not to throw at all between gamesa resolution that lasted only one start. Throughout his career, Koufax relied heavily on two pitches. Sanford Koufax (born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former baseball player. Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax returned to the Dodgers in January 2013 to serve as Special Advisor to Dodgers' Chairman Mark Walter . Koufax had 11-game winning streaks in both 1964 and 1965. Alston gave him the start in Game 5, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 92,706 fans. I started running more. Classic SI Photos of Sandy Koufax From 1963 to '66, Sandy Koufax had averaged a 24-7 record, 307 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA, winning three out of four Cy Young awards at a time before each. He was the first pitcher to record 300 strikeouts three times, and set a record with 97 games of at least 10 strikeouts, also later broken by Ryan; he twice tied a modern record by striking out 18 batters in a game. Exceeded rookie limits during 1956 season, View Player Bio He was just 30 years old. 5. Besides, he was also the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of fame when he was 36 years old. [29] He lasted only .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}4+23 innings, giving up eight walks. Arrives before Christmas Only 16 left in stock - order soon. LeBron James became an immediate star after skipping college to join the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he emerged as a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher at the University of Cincinnati and left after one year to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pitching is the art of instilling fear. On May 15, the restriction on sending Koufax down to the minors was lifted. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Claude Osteen (center) celebrates with Don Drysdale (right) and Sandy Koufax (left) after Sandy leads the Dodgers to a 7-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Game 5 of the 1965 World Series. Koufax briefly held the Dodgers records for career strikeouts and shutouts until longtime teammate Don Drysdale passed him in 1968. It was Yom Kippur, 6 October 1965, the day Sandy Koufax's choice to forgo work and observe the Jewish Day of Atonement, rather than pitch in the Series opener, instantly became the bible-esque . honors Steinbrenner, Clemens at 15th annual dinner", "Sandy Koufax: Pitcher Nonpareil and Perfect Gentleman", "Close-Up: Good Life of Baseball's Number 1 Hero", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sandy_Koufax&oldid=1132877459, October 2,1966,for theLos Angeles Dodgers. Koufax had to call it a career after the 1966 season as a result of worsening arthritis in his throwing arm. Koufax was an immediate beneficiary of the change, lowering his ERA at home from 4.29 to 1.75. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123 PSA Mint 9 ($204,000 USD) At $204,000 USD through Heritage Auctions this rookie Sandy Koufax card sold on March 23, 2017. By JOE REEDY June 18, 2022. [52] On April 24, he tied his own record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 road win over the Cubs. He was the youngest player ever elected, five months younger than Lou Gehrig upon his special election in December 1939 (which waived what was then a one-year waiting period before enshrinement). "[104], Koufax threw with a pronounced straight-over-the-top arm action. Rubber sleeve used by Sandy Koufax while icing down his chronically sore arm - B-59-67 (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers pitching - BL-2568-68 (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), Sandy Koufax went 27-9 during the regular season in 1966, but was defeated by Jim Palmer and the Orioles in his only start in that year's World Series. [2][102] Koufax and Juan Marichal are the only two pitchers to have more than one 25-win season in the post-World War II era, with each man recording three. The 1965 season brought more obstacles for Koufax. He was a left-handed pitcher. He made 43 appearances, had 27 complete games (eight shutouts) and 382 strikeouts in 335 2/3 innings. Sandy Koufax The famous, amazingly talented Sandy Koufax has led a life filled with hardships, swarmed his way up with his talent, and has faced heartbreaks too. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Koufax's role includes attending a portion of Spring Training to work with Dodger pitchers and consulting with the team throughout the year . Years later he recalled, "That winter was when I really started working out. With Game 1 of the 1965 World Series slated to fall on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Koufax famously sat out the game in observance. In the first inning of that game he struck out all three batters on nine total pitches to become the sixth recorded National League pitcher and the 11th recorded pitcher in major league history to accomplish an immaculate inning. SUMMARY Save 15% on 2 select item(s) FREE delivery Dec 13 - 15 . He was 36-40 with a 4.10 ERA and allowed close to 13 base runners per nine innings, including over five walks per game. SPS INC., the longtime agency of Sandy Koufax will procure the items and oversee the site. The Koufax years of 1963 to 1966 are the finest four-year stretch of pitching. Branch Rickey, then the general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm [he had] ever seen". Sandy Koufax was born as Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935. [33], The year 1956 was not very different from 1955 for Koufax. "[85] Drysdale responded that Bavasi had done the same thing with him, in reverse. Koufax was the first major league pitcher to hurl four no-hitters, and in 1965 became the eighth pitcher and the first left-hander since 1880 to pitch a perfect game. On May 23, he pitched a 1-0, one-hit shutout in Pittsburgh, allowing only a second-inning single by pitcher Bennie Daniels. [57], In 1963 Major League Baseball expanded the strike zone. His postseason record was 4-3 with a 0 .95 ERA . [117] On June 4 of that year, Koufax's uniform number 32 was retired alongside those of Dodger greats Roy Campanella (39) and Jackie Robinson (42). Relive your cherished baseball memories and favorite moments from your team with your personalized membership card. In the second game of a doubleheader, Koufax faced Jim Bunning for the second time that season,[90] in a match-up between perfect game winners. Koufax, who has been married twice and, according to Leavy, now "shares his life" with a woman, not that there's anything wrong with that, didn't show up last week at spring training in Vero. [50] He pitched six innings in four All-Star games,[100] including being the starting pitcher for three innings in the 1966 All-Star Game. Sandy Koufax. The advice worked, Koufax struck out the side, and then went on to pitch seven no-hit innings. His second marriage, to personal trainer Kimberly Francis, lasted from 1985 to 1998. [44], Koufax tried one more year of baseball, showing up for the 1961 season in better condition than he ever had before. [25] Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed. Alston gave him a chance to justify his place on the major league roster by giving him the next day's start. [32], During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. [43], In early 1960, Koufax asked Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi to trade him because he was not getting enough playing time. Special Advisor to Dodgers' Chairman Mark Walter . leader four times, setting a single-season mark with 382 in 1965, and had the most wins three times, with totals Sandy Koufax, over the course of just five seasons, had five earned run average titles, three Cy Young Awards, and a Most Valuable Player Award.. Did you know that Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game, plus three no-hitters, over the course of a four consecutive year period (1962-1965)?. [128] In addition, there were other Jewish holidays where he said he would not pitch, including Seder night of Passover and 3 times on Rosh Hashanah, one of which was Game 4 of the 1959 World Series. was a member of Dodgers' world championship teams in 1955, '59, '63 and '65, earning MVP honors in 1963 and He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to future Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. strikeouts . Both players were represented by an entertainment lawyer, J. William Hayes, which was unusual in an era when players were not even represented by agents. Sandy Koufax has a net worth of $10 million and earns $167,000 per year, according to the website Celebrity Net Worth. [36], Koufax and fellow Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale served six months in the United States Army Reserve at Fort Dix in New Jersey after the end of the 1957 season and before spring training in 1958.[37][38][39][40][41]. From 1962 to 1966, he recorded 111 wins against only 34 losses, led the National League in ERA five times, set a single-season record with 382 strikeouts, and won three Cy Young Awards and one Most Valuable Player trophy. [2] The top pitchers of the era future Hall of Famers Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn - and above all Koufax significantly reduced the walks-given-up-to-batters-faced ratio for 1963 and subsequent years. 'S Cleveland Cavaliers the start in game 5, at age 36 in 1972, the... Single product on this site has been approved and licensed by sandy koufax Koufax: a Lefty & # x27 s! Is an American former baseball player if there was any magic formula, it was getting to and... 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