39. [88], Koufax and Drysdale did not report to spring training in February. Then there's today, Dec. 30, the birthday of three American athletes of whom you may have heard: Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Sandy Koufax. He won an ERA title in 1962 when he only pitched half a season due to injury and led the league in strikeouts in 1961 with 269. . Sandy was a three-time World Series champion with a lifetime World Series ERA . Join. He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched in his career (6 .79) He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to future Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. "Now, 67 years ago, Jackie Robinson became my teammate and friend," Koufax said Friday. We will offer fans the opportunity to buy signed and unsigned items. Award by a unanimous vote . Off in a corner at Dodgertown, standing together behind a pitcher's mound and wearing Dodger uniforms,. Below is the final inning of Koufaxs lone career perfect game, delivered by Vin Scully. Sandy Koufax was in the major league only twelve years, barely clearing the Hall of Fame minimum of ten. Koufax pitched four no-hitters in his career, including a perfect game against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. Topps created three different sets to be distributed in Venezuela and, as Koufax had retired after the 1966 season, he was included in the 50-card set featuring former stars from the 20th century. He had two wins in 1955, which were both shutouts. history to have two games with 18 or more strikeouts, and the first to have eight games with 15 or more (Harry How/Getty Images). With his third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern-era pitchers to hurl three no-hitters.[72]. 299 pages, Hardcover. 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. With an overworked pitching staff there was no one else, as Drysdale and Johnny Podres had pitched the prior two days. In the immediate aftermath of Scullys death this week, one particular broadcast stood out: Scullys call of Koufaxs perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965. By the end of the year, after going 813, Koufax was thinking about quitting baseball to devote himself to an electronics business in which he had invested. Its one of the greatest honors of my life.. His No. MLB Tonight celebrates Sandy Koufax's 87th birthday . [119], In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". On his fourth no-hitter, he made it a perfect game! Sandy Koufax, byname of Sanford Koufax, original name Sanford Braun, (born Dec. 30, 1935, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.), American professional baseball player who, despite his early retirement due to arthritis, was ranked among the sport's greatest pitchers. In typical Koufax fashion, he centered his speech by thanking everyone that helped him get to this moment. [18], After trying out with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds,[19] Koufax did the same for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. leader four times, setting a single-season mark with 382 in 1965, and had the most wins three times, with totals 11 y/o me started collecting him as soon as he got drafted. Finally, on his way out the door in 1966, Koufax finished 27-9, the most victories in any of his 12 seasons. LOS ANGELES Sandy Koufax was 19 years old when he stepped into the home clubhouse of the team he'd grown up in Brooklyn watching, the one that by the time Koufax turned 22 would move to Los. Final Projected (1962): 14-7, 3.33 ERA, 0 SHO, 167.1 IP, 132 H . Koufax played for the Dodgers first in Brooklyn and then Los Angles, from 1955-1966, putting together a breathtaking resume that included four World Series championships, three Cy Young Award. Koufax is the stepfather of Clarke's daughter from her prior marriage to artist John Clem Clarke. In 1966, his final season, he went 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA and 27 complete games.\n\nIn the postseason, Koufax also shined, winning two World Series MVP Awards.\n\nI have to be careful how I word things because I say I hit against Sandy Koufax, but I have to take that back because I only faced Sandy Koufax, said former Dodgers manager Joe Torre. 4.15. On June 13 in Milwaukee, Koufax hit the first home run of his career off Warren Spahn, providing the winning margin in a 2-1 victory in Milwaukee. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league", said former New York Met Art Shamsky, who managed the Miracle. Sandy Koufax. was a member of Dodgers' world championship teams in 1955, '59, '63 and '65, earning MVP honors in 1963 and Since then, no left-hander has had more wins, nor a lower ERA; only Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton matched the 27-win mark, in 1972. pic.twitter.com/Jq2MP88ZgL. Autobiography of the great Dodgers pitcher, assisted by a noted sportswriter. Koufax carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the powerful Giants lineup, including Mays and fellow future Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. 50. r/footballcards. And maybe Elvis, too. We lost them for him. Then and now. [130], Koufax married Anne Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark, in 1969; they divorced in 1982. See. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13 batters, he could not straighten his arm. He got me sometimes. (2000). Obama continued: "He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. During his speech, Koufax thanked a litany of former teammates and coaches who helped him throughout his career. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. He posted 15 complete games (seven shutouts) and punched out 223 batters in as many innings. He has done it four straight years, and now he caps it. In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. . View More Videos. Most of his velocity came from his strong legs and back, combined with a high leg kick during his wind-up and long forward extension on his release point toward home plate. [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]. Book details & editions. Heres what to watch for. \n","providerName":"Twitter","providerUrl":"https://twitter.com","type":"rich","width":550},"type":"oembed"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"Koufaxs four-year run from 1963-66 is one of the best ever. [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). He thanked everyone from his first pitching coach to the equipment managers on his Dodgers teams. 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). Koufax won the NL MVP Award and the Hickok Belt, and was the first-ever unanimous selection for the Cy Young Award. The couple divorced in 1982 and never had children. He also became the second pitcher in baseball [30] He did not start again for almost two months, but on August 27, Koufax threw a two-hit, 70 complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds for his first major league win. Historical Events. But those final four years were wonder years. [10] Shortly after his mother's remarriage, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre. Alston gave him a chance to justify his place on the major league roster by giving him the next day's start. He was selected to seven [123][124], Before the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Koufax was introduced as one of the four best living players (as selected by fans), along with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Johnny Bench. award was presented to one pitcher, rather than one in each league . Koufax finally was able to pitch again in September, when the team was locked in a tight pennant race with the Giants. In his last ten seasons, from 1957 to 1966, batters hit .203 against him, with a .271 on-base percentage and a .315 slugging average. Floor plans starting at $1995. I tried to set an excellence that he lived up to, and I think it made us both better.. Koufax briefly held the Dodgers records for career strikeouts and shutouts until longtime teammate Don Drysdale passed him in 1968. He had special praise for his broadcaster. This area is served by the El Paso Independent attendance zone. Koufax turns 86. "[45] During spring training, Dodger scout Kenny Myers discovered a hitch in Koufax's windup, where he would rear back so far he would lose sight of the target. Now, 57 years after the Hall of Fame pitcher sat out a World Series. Top right: Koufax at the 2014 BBWAA . Manager Dave Roberts, third-base coach Dino Ebel, owner Mark Walter and countless others were present for Koufaxs moment. Koufax's most memorable moments Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter, and the Orioles won 60. Koufax, who played 12 seasons for the Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodgers, saw his statue unveiled in the same area as the one the Dodgers previously erected for his legendary teammate, Jackie. He was the strikeouts [32] During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. [2][66][84], Before the 1966 season began, Koufax and Drysdale met separately with general manager Buzzie Bavasi to negotiate their contracts for the upcoming year. "[68] In Game 4, Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep with a 21 victory over Ford, clinching the Series MVP Award for his performance. Because of what was described as a ruptured elbow at the time, he only made 28 starts in 1964. The statue's unveiling will take place before the . I then took Koufax's stats for his 28.62 starts and multiplied everything with 0.9085 to arrive at Koufax's final projected stats. [52] On April 24, he tied his own record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 road win over the Cubs. Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. On Saturday, Koufax and his famous leg kick were forever immortalized at Dodger Stadium as he became the second player to get a statue in the center-field plaza. Here is the end of Vin Scullys call that night, one legend talking about another: On the scoreboard in right field, it is 9:46 p.m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles, California. Sanford "Sandy" Koufax, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, was referred to as the "man with the golden arm." He established one record after another as he went through an 11-year career as a pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The legendary voice of the Dodgers, who died Tuesday at 94, helped generations of fans fall in love with baseball, from his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 to his final call in Los Angeles in 2016. In the first eight of those years he was not great, his record being 68-60. And a crowd of 29,139 just sitting in to see the only pitcher in baseball history [at the time] to hurl four no-hit, no-run games. [11] Koufax attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, where he was better known for basketball than for baseball. shutouts . [131], Koufax serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping former major league, minor league, and Negro league players through financial and medical difficulties.[132]. . To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. He [69][70], Koufax's 1964 season started with great expectations. Sandy Koufax, Ed Linn. Scully was not Jewish. After four weeks, Koufax gave Drysdale the go-ahead to negotiate new deals for both of them. Theyre both left-handed pitchers and both dominated their eras unlike any other pitcher. 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. 3. He has since worked for the Dodgers organization in a variety of capacities. The left-hander went 165-87 with a 2.76 ERA over his Hall of Fame career. [86][87] At the time, Willie Mays was the highest paid player in the major leagues at $125,000 (equivalent to $1.04million in 2021) per year, and multi-year contracts were extremely unusual. It was a six-year run that took him straight to Cooperstown. And here is the transcript of that call. Home is located close to parks, schools, shopping, freeway access & Fort Bliss. ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. And you still couldn't hit it. Sandy Koufax's age is 87 years old as of today's date 11th February 2023 having been born on 30 December 1935. [122] He was the final player chosen in the inaugural Israel Baseball League draft in April 2007, picked, at 71 years old, by the Modi'in Miracle. [23] After seeing Koufax pitch for Lafayette, Campanis invited him to an Ebbets Field tryout. In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire and that his arm could not take another season. I think we were friends, but I think in some ways we were competitors, Koufax said. 1953-12-14 Brooklyn Dodgers sign pitcher Sandy Koufax; 1955-06-08 L.A. Dodgers option pitcher (and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager) Tommy Lasorda to make room on roster for future Hall of Famer, pitcher Sandy Koufax; 1955-08-27 Sandy Koufax fans 14 Reds, both teams combine for record 23 strikeouts; 1959-06-22 Most Phillies strike out in a game (16 by Sandy Koufax) [55], Koufax had a strong season despite an injured pitching hand. [27] Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, 1955, against the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers trailing 71 in the fifth inning. After joining the major leagues at age 19, having never pitched a game in the minor leagues, the first half of his career was unremarkable, posting a record of just 3640 with a 4.10 earned run average (ERA); he was a member of World Series champions in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, though he did not appear in any of the team's Series wins. [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. [16][17] Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten. His best was better than everybody elses best. The 1965 season brought more obstacles for Koufax. Ten days of experimental medicine successfully reopened the artery. OLDENBURG - Some of the people in this story, the strangest Sandy Koufax story ever told, are dead . Koufax had 11-game winning streaks in both 1964 and 1965. He is also the first pitcher to win the award by a unanimous votea recognition which he accomplished twice more. Throughout his career, Koufax relied heavily on two pitches. The Dodgers won the 1955 World Series for the first title in franchise history, but Koufax did not appear in the series. Today's Paper Nobody today pitches 311 innings . Koufax won his second pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (26), ERA (2.04) and strikeouts (382, the highest modern-day total at the time, topped only by Nolan Ryan's 383 in 1973), and captured his second unanimous Cy Young Award. His decision garnered national headlines, raising the conflict between professional pressures and personal religious beliefs to front-page news. And what a time it was: a record of 97-27 across his final four seasons, when he was at his best. October 6, 1965, was the most important day of the year for this 29-year-old native of Brooklyn. World Series Championship. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. The Dodgers signed Koufax for a $6,000 ($61,000 today) salary, with a $14,000 ($141,000 today) signing bonus. But thank you to all the fans who treated me so well, and tell them how lucky they are to have had competitive teams to root for, for so many years. On Saturday, Koufax and his famous leg kick were forever immortalized at Dodger Stadium as he became the second player to get a statue in the center-field plaza. Thank you very much. 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). He was also named the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1963, and was runner-up for the award the other two years. Today's equivalent is Ibuprofen. The game also set a record for the fewest hits ever in a major league contest,[79][80] thanks to a one-hitter thrown by the opposing pitcher, Bob Hendley of the Cubs, who only allowed only two batters to reach base. "[28], Koufax's first start was on July 6. [44], Koufax tried one more year of baseball, showing up for the 1961 season in better condition than he ever had before. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. of 27, 26 and 25 . Other Amenities Other: two story, living area, dining area . pic.twitter.com/JgMKllrYBN. [71], On June 4, playing at Connie Mack Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies, Koufax walked Richie Allen on a very close full-count pitch in the fourth inning. The advice worked, Koufax struck out the side, and then went on to pitch seven no-hit innings. Agler was referring to the decision by Sandy Koufax, the star pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers, to sit out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins because it fell on Yom Kippur. Koufax declined the offer. (39) and Jackie Robinson (42). Koufax's pitching prowess aside, Passan praised the principled stance the former Dodger took all those years ago. He struck out the last six consecutive batters. and to strike out more than nine batters (9 .28) per nine innings . [107] He also occasionally threw a changeup and a forkball. By July, though, his entire hand was becoming numb and he was unable to complete some games. 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. 4. Koufax authorized the book but declined to be interviewed; thus, Leavy . They rejoined the team in the last week of spring training. [8][9] His parents, Evelyn (ne Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. A left-handed pitcher, he played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1955 to 1966. He also took Butazolidin for inflammation, applied capsaicin-based Capsolin ointment (also sold by the brand name "Atomic Balm") before each game, and soaked his arm in a tub of ice afterwards. Though, he is 6 1 in feet and inches and 188 cm in Centimetres tall, he . He was raised in Borough Park, in a Jewish family. Sandy Koufax Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-060d) 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. [25] Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed. The lefty won three Cy Young Awards, threw four no-hitters and was 165-87 in a 12-year career with Brooklyn and Los Angeles. From 1962-66, Koufax led the National League in earned run average and shutouts . It would be easy to argue that hes the best pitcher to ever wear Dodger Blue. Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield. pic.twitter.com/udkMRcWR29, The legendary life and career of Sandy Koufax. Awesome once. [120] He was also named that year as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Koufax ended up getting $125,000 and Drysdale $110,000 (equivalent to $0.92million in 2021). So when he wrote his name in capital letters in the record books, that 'K' stands out even more than the O-U-F-A-X.. [79][114] The Dodgers again hired Koufax in 2013 as a special advisor to team chairman Mark Walter to work with the pitchers during spring training and consult during the season. He remains, over half a century later, on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. 32 was one of the first retired by the organization, along with Jackie Robinsons No. On Nov. 18, 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball despite being just 30 years old. honors Steinbrenner, Clemens at 15th annual dinner", "Sandy Koufax: Pitcher Nonpareil and Perfect Gentleman", "Close-Up: Good Life of Baseball's Number 1 Hero", National League Most Valuable Player Award, Major League Baseball combined Cy Young Award, National League Pitcher of the Year Award, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a perfect game, Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sandy_Koufax&oldid=1141250131, International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees, National League Most Valuable Player Award winners, World Series Most Valuable Player Award winners, National League Pitching Triple Crown winners, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball players, Columbia University School of General Studies alumni, Lafayette High School (New York City) alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, October 2,1966,for theLos Angeles Dodgers. League seasons, he had a career record of 165-87, a 2 .76 ERA, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games and 40 You really have, left-handed pitcher or not. He made 43 appearances, had 27 complete games (eight shutouts) and 382 strikeouts in 335 2/3 innings. This Date in Baseball: Sandy Koufax Throws Perfect Game AP 0:00 0:44 Sept. 9 1914 George Davis of the Boston Braves pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second. 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. The Los Angeles Dodgers' legendary pitcher was in a dilemma during the 1965 World Series. Major Leaguer to pitch four no-hitters, including a perfect game . He was the youngest player (age 36) and the [82], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. The performance earned him his second World Series MVP award, making him the first player to win the award twice. A vascular specialist determined that Koufax had a crushed artery in his palm. 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 joined Robinson, who received the first statue in Dodger Stadium history back in 2015. [81] Both pitchers had no-hitters intact until the seventh inning. Koufax, though, dominated pretty much everybody else in his time. Alston gave him the start in Game 5, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 92,706 fans. He managed to pitch and win two more games. He walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch in the eighth, and pinch-hitter McCovey on four pitches in the ninth, before closing out the game. Then he added this, just for fun, and with a Scully twinkle: Pretty good. What I don't understand is how he lost five,"[67] to which Dodger shortstop Maury Wills responded, "He didn't. F ifty years ago, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale tried one of the boldest maneuvers in baseball history. Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the only Phillie to reach base that day. Branch Rickey, then the general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm [he had] ever seen". . percentage . In spring 1954, he made the college baseball varsity team, which was coached by Jucker at that time. He resigned in 1990, saying he was not earning his keep, but most observers blamed it on his uneasy relationship with manager Tommy Lasorda. 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