[46], A day later, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. F ifty years ago, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale tried one of the boldest maneuvers in baseball history. [8][9] His parents, Evelyn (ne Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest Jewish players in MLB history, once refused to play in the World Series. [35], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. 1 / 2. Richard Belzer was a Jewish comedian. Home is located close to parks, schools, shopping, freeway access & Fort Bliss. THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF SANDY KOUFAX About Us Welcome sports fans and collectors to SandyKoufax.com, the first and only authorized and approved website by Sandy Koufax. [27] Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, 1955, against the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers trailing 71 in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, the Dodgers waged a public relations battle against them. [65][66] It was not only the first of three times he would be a unanimous selection, it was the only Cy Young Award given out for both leagues during his career; separate awards for each league were presented starting in 1967. Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starting pitchers, Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, Columbia University School of General Studies, Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders, List of Major League Baseball perfect games, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball, "Sandy Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur still resonates", "Sandy Koufax's season with UC Bearcats remembered", "Koufax Recalls His Wild Start At Forbes Field", Autographed 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Spring Training Roster Program - Army Reserves - 1957 Meal Card, Drysdale and Koufax on active duty training, How Sandy Koufaxs Motel Helped Lead to Baseballs Big-Money Era, Don Drysdale Collection at SCP - Part II - In the Army Now, Lot #23: DON DRYSDALE'S 1957-58 U.S. ARMY WORN FIELD JACKET (DRYSDALE COLLECTION), "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Major League Baseball Players of the Month", "The Strike Zone: A Chronological Examination of the Official Rules by Baseball Almanac", "1962 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "1963 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Shutouts", "1963 National League Statistics and Awards", "Joe Sobran My Other Sandy (ASCII version)", "1963 World Series box scores and play by play", "On this day 49 years ago, Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game in one hour and 43 minutes", "Domination in the Dome: Nolan Ryan Throws His Fifth No-Hitter", "Sandy Koufax turns 80: The 8 most memorable performances of his HOF career", "Every perfect game in Major League history, ranked", "Macon's Bob Hendley made history with Koufax", "Sandy Koufax Responded to a Higher Calling on Yom Kippur in 1965", "1965 World Series box scores and play by play", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Games Started", "Baltimore makes it two straight as Dodgers defense comes apart", "Elbow too much Sandy Koufax quitting baseball", "Progressive Leaders for Hits Allowed/9IP", "Career Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Wins", "The Incomparable Career of Sandy Koufax", "ESPN Classic Koufax's dominance was short but sweet", "ESPN Classic Koufax dominating in '65 Series", "Dodgers to be joined by Koufax at Spring Training", "Los Angeles Dodgers unveil Sandy Koufax statue outside stadium", "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players", "Koufax makes appearance at World Series", "Baseball Toaster: Humbug Journal: He'll be working on 14,875 days rest", "Koufax Drafted By Israeli Baseball Team", "Koufax, Mays, Aaron, Bench voted by fans as four greatest living players", "Obama Honors Jewish Americans at White House Reception, May 27, 2010", "Remarks by the President at Reception in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month", "Myth and fact part of legacy from Sandy Koufax's Yom Kippur choice", "Jewish pitcher Sandy Koufax did more than miss one game", "Sandy Koufax's wife Jane Purucker Clarke (Bio, Wiki)", "B.A.T. When he first joined the team in 1955 they were called the Brooklyn Dodgers. [88], Koufax and Drysdale did not report to spring training in February. And Sandy Koufax, whose name will always remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flurry. . It was a six-year run that took him straight to Cooperstown. Koufax ended up getting $125,000 and Drysdale $110,000 (equivalent to $0.92million in 2021). [53][54] It would be the only time in his career he earned this distinction. Koufax finished with a 14-7 slate, and led the NL in ERA (2.54) for the first of five consecutive seasons. [11] Koufax attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, where he was better known for basketball than for baseball. He 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. Catcher Norm Sherry advised him to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 03:20. On May 23, he pitched a 1-0, one-hit shutout in Pittsburgh, allowing only a second-inning single by pitcher Bennie Daniels. 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. Facing the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, Koufax beat Whitey Ford 52 in Game 1 and struck out the first five batters and 15 overall, breaking Carl Erskine's decade-old record of 14 (a record that would fall to Gibson's 17 in the 1968 World Series opener). From 1962-66, Koufax led the National League in earned run average and shutouts . 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. On Saturday, Kershaw was one of the people selected to give a speech during Koufaxs ceremony. Sandy, one day, I hope I can impact someone the way you have championed me. October 6, 1965, was the most important day of the year for this 29-year-old native of Brooklyn. . World Series Championship. In 1958, he began 73, but sprained his ankle in a collision at first base, finishing the season at 1111 and leading the NL in wild pitches. [16][17] Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten. [56], The night before the playoffs began, manager Alston asked Koufax if he could start the next day. In the end, Aaron had 42 hits off Koufax, the most of anybody. No longer able to deal with his elbow pain, Koufax retired after going 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA and 317 strikeouts in 323 innings in 1966. [59] Koufax, who had reduced his walks allowed per nine innings to 3.4 in 1961 and 2.8 in 1962, reduced his walk rate further to 1.7 in 1963, which ranked fifth in the league. But the injury made him realize that greatness can be fleeting. His mother was remarried when he was nine, to Irving Koufax. Koufax's seasonal W-L record during that period was. Willie Mays said, "I knew every pitch he was going to throw fastball, breaking ball or whatever. Advertisement Sandy Koufax, pitcher of Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18, 1964 at . OLDENBURG - Some of the people in this story, the strangest Sandy Koufax story ever told, are dead . [115], Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1972, just weeks after his 36th birthday. Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. Koufax with the Los Angeles Dodgers, c. 1965, Major League Baseball pitchers who have won the, Baseball Anecdotes by Daniel Okrent and Steve Wulf, Harper and Row Publishers, 1989, The play-by-play data from which these averages were calculated are only available starting in 1957. And here is the transcript of that call. He was selected to seven Nobe Kawano, the clubhouse supervisor, retrieved the equipment in case Koufax returned to play the following year. The next season, baseball went on without Koufax. And what a time it was: a record of 97-27 across his final four seasons, when he was at his best. SUMMARY He thanked everyone from his first pitching coach to the equipment managers on his Dodgers teams. [44], Koufax tried one more year of baseball, showing up for the 1961 season in better condition than he ever had before. 1. He posted an 1813 record and led the league with 269 strikeouts, breaking Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old NL mark of 267. Its one of the greatest honors of my life.. Koufax allowed only one run in seven innings, but lost the 10 game when Nellie Fox scored on a double play. Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed. Sandy Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 30, 1935. He struck out 306 batters in 311 innings. [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. On his fourth no-hitter, he made it a perfect game! [52] On April 24, he tied his own record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 road win over the Cubs. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. He is also the first pitcher to win the award by a unanimous votea recognition which he accomplished twice more. And I got him sometimes. In truth, Aaron did a little better than that. [98] He also became the second pitcher in baseball history to have two games with 18 or more strikeouts, and the first to have eight games with 15 or more strikeouts. During his speech, Koufax thanked a litany of former teammates and coaches who helped him throughout his career. He pitched well enoughBaltimore first baseman Boog Powell told Koufax's biographer, Jane Leavy, "He might have been hurtin' but he was bringin'"but three errors by Dodger center fielder Willie Davis in the fifth inning produced three unearned runs. When Koufax allowed baserunners, he was rarely permitted to finish the inning.