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Sandy Koufax
Pitcher
Born: December 30, 1935 (1935-12-30) (age 72)
Brooklyn, New York
Batted: Right Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 24, 1955
for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Final game
October 2, 1966
for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics
Win-Loss record     165–87
Earned run average     2. In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0 Frank Robinson, The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched 76
Strikeouts     2,396
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected     1972
Vote     86. In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0 Frank Robinson, The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who In Baseball, the Cy Young Award is an honor given annually to the best Pitcher in Major League Baseball (one each for American and National The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The World Series MVP Award is given to the player who most contributes to his team's success in the World Series - the Most Valuable Player. Before there was a Cy Young Award, there was the Pitcher of the Year Award, established by The Sporting News in 1944, though no awards were given in The Babe Ruth Award was an annual award given to the Major League Baseball player with the best performance in the World Series, similar to the World Series MVP The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Labor strife and more moving 1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration 87% (first ballot)

Sanford Koufax (pronounced /ˈkoʊfæks/) (born Sanford Braun, on December 30, 1935) is an American left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1955 to 1966. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0 Frank Robinson,

Koufax's career peaked with a run of six outstanding seasons from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis ended his career at age 30. Headline Event of the Year Roger Maris hits 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth 's record Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963, and won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards by unanimous votes; in all three seasons, he won the pitcher's triple crown by leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (he actually led both leagues in all three categories). The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-0 Sandy Koufax, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins (4-3 Sandy Koufax, MVP In Baseball, the Cy Young Award is an honor given annually to the best Pitcher in Major League Baseball (one each for American and National For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched [1][2] A notoriously difficult pitcher for batters to face, he was the first major leaguer to pitch more than three no-hitters (including the first perfect game by a left-hander since 1880), to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched in his career (6. In Baseball, a no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game, or colloquially a no-no) refers to a game in which one of the teams prevented the other from getting A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a Pitcher (or combination of pitchers pitches a victory that lasts a minimum In Baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H) sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches In Baseball, innings pitched (IP are the number of Innings a Pitcher has completed measured by the number of batters and Baserunners 79; batters hit . 205 against him), and to strike out more than nine batters (9. 28) per nine innings pitched in his career. [3] He also became the 2nd 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.

Among NL pitchers with at least 2,000 innings pitched who have debuted since 1913, he has the highest career winning percentage (. Champions World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over New York Giants (4-1 Awards and honors 655) and had the lowest career ERA (2. 76) until surpassed by Tom Seaver, whose NL career mark is 2. George Thomas Seaver (born November 17, 1944) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball Pitcher who broke into the major leagues in and 73. [4] His 2,396 career strikeouts ranked 7th in major league history upon his retirement, and trailed only Warren Spahn's total of 2,583 among left-handers. Warren Edward Spahn ( April 23, 1921 &ndash November 24, 2003) was an American left-handed Pitcher in Major League Retiring at the peak of his career, he became, at age 36 and 20 days, the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. [5]

Koufax is also notable as one of the outstanding Jewish athletes of his era in American professional sports. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ His decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because game day fell on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, garnered national attention as an example of conflict between social pressures and personal beliefs. The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its [6]

Contents

Early life

Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Borough Park (usually spelled by its residents Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New [7] His parents, Evelyn and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old; his mother remarried when he was nine, and Koufax took the surname of her new husband, Irving. [8] Shortly after his mother's remarriage, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Rockville Centre is a Village located in When he graduated from ninth grade, they moved back to the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. [9]

Koufax attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, where he was better known for basketball than for baseball. Lafayette High School is a large Secondary school located in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m When he started high school, school sports were not available because the New York teachers were refusing to supervise extracurricular activities without monetary compensation. As an alternative to school sports, Koufax started playing basketball for a local Jewish Community Center team. A Jewish Community Center ( JCC) is a general recreational social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of After the labor action was settled, he played for the high school basketball team. Industrial action (UK and Ireland or job action (US refers collectively to any measure taken by Trade unions or other organised labour meant to reduce Productivity During his senior year, he became team captain and ranked second in his division in scoring, with 165 points in 10 games. [7][10]

While attending high school, Koufax also played baseball. In 1951, at the age of 15, Koufax began playing in a local youth baseball league known as the "Ice Cream League". He started out as a left-handed catcher, and the next year moved to first base; he also played first base for the Lafayette High School team. While playing for Lafayette, he was spotted throwing the ball around the infield by Milt Laurie, the father of two of Koufax's teammates and coach of the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews. Laurie recognized that Koufax might be able to pitch, so he recruited the 17-year old Koufax to pitch for the Parkviews. [11]

Koufax graduated from high school and attended the University of Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship. The University of Cincinnati is a Coeducational public Research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. A scholarship is an award of access to an institution or a financial aid award for an individual student scholar for the purpose of furthering their Education [8] In spring 1954, he made the college baseball varsity team. In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a College, University, High [12] That season, Koufax went 3–1 with 51 strikeouts and 30 walks, in 31 innings. In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes A base on balls ( BB) is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in Baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire [13] Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten. William Francis "Bill" Zinser ( January 6 1918, Astoria New York – February 16 1993 in Englewood Florida, [14]

After trying out with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds,[15] Koufax went to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different Stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City used by Baseball 's New York Giants The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Forbes Field was a Baseball park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1971 [16] During the tryout with the Pirates, Koufax's pitching broke the thumb of his catcher, Sam Narron, the team's bullpen coach. Samuel Woody Narron ( August 25, 1913 — December 31, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball player and coach Branch Rickey, then general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm [he had] ever seen". Wesley Branch Rickey ( December 15 1881 &ndash December 9 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known In Major League Baseball, the General Manager or GM of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub Clyde Leroy "Sukey" Sukeforth ( November 30, 1901 in Washington, Maine - September 3, 2000 in Waldoboro [17] The Pirates, however, failed to offer Koufax a contract until after he was committed to signing with the Dodgers. [18]

Dodgers scout Al Campanis learned about Koufax from a local sporting goods store owner. Alexander Sebastian Campanis ( November 2, 1916 - June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball. After seeing Koufax pitch at Lafayette High School, Campanis invited him to a try out at Ebbets Field. Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Dodgers manager Walter Alston and scouting director Fresco Thompson watched as Campanis assumed the hitter's stance while Koufax started throwing. Walter Emmons Alston ( December 1, 1911 - October 1, 1984) nicknamed "Smokey" was an American Baseball player Lafayette Fresco Thompson ( June 6, 1902 in Centreville, Alabama - November 20, 1968 in Fullerton, California Campanis later said, "There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood up: The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the first time I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball. Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina is the best-known Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. "[19] The Dodgers signed Koufax on a $6,000 salary with a $14,000 signing bonus. A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company Koufax planned to use the signing bonus as tuition to finish his university education in case his baseball career failed. [20]

Professional career

Early years (1956–60)

Because Koufax's signing bonus was greater than $4,000, he was known as a bonus baby. For a list of Bonus Babies please see the List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues. That forced the Dodgers to keep him in the major leagues for at least two years before he could be sent to the minors. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North To make room for him on the roster, the Dodgers optioned their future manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897-1917 and from 1928-60 as a member The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Lasorda would later joke that it took Sandy Koufax to keep him off the Dodger pitching staff. [21]

Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, 1955, in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Braves with the Dodgers trailing 7–1. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, got a bloop single. John Logan Jr (born March 23, 1927 in Endicott, New York) is a former Shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was followed by future Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron. Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews ( October 13 1931 – February 18 2001) was a Hall of Fame Third baseman in Major Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5 1934 in Mobile Alabama) nicknamed "Hammer" "Hammerin' Hank” or "Bad Henry” is a retired Mathews bunted, and Koufax calmly fielded the ball and threw it into center field, trying to get Logan on the force. Aaron then walked on four pitches to load the bases. Bobby Thomson was the next batter, and after working the count full, he struck out swinging. Robert Brown Thomson (born October 25, 1923 in Glasgow, Scotland) nicknamed The Staten Island Scot, is a Scottish In Baseball and Softball, a full count is the common name for a count where the batter has three balls and two strikes. Thomson had just become Koufax's first strikeout victim. [22]

Koufax's first game as starting pitcher was on July 6. He lasted only 4 2/3 innings, giving up eight walks. [23] He did not start again for almost two months, but he made the most of it when it did happen. On August 27, playing at Ebbets Field against the Cincinnati Reds, Koufax threw a two-hit, 7–0 complete game shutout for his first major league win. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA In Baseball, a complete game (denoted by CG) is the act of a Pitcher pitching an entire game himself without the benefit of a Relief pitcher In team sports in American English a shutout (a clean sheet in Soccer) refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring [24] Koufax made only 12 appearances in 1955, pitching 41. 7 innings and walking almost as many men (28) as he struck out (30). His only other win in 1955 was also a shutout. [25]

During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. The School of General Studies, commonly known as General Studies or simply GS, is Columbia University 's undergraduate college for Non-traditional The Dodgers won the 1955 World Series for the first title in franchise history—but without any help from Koufax, who sat on the bench for the entire series. The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture their first championship After the final out of the Series, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class. [26]

1956 wasn't very different from 1955 for Koufax. Despite the blazing speed of his fastball, Koufax continued to struggle with control problems. He saw little work, pitching only 58. 2 innings, walking 29 and striking out 30; he had a 4. 91 ERA. Rarely was he allowed to work out of a jam. As soon as he threw a couple of balls in a row, Alston would have somebody start warming up in the bullpen. Jackie Robinson, in his final season, clashed with Alston on several different subjects, including Koufax. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson saw that Koufax was talented and had flashes of brilliance, and objected to Koufax being benched for weeks at a time. [27]

To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} On May 15, the restriction on sending Koufax down to the minors was lifted. Alston gave him a chance to justify his place on the major league roster by giving him the next day's start. Facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Koufax struck out 13 and earned a complete game win. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley Field is a Baseball Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago It was his first complete game in almost two years. For the next two weeks, and for the first time in his career, he was in the starting rotation. Despite winning three of his next five, leading the league in strikeouts and having a 2. 90 ERA, Koufax didn't get another start for 45 days. In his next start, on July 19, he struck out 11 in seven innings, but got a no decision. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. On September 29, Koufax became the last man ever to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers before their move to Los Angeles, by throwing an inning of relief in the final game of the season. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West [28]

Over the next three seasons, Koufax was in and out of the Dodger starting rotation due to injuries. He started the 1958 season strong by going 7–3 through July, but ended up spraining his ankle in a collision at first base. He finished the season with an 11–11 record, leading the league in wild pitches. In June 1959, Koufax struck out 16 Philadelphia Phillies to set the record for a night game. The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. On August 31, 1959, he broke that record and tied Bob Feller's major league record for strikeouts in one game with 18 strikeouts, (and broke the modern NL record of 17, by Dizzy Dean in 1933), pitching in Los Angeles against the Giants. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Robert William Andrew "Bob" Feller (born November 3, 1918 in Van Meter Iowa) nicknamed the "Heater from Van Meter" and The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. [29]

In 1959 the Dodgers won a close pennant race against the Milwaukee Braves and the San Francisco Giants and went on to face the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox (4-2 Larry Sherry, MVP The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, The opening game of the series was in Chicago, and Koufax pitched two perfect innings in relief, though they came after the Dodgers were already behind 11–0. Alston gave him the start in the fifth game, played at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 92,706 fans. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports Stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles California at Exposition He allowed only one run in seven innings, but was charged with the loss in the 1–0 game when Nellie Fox scored on a double play. Jacob Nelson Fox ( December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was a Major League Baseball Second baseman for the Chicago However, the Dodgers came back to win the Series in Game 6 in Chicago. [30]

In early 1960 Koufax asked Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi to trade him because he wasn't getting enough playing time. Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi buh-VAY-zee ( December 12 1914 - May 1 2008) was an American executive in Major League By the end of 1960, after going 8–13, Koufax was thinking about quitting baseball to devote himself to an electronics business that he'd invested in. Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical After the last game of the season, he threw his gloves and spikes into the trash. Nobe Kawano, the clubhouse supervisor, retrieved the equipment to return to Koufax the following year (or to somebody else if Koufax did not return to play). [31]

Domination (1961–64)

1961 season

Koufax decided to try one more year of baseball and showed up for the 1961 season in better condition than he had in previous years. Years later he recalled, "That winter was when I really started working out. I started running more. I decided I was really going to find out how good I can be. "[32] One evening during spring training, Dodger scout Kenny Myers was talking with Koufax and catcher Norm Sherry and asked Koufax to demonstrate his windup. Norman Burt Sherry (born July 16, 1931, in New York City) is an American former Catcher, manager, and coach He discovered a hitch in Koufax's windup: he'd rear back far enough that, in his release, his vision was obstructed and he couldn't see the target. [33]

The next day, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. His teammate, Ed Palmquist, missed the flight, so Koufax was told he would need to pitch at least seven innings. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. Sherry told him, as he'd been told before, to take something off the ball to get better control. Koufax finally listened and struck out the side. By the time he came out of the game after seven innings, Koufax had struck out eight batters, walked five and given up no hits. [34]

Koufax finally broke into the starting rotation permanently. On September 27, Koufax broke the National League record for strikeouts in a season, surpassing Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old mark of 267, set in 1903. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Christopher "Christy" Mathewson ( August 12 1880 &ndash October 7 1925) nicknamed "Big Six" "The Christian Gentleman" Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Boston Americans over Pittsburgh Pirates (5-3 in the first modern World Koufax finished the year 18–13, with 269 strikeouts and 96 walks. [35] During the two 1961 All-Star games, Koufax pitched two innings without giving up a run. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League [36]

1962 season

In 1962, the Dodgers moved to their new ballpark, Dodger Stadium. The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor ballpark in Los Angeles California at Chávez Ravine. In contrast to the Los Angeles Coliseum, where Koufax had difficulty pitching due to the 250' left field line, Dodger Stadium was a pitcher-friendly park with large foul territory and a poor hitting background. Pitching in this park, Koufax lowered his home ERA from 4. 29 to 1. 75. [37] On June 30 against the New York Mets, Koufax threw his first no-hitter; he would finish his career with a then-record four no-hitters. "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. In Baseball, a no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game, or colloquially a no-no) refers to a game in which one of the teams prevented the other from getting In the first inning of the 5-0 win over the Mets, Koufax struck out three batters on nine pitches to become the sixth National League pitcher and the 11th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-pitch/three-strikeout half-inning. In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times With the no-hitter and a 1. 23 ERA for June, he was named Player of the Month. The Player of the Month award is a Major League Baseball award named by each league every month of the regular season [38][39]

That same season, Koufax's pitching hand was injured. In a batting appearance in April, Koufax had been jammed by a pitch from Earl Francis. Soon a numbness developed in Koufax's index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Koufax was pitching better than ever before, however, so he ignored the problem hoping that it would clear up. By July his entire hand was becoming numb and he had to leave some games early. In a start in Cincinnati, his finger split open after one inning. A vascular specialist determined that Koufax had a crushed artery in his palm. Ten days of experimental medicine successfully reopened the artery. Koufax finally was able to pitch again in September, when the team was locked in a tight pennant race with the Giants. Trying to get back into shape after the long layoff, Koufax was ineffective in three appearances as the Giants caught the Dodgers at the end of the regular season, forcing a three-game playoff. [40]

The night before the National League playoffs began, Manager Walter Alston asked Koufax if he could start the first game the next day. Walter Emmons Alston ( December 1, 1911 - October 1, 1984) nicknamed "Smokey" was an American Baseball player With an overworked pitching staff, there was no one else, as Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres had pitched the prior two days. Donald Scott Drysdale ( July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993) was an American Right-handed Pitcher in Major League John Joseph Podres ( September 30 1932 &ndash January 13 2008) was an American left-handed Starting pitcher in Major Koufax obliged. Koufax later said, "I had nothing at all. " He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. Willie Howard Mays Jr (born May 6 1931 is a retired American Baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants James Houston Davenport (born August 17 1933 in Siluria Alabama) is a former Major League Baseball Infielder (mostly Third base After winning the second game of the series, the Dodgers blew a 4–2 lead in the ninth inning of the deciding third game, losing the pennant. [41]

1963 season

Koufax came roaring back in 1963. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-0 Sandy Koufax, MVP On May 11, he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the powerful Giants lineup, including future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda. A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a Pitcher (or combination of pitchers pitches a victory that lasts a minimum Willie Howard Mays Jr (born May 6 1931 is a retired American Baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants Willie Lee McCovey (born January 10 1938 in) nicknamed "Big Mac" and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (born September 17 1937 in) is a former Major League Baseball First baseman. Koufax walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch, but preserved the no-hitter, his second in as many years, by closing out the ninth. Lonas Edgar Bailey Jr (April 15 1931 – March 23 2007 was an American Catcher who played in Major League Baseball from through. [42] Koufax finished the year by winning the pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (25), strikeouts (306) and ERA (1. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads 88) while also throwing 11 shutouts (only Bob Gibson has pitched more shutouts in a season since then) and leading the Dodgers to the pennant. Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935 in Omaha Nebraska) is a former right-handed Baseball Pitcher for the He won the NL MVP Award, the Cy Young Award (the first unanimous choice), and the Hickok Belt. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. In Baseball, the Cy Young Award is an honor given annually to the best Pitcher in Major League Baseball (one each for American and National The S Rae Hickok Belt was a trophy awarded to the top professional athlete of the year [43][44]

The Dodgers faced the New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series, where Koufax beat Whitey Ford 5 to 2 in Game 1 and struck out 15 batters, breaking Carl Erskine's record of 14 in the 1953 World Series (Bob Gibson would break Koufax's record by striking out 17 Detroit Tigers in Game One of the 1968 World Series). The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (born October 21, 1926) is a former Major League Baseball Pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13 1926 in Anderson Indiana) is a former right-handed Starting pitcher in Major League Baseball The 1953 World Series matched the four-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a rematch of the 1952 Series. Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935 in Omaha Nebraska) is a former right-handed Baseball Pitcher for the The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in 7 games for their first championship Yogi Berra, after seeing Koufax's Game 1 performance, was quoted as saying, "I can see how he won 25 games. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12 1925 in St Louis Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball player and manager What I don't understand is how he lost five. "[45] In Game 4, he completed the Dodgers' series sweep of the Yankees with a 2 to 1 victory over Ford, earning the World Series MVP Award for his performance. The World Series MVP Award is given to the player who most contributes to his team's success in the World Series - the Most Valuable Player. [46]

1964 season

The 1964 season started with great expectations. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-3 Bob Gibson, MVP On April 18, Koufax struck out three batters on nine pitches in the third inning of a 3-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the first (and currently only) pitcher to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning twice in the National League. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times [39] On April 22, however, against the St. Louis Cardinals, during the first inning of Koufax's third start, he felt something "let go" in his arm. The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St Koufax ended up getting three cortisone shots for his sore elbow, and he missed three starts. Cortisone (ˈkɔrtɨsoʊn or /ˈkɔrtɨzoʊn/ (ˈkôrtəˌsōn or -zōn (17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone is a Steroid Hormone. On June 4, playing at Connie Mack Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Koufax walked Richie Allen on a very close full-count pitch. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Shibe Park, known for the last one-third of its existence as Connie Mack Stadium, was a Major League Baseball park in Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. A base on balls ( BB) is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in Baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire For others with the same name see Richard Allen. Richard Anthony Allen (born March 8 1942, in Wampum Pennsylvania Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the first and last Phillie to reach base. With his third no-hitter in three years, Koufax became only the second pitcher of the modern era (after Bob Feller) to pitch three no-hitters. Robert William Andrew "Bob" Feller (born November 3, 1918 in Van Meter Iowa) nicknamed the "Heater from Van Meter" and [47]

On August 8, Koufax jammed his pitching arm while diving back to second base to beat a pick-off throw. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. He managed to pitch and win two more games. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13, he could not straighten his arm. He was diagnosed by Dodgers' team physician Robert Kerlan with traumatic arthritis. Robert K Kerlan ( 13 &ndash 8 American] [Orthopedic surgery|orthopedic surgeon] and the co-founder along with Dr Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body Koufax finished the year with an impressive 19–5 record. [48]

Playing in pain (1965–66)

1965 season

The 1965 season started off badly for Koufax. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins (4-3 Sandy Koufax, MVP On March 31, the morning after pitching a full game during spring training, Koufax awoke to find that his entire left arm was black and blue from hemorrhaging. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the Regular season. Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging / haemorrhaging (see American and British spelling differences) is the loss of Blood from Koufax returned to Los Angeles to consult with Kerlan, who advised Koufax that he would be lucky to be able to pitch once a week. Kerlan also told Koufax that he would eventually lose full use of his arm. Koufax agreed not to throw at all between games—a resolution that lasted only one start. To get himself through the games he pitched in, Koufax resorted to Empirin with codeine for the pain (which he took every night and sometimes during the fifth inning) and Butazolidin for inflammation. Codeine ( INN) or methylmorphine is an Opiate used for its Analgesic, antitussive and antidiarrheal properties Phenylbutazone, often referred to as bute, is a Crystalline substance having the structure shown at right He also applied capsaicin-based Capsolin ointment (called "atomic balm" by baseball players) before each game, and then soaked his arm in a tub of ice. Capsaicin /ˌkæpˈseˌɪsɪn/ (8- Methyl - N - Vanillyl -6-nonen Amide) is the active component of Chili peppers [49]

Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, Koufax pitched 335⅔ innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. He finished the year by winning his second pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (26), ERA (2. 04) and strikeouts (382; the second highest modern day total). His strikeout total set a modern (post-1900) record that lasted until 1973, when Nolan Ryan struck out 383 batters. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson, Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr (born January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas) is a retired American Right-handed Pitcher in He held batters to 5. 79 hits per nine innings, and allowed the fewest base runners per 9 innings in any season ever: 7. 83, breaking his own record (set two years earlier) of 7. 96. Koufax had 11-game winning streaks in both 1964 and 1965. Koufax captured his second Cy Young Award (again unanimously). [50][1]

Koufax and the Dodgers faced the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 due to his observance of Yom Kippur; with Drysdale pitching, his team was hit hard. Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its In Game 2, Koufax pitched six innings, giving up two runs, but the Twins won the game 5–1 and took an early 2–0 lead in the series. The Dodgers fought back, with Claude Osteen, Drysdale, and Koufax claiming vital wins to take a 3-2 lead back to Minnesota. Claude Wilson Osteen (born August 9, 1939 in Caney Springs Tennessee near Chapel Hill) is a former left-handed Starting pitcher in Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met" or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was a sports stadium that once stood in In Game 5, Koufax pitched a complete game shutout, winning 7–0; however, the Twins won Game 6 to force a seventh game. Starting Game 7 on only two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain, throwing a three-hit shutout to clinch the Series. The performance was enough to win him his second World Series MVP award. Also, in 1965 he won the Hickok Belt a second time, the first (and only) time anyone had won the belt more than once. The S Rae Hickok Belt was a trophy awarded to the top professional athlete of the year He was awarded Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award. Sports Illustrated is an American Sports Magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the " [51][44][1]

Perfection

Main article: Sandy Koufax's perfect game

On September 9, 1965, Koufax became the sixth pitcher of the modern era to throw a perfect game. Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in Major League Baseball against the Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a Pitcher (or combination of pitchers pitches a victory that lasts a minimum The game was Koufax's fourth no-hitter, setting a Major League record (subsequently broken by Nolan Ryan). Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr (born January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas) is a retired American Right-handed Pitcher in Koufax struck out 14 batters, the most recorded in a perfect game. The game also featured a quality performance by the opposing pitcher, Bob Hendley of the Cubs. Charles Robert Hendley (born April 30, 1939 in Macon, Georgia) is a former Major League Baseball Pitcher. Hendley pitched a one-hitter and allowed only two batters to reach base. Both pitchers had no-hitters intact until the seventh inning. In one of baseball's great statistical and score-keeping anomalies, this has been the only nine-inning major league game where both teams combined for one hit. The game's only run, scored by the Dodgers, was unearned. In Baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable (i [52][53] The Dodger run was scored without a recorded at bat—Lou Johnson walked, reached second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and scored when the throw to get him out at third went wild.

Holdout

Before the 1966 season began, Koufax and Drysdale met separately with Dodger GM Buzzie Bavasi to negotiate their contracts for the upcoming year. Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi buh-VAY-zee ( December 12 1914 - May 1 2008) was an American executive in Major League After Koufax's meeting, he met Drysdale for dinner and complained that Bavasi was using Drysdale against him in the negotiations, asking, "How come you want that much when Drysdale only wants this much?"[54] Drysdale responded that Bavasi did the same thing with him, using Koufax against him. Drysdale's first wife, Ginger Drysdale, suggested that they negotiate together to get what they wanted. They demanded $1 million, divided equally over the next three years, or $167,000 each for the next three seasons. Both players were represented by an entertainment lawyer, J. William Hayes, which was unusual during an era when players were not represented by agents. [55][56] At the time, Willie Mays was Major League Baseball's highest paid player at $125,000 per year and multi-year contracts were very unusual. Willie Howard Mays Jr (born May 6 1931 is a retired American Baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants [57]

Koufax and Drysdale didn't report to spring training in February. Instead, they both signed to appear in the movie Warning Shot, starring David Janssen. Warning Shot is a 1967 movie about a police sergeant who kills a man in self-defense while on a Stakeout. David Janssen (March 27 1931 – February 13 1980 was a Golden Globe -winning Emmy Award - nominated American Film and Television Drysdale was going to play a TV commentator and Koufax was going to play a detective. Meanwhile, the Dodgers waged a public relations battle against them. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred After four weeks, Koufax gave Drysdale the go-ahead to negotiate new deals for the both of them. Koufax ended up getting $125,000 and Drysdale $110,000. They rejoined the team in the last week of spring training. [58]

1966 season

In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire, that his arm could not take another season. Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. He ended up pitching 323 innings and had a 27–9 record with a 1. 73 ERA. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins, nor a lower ERA, in a season (Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton did match the 27 win mark in 1972). Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944 in Miami Florida) is a former left-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball, from to In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. In the second game of a doubleheader, Koufax faced Jim Bunning in the first ever match-up between perfect game winners. James Paul David "Jim" Bunning (born October 23, 1931) is an American politician and former Pitcher in Major League Baseball Koufax, on two days rest, pitched a complete game, 6–3 victory to clinch the pennant. [59] While he started 41 games (for the second year in a row), only two left-handers started as many games in any season over the ensuing years through 2006.

The Dodgers went on to face the Baltimore Orioles in the 1966 World Series. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The 1966 World Series matched the Baltimore Orioles against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Orioles sweeping the Series in 4 games to capture Game 2 marked Koufax's third start in eight days. Koufax pitched well enough—Baltimore 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. John Wesley Powell (born August 17, 1941, in Lakeland Florida) is a former First baseman in Major League Baseball who played for William Henry Davis (born April 15 1940 in Mineral Springs Arkansas, United States) is a former Center fielder in Major League Baltimore's Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter and the Dodgers ended up losing the game 6–0. James Alvin "Jim" Palmer (born October 15, 1945) nicknamed "Cakes" is a former Major League Baseball right-handed Starting pitcher Alston lifted Koufax at the end of the sixth inning with the idea of getting him extra rest before pitching a potential fifth Series game. It never happened; the Dodgers were swept in four, not scoring a single run in the last three. After the World Series, Koufax announced his retirement due to his arthritic condition. [60]

Career overall

In his 12-season career, Koufax had a 165–87 record with a 2. 76 ERA, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games, and 40 shutouts. Koufax and Juan Marichal are the only 2 major league pitchers in the post-war era (1946-date) to have more than one season of 25 or more wins; each posted 3 such seasons during their careers. Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez (born October 20 1937 in Laguna Verde Dominican Republic) is a former Right-handed Pitcher in In his last ten seasons, from 1957 to 1966, batters hit . 203 against Koufax, with a . 271 on base percentage and a . In Baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP (sometimes referred to as on-base average ', as the statistic is rarely presented as a true Percentage) 315 slugging average. In Baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. They batted . 189 in games that were late and close, and . 186 in tie games. [61] His World Series record is just as impressive: a 4-3 won-lost record but a 0. 95 earned run average in four World Series. He is on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. Koufax was selected for seven All-Star games (twice in 1961 when there were two games played, and once in each year from 1962 to 1966, with the All-Star Game having returned to one game per year in 1963). The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League Koufax was the first pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, as well as the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award by a unanimous vote; in fact, all three Cy Young Awards he won were by unanimous vote. More impressive yet, through Koufax's career there was only one such award given out annually. In 1967, the year after Koufax retired, Cy Young Awards began to be given to pitchers in both the National and American Leagues. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Bob Gibson, MVP The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in [1][62]

Mechanics

Whereas many left-handed pitchers throw with a three-quarter or sidearm motion, Koufax threw with a pronounced over-the-top arm action. This may have increased his velocity, but reduced the lateral movement on his pitches, especially movement away from left-handed hitters. In Physics, velocity is defined as the rate of change of Position. Most of his velocity came from his strong legs and back, combined with a high kicking wind-up and long forward stretch toward the plate. Throughout his career, Koufax relied mostly on two pitches: his four-seam fastball had a "rising" motion due to underspin, and not only appeared to move very late but also might move two or three distinct times; his overhand curveball, spun with the middle finger, dropped vertically 12 to 24 inches due to his arm action. A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in Baseball. The curveball is a breaking pitch in Baseball thrown with a grip and hand movement that imparts down and/or sideways spin to the ball. He also occasionally threw a changeup and a forkball. A changeup is a type of pitch in Baseball. Other names include change-of-pace and simply change. The forkball is a type of pitch in Baseball. Related to the split-fingered fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown [63]

"I knew every pitch he was going to throw and still I couldn't hit him. "[64]
— Willie Mays

At the beginning of his career, Koufax worked with coaches to eliminate his tendency to "tip" pitches (i. Willie Howard Mays Jr (born May 6 1931 is a retired American Baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants e. reveal which pitch was coming due to variations in his wind-up). Late in his career, and especially as his arm problems continued, this variation—usually in the position he held his hands at the top of the wind-up—became even more pronounced. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it.

Post-playing career

Sandy Koufax's number 32 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972

In 1967, he signed a ten-year contract with NBC for $1 million to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Major League Baseball on NBC is the De facto name for a weekly presentation of Major League Baseball games televised on the National Broadcasting The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the De facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Never feeling comfortable in front of the camera, he quit after six years, just prior to the start of the 1973 season. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson, [65][66]

Koufax married Anne Widmark, daughter of movie star Richard Widmark, in 1969; the couple was divorced in the 1980s. Richard Widmark ( December 26, 1914 &ndash March 24, 2008) was an American Actor of Films stage, He then remarried and divorced again in the 1990s. [66]

In his first year of eligibility in 1972, Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, just weeks after his 36th birthday. Labor strife and more moving 1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration His election made him the Hall's youngest member ever, five months younger than Lou Gehrig upon his induction in 1939. Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig ( June 19 1903  – June 2 1941) born Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig, was an American [5] On June 4 of that same year, Koufax's uniform number 32 was retired alongside those of Dodger greats Roy Campanella (39) and Jackie Robinson (42). Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Roy Campanella ( November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993) nicknamed " Campy " was an American Baseball Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. [67]

The Dodgers hired Koufax to be a minor league pitching coach in 1979. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4-3 Willie Stargell, He resigned in 1990, saying he wasn't earning his keep, but most observers blamed it on his uneasy relationship with manager Tommy Lasorda. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Oakland Athletics (4-0 José Rijo, MVP Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and [68] In 2003, Koufax discontinued his relationship with the Dodgers when the New York Post (which, like the Dodgers, had become part of Rupert Murdoch's business empire) published a story reporting rumors about his sexual orientation, and implying that Koufax was gay. Headline event of the year The Florida Marlins become World Series champions holding off a dynastic New York Yankees team 4 games to The New York Post is the 13th-oldest Newspaper published in the United States and generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continually is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in 2004 when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. Headline events of the year The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since, ending the Curse of the Bambino. Frank McCourt is the sole owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In, he purchased a controlling interest of the Dodgers from Fox Entertainment Group, owned by Rupert [52][69]

In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves (4-0 Mariano Rivera, MVP Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports In 1998 The Sporting News compiled a list of Baseball's Greatest Players "[70] That same year, he was named as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 1999 MasterCard sponsored the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Although he rarely makes public appearances, he went to Turner Field in Atlanta for the introduction ceremony before Game 2 of the World Series. Turner Field is a ballpark in Atlanta Georgia, home to Major League Baseball 's Atlanta Braves since 1997 The 1999 World Series matched the defending champion New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games [71]

In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Esquire is a Men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition Koufax was the left-handed pitcher on Stein's Jewish team.

41 years after he retired from baseball, Koufax was the final player chosen in the inaugural Israel Baseball League draft in April 2007. The Israel Baseball League (IBL ( Hebrew: ליגת הבייסבול הישראלית Liget ha-Beisbol ha-Israelit) was a professional six-team Baseball Koufax, 71, was picked by the Modi'in Miracle. The Modi'in Miracle ( מודיעין מיראקל) is an Israeli Baseball team from Modi'in in the Israel Baseball League. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league," said Art Shamsky, who will manage the Miracle. Arthur Louis Shamsky (born October 14, 1941, in St Louis Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball player "It's been 41 years between starts for him. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team. " He'll be working on 14,875 days rest, as has been pointed out. [1] [2]

On May 14, 2007, Upper Deck Authenticated signed Koufax to an exclusive autograph and memorabilia agreement. The Upper Deck Company LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated Ltd [72]

Career statistics

Sandy Koufax Pitching statistics[1]
W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO
165 87 2. 76 397 314 137 40 9 2324. 1 1754 713 204 817 2396

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Sandy Koufax Statistics. A number of Baseball players are distinguished by the fact that they made their North American professional debut in the majors without having played a single game at the For a list of Bonus Babies please see the List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads Major League Baseball recognizes Earned run average champions in the American League and National League each season Major League Baseball recognizes Strikeout champions in the American League and National League each season The following is a list of Major League Baseball wins champions. Listed below are the pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning Major League game, with teams dates and opponents 20 Kerry Wood In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times In Baseball, a Strikeout occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time At bat. At the end of each Major League Baseball season the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a Pitcher (or combination of pitchers pitches a victory that lasts a minimum This is a list of No-hitters in Major League Baseball history.   The following is a list of players both past and current who appeared at least in one game for the Los Angeles Dodgers www. baseball-reference. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German
  2. ^ 1963 Major League Leaders. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori 1965 Major League Leaders. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori 1966 Major League Leaders. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  3. ^ No Hitter Records. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Progressive Leaders for Hits Allowed/9IP. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Progressive Leaders for Strikeouts/9IP. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori .
  4. ^ While Seaver ended his career with an overall career ERA of 2. 86, this included three seasons in the American League. Seaver passed Koufax's record in 1974 when he ended the season with more than 2,000 NL innings and an ERA of 2. 47.
  5. ^ a b Retired Numbers - Kirby Puckett. minnesota. twins. mlb. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-10. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead
  6. ^ Solomvits, Sandor. Yom Kippur and Sandy Koufax. JewishSports. com. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  7. ^ a b Brody, Seymour. Koufax Biography. jewishvirtuallibrary. org. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  8. ^ a b Koufax Biography. www. hickoksports. com. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  9. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 19–22.
  10. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 22–28; Leavy, pp. 37–40.
  11. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 32–39.
  12. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 43–44.
  13. ^ Koufax and Linn, p. 46.
  14. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 44–45.
  15. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 46–48.
  16. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 56–57.
  17. ^ Leavy p. 54
  18. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 70–74.
  19. ^ Leavy p. 55
  20. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 65–66.
  21. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 42, 75–94.
  22. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 95–97.
  23. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 98–99.
  24. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 99–100, 295.
  25. ^ Koufax and Linn, p. 295.
  26. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 3, 105–107.
  27. ^ Leavy, p. 86.
  28. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 117–124; Leavy, pp. 87–90.
  29. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 125–138; Leavy, pp. 90–92; Box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  30. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 139–141; Box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  31. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 142–147; Leavy, pp. 93–95.
  32. ^ Leavy, p. 101.
  33. ^ Leavy, p. 102.
  34. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 153–155; Leavy, pp. 102–103.
  35. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 157–159; Leavy, pp. 115–116.
  36. ^ First game box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Second game box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  37. ^ James, p. 233; Koufax and Linn, pp. 127–128; Leavy, p. 116.
  38. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 167–169; Leavy, p. 119; Player of the Month Award. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  39. ^ a b 9-Pitches, 9-Strikes, Side Retired. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  40. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 165–176; Leavy, pp. 120–121.
  41. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 176–177; Neyer, pp. 111–118.
  42. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 181–183; Leavy, pp. 122–123.
  43. ^ 1963 National League Statistics and Awards. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  44. ^ a b The Hickok Belt. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  45. ^ Sandy Koufax Biography. ESPN SportsCentury. Retrieved on May 24, 2005.
  46. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 184–216; Leavy, pp. 132–143; World Series MVP Award. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy 1963 World Series box scores and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  47. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 219–221; Leavy, pp. 151–153.
  48. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 222–228; Leavy, pp. 155–157.
  49. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 228–239; Leavy, pp. 157–160.
  50. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 234–240; Leavy, p. 160; Single-Season Leaders for Strikeouts. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  51. ^ Koufax and Linn, pp. 256–268; Leavy, pp. 169–195; 1965 World Series box scores and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  52. ^ a b Sandy Koufax. www. baseballlibrary. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor
  53. ^ Attiyeh, Mike. The five best pitching duels ever. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy Box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  54. ^ Leavy, p. 205
  55. ^ Leavy, pp. 200–207.
  56. ^ Sic Transit Tradition. Time. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Time, Inc. (1966-04-08). Time Inc is a major subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule
  57. ^ Double Play. Time. Time, Inc. (1966-03-25). Time Inc is a major subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule
  58. ^ Leavy, pp. 207–210.
  59. ^ Leavy, pp. 222–236.
  60. ^ Leavy, pp. 236–239; Box score and play by play. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  61. ^ The play-by-play data from which these averages were calculated are available starting in 1957. See Sandy Koufax Career Pitching Splits. Baseball-Reference. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German
  62. ^ MVP and Cy Young Awards. www. baseball-reference. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German
  63. ^ Neyer and James, pp. 270–271; Leavy, pp. 6–15.
  64. ^ Koufax and Linn, p. 153; Leavy, p. 24.
  65. ^ Leavy, p. 251.
  66. ^ a b Schwartz, Larry. ESPN Classic - Koufax dominating in '65 Series. espn. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
  67. ^ Dodgers Retired Numbers. mlb. mlb. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor
  68. ^ Leavy, pp. 255–258.
  69. ^ Koufax returns to Dodgertown. Addict Baseball and Football Forum. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor
  70. ^ TSN Presents - Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. sportingnews. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor
  71. ^ The All-Century Team. mlb. mlb. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Koufax makes appearance at World Series. CNN/SI. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor
  72. ^ Upper Deck News & Events. upperdeck. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun.

References

External links


Persondata
NAME Koufax, Sanford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Braun, Sanford (birth name); Koufax, Sandy
SHORT DESCRIPTION American baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH 20 December 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous
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