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. [10] Shortly after his mother's remarriage, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. While playing first base for Lafayette's baseball team with his friend Fred Wilpon,[13] he was spotted by Milt Laurie, a baseball coach who was the father of two Lafayette players. This area is served by the El Paso Independent attendance zone. [57], In 1963 Major League Baseball expanded the strike zone. [15] In his only season, Koufax went 31 with a 2.81 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 30 walks in 32 innings. A recording of the final inning made its way around the internet, as baseball fans celebrated the soft-voiced broadcasting icon for his poetic knack for bringing fans into the game. Because the standard was set of excellence that I tried to live up to. Sandy Koufax. And today, it still is. The advice worked, Koufax struck out the side, and then went on to pitch seven no-hit innings. [82], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. Teammate Ed Palmquist missed the flight, so Koufax was told he would need to pitch at least seven innings. [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. 0:00 / 6:33 Sandy Koufax Tribute Los Angeles Dodgers 211K subscribers Subscribe 233 11K views 5 months ago We look back at the legendary life and career of Sandy Koufax. [16][17] Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten. (2000). The Los Angeles. He went 25-5 that season, with the team going 34-6 in his starts. And breathtaking. Koufax was an immediate beneficiary of the change, lowering his ERA at home from 4.29 to 1.75. Manager Dave Roberts, third-base coach Dino Ebel, owner Mark Walter and countless others were present for Koufaxs moment. In June, the Dodgers honored the 86-year-old Koufax with a statue outside Dodger Stadium. [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. Koufax also won the Hickok Belt a second time, the first time anyone had won the belt more than once. Koufax's role includes attending a Answer (1 of 15): I think he'd be a top-tier pitcher today. On Saturday, Kershaw was one of the people selected to give a speech during Koufaxs ceremony. A numbness developed in the index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Out of his 41 starts, 27 of them were complete games. On June 4, 1972, Koufax's uniform No . Koufax jammed his pitching arm in August while diving back to second base to beat a pick-off throw. [23] After seeing Koufax pitch for Lafayette, Campanis invited him to an Ebbets Field tryout. After setting a modern NL record in 1961 with 269 strikeouts, in 1963 he became the first pitcher in 17 years and the first left-hander since 1904 to strike out 300 batters. Sandy Koufax Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-063d) 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. Drysdale was to play a TV commentator and Koufax a detective. He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched in his career (6 .79) [43], In early 1960, Koufax asked Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi to trade him because he was not getting enough playing time. He threw the ceremonial first pitch to Bench from in front of the base of the mound. World Series Championship. strikeouts . Since his retirement, Koufax has maintained that standard. He had special praise for his broadcaster. [130], Koufax married Anne Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark, in 1969; they divorced in 1982. The best way to describe Woods in those years is to say that he was Koufax. Because for four historic seasons -- the last four of his dazzling career in the 1960s before elbow pain forced him into early retirement -- Koufax, out of Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., was the greatest starting pitcher of them all. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. But after making adjustments prior to the 1961 season, and benefitting from the team's move into expansive Dodger Stadium a year later, Koufax quickly rose to become the most dominant pitcher in the major leagues before arthritis in his left elbow ended his playing days prematurely at age 30. He started out as a left-handed catcher before moving to first base. After the last game of the season, he threw his gloves and spikes into the trash. 10929 Sandy Koufax Dr , El Paso, TX 79934-3271 is a single-family home listed for rent at /mo. During his speech, Koufax thanked a litany of former teammates and coaches who helped him throughout his career. Koufax pitched four no-hitters in his career, including a perfect game against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. On April 18, he struck out three batters on nine pitches in the third inning of a 30 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the only NL pitcher to have two "immaculate innings". Because of what was described as a ruptured elbow at the time, he only made 28 starts in 1964. In the immediate aftermath of Scullys death this week, one particular broadcast stood out: Scullys call of Koufaxs perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965. The Dodgers went on to face the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, and Game 2 marked Koufax's third start in eight days. Eventually, Lafayette had a basketball team; Koufax became team captain in his senior year, and ranked second in his division in scoring, with 165 points in 10 games. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Every single product on this site has been approved and licensed by Sandy Koufax. With his third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern-era pitchers to hurl three no-hitters.[72]. You really have, left-handed pitcher or not. was a member of Dodgers' world championship teams in 1955, '59, '63 and '65, earning MVP honors in 1963 and On May 23, he pitched a 1-0, one-hit shutout in Pittsburgh, allowing only a second-inning single by pitcher Bennie Daniels. When he first joined the team in 1955 they were called the Brooklyn Dodgers. [35], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Theyre both left-handed pitchers and both dominated their eras unlike any other pitcher. Not a day goes by without his name appearing on the World Wide Web.97 The year 2002 brought Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, by Jane Leavy. Through Koufaxs dominant highs and his injury-induced lows, Scully was behind the microphone, narrating it all for fans on both coasts. The couple divorced in 1982 and never had children. [25] Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed. He posted an 1813 record and led the league with 269 strikeouts, breaking Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old NL mark of 267. first pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame (1972) who had more strikeouts than innings pitched . Sandy Koufax is a famous American baseball player who played 12 seasons with LA Dodgers in MLB from the year 1955 to 1966. 32 pic.twitter.com/DeDYaRAYY5, Living legends. 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. Well, Sandy Koufax's age is 87 years old as of today's date 26th February 2023 having been born on 30 December 1935. [89] Branch Rickey, then the general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm [he had] ever seen". It's on today's date in 1965 that Sandy Koufax capped an amazing World Series with a Game 7 pitching performance of such stylish fortitude that baseball fans who remember it are still in awe. Even recently, Koufax shared some wisdom with Kershaw, who said he was struggling with his mechanics. Doyel: Sandy Koufax made the Hall of Fame, but not this semi-pro team in Oldenburg, Indiana. Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter, and the Orioles won 60. The reason for his enshrinement at such a young age was due to his early retirement due to an arthritic condition in his elbow. He was selected as an All-Star for six consecutive seasons[1] and made seven out of eight possible All-Star Game appearances those seasons (he was not on the roster for the second All-Star Game in 1962). [2][102] Koufax and Juan Marichal are the only two pitchers to have more than one 25-win season in the post-World War II era, with each man recording three. Sandy Koufax, Ed Linn. During this stretch, Koufax won three Cy Young Awards (1963, '65, '66) and an NL MVP (1963). This forced the Dodgers to keep him on the major league roster for at least two years before he could be sent to the minors. Today, Sandy Koufax will be celebrating his 83 rd birthday. 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. 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. Now, his legacy will be front and center every time fans visit Dodger Stadium. That year, 1965, Koufax and Drysdale carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series almost by themselves. As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufax's wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God . One of the most dominating pitchers in the game's history, Koufax was the first Sandy Koufax Height and Weight Koufax stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) and Weighs 210 lbs (95 kg). 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. "[109][110], In 1967, Koufax signed a 10-year contract with NBC for US$1million (equivalent to $8.1million in 2021) to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week. Koufax was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1972, becoming at age 36 the youngest player ever elected. [76][77] The game was Koufax's fourth no-hitter,[77] setting a major league record (subsequently broken by Ryan in 1981),[78] and the first by a left-hander since 1880. Actually, he would let you look at it. Sandy Koufax's House Vero Beach, Florida (FL), US Like Tweet Share Pin Sandy Koufax is a retired American baseball player. ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. (Jon SooHoo / Los Angeles Dodgers) "Our all-switch-hitting infield, Jim Lefebvre, Wes Parker, Jim Gilliam, Maury. Sandy Koufax's home in Vero Beach, Florida. Facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Koufax struck out 13 while pitching his first complete game in almost two years. Meanwhile, the Dodgers waged a public relations battle against them. 42 and Roy Campanellas No. The 1,776 sq. [118] In 2022, a statue of Koufax was unveiled at Dodger Stadium. [60], On May 11 Koufax no-hit the Giants 80, besting Marichalhimself a no-hit pitcher on June 15. Book details & editions. [105], At the beginning of his career Koufax fought a tendency to "tip" pitches to the opposing team through variations in his wind-up, which included the position in which he held his hands at the top of the wind-up. 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. Sandy Koufax speaks during his statue unveiling at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. I started running more. The performance earned him his second World Series MVP award, making him the first player to win the award twice. In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. [9][12] In 1951, at the age of 15, Koufax also joined a local youth baseball league known as the "Ice Cream League". 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. He celebrates his birthday on 30th Dec every year and his birth sign is Capricorn. Autobiography of the great Dodgers pitcher, assisted by a noted sportswriter. Willie Mays said, "I knew every pitch he was going to throw fastball, breaking ball or whatever. I think my only regret today is that so many are no longer with us, and Im unable to let them know how much I thank them and how much I appreciated them, Koufax said. League seasons, he had a career record of 165-87, a 2 .76 ERA, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games and 40 [6][7] Upon his retirement, Koufax's career ERA of 2.76 trailed only Whitey Ford among pitchers with at least 2,000 innings pitched since 1925; his .655 winning percentage ranked third among both left-handers and modern NL pitchers. 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. [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. Paid $15 to get my first auto of his and ngl it put a big dent in my funds lol. He quit after six years, just prior to the start of the 1973 season. And Sandy Koufax, whose name will always remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flurry. Despite winning three of his next five with a 2.90 ERA, Koufax did not get another start for 45 days. His best was better than everybody elses best. 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. Countries of the World. His ERA was 1.73. F ifty years ago, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale tried one of the boldest maneuvers in baseball history. 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. His decision garnered national headlines, raising the conflict between professional pressures and personal religious beliefs to front-page news. Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Returning to Chicago, the Dodgers won Game 6 and the Series. [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. [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. In the postseason, Koufax also shined, winning two World Series MVP Awards.