(National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Sandy Koufax - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies, Vin Scully call of final three outs of Sandy Koufax's perfect game, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main Street,Cooperstown, NY 13326Phone: 1-888-HALL-OF-FAME | 607-547-7200 | Fax: 607-547-0398, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five. [55], Koufax had a strong season despite an injured pitching hand. Sandy Koufax. 11,275th in major league history) He is three times the winner of the Cy Young Award and National League Triple Crown. Look at the box score of that game today. He started playing basketball for the Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst local community center team. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123 PSA Mint 9 ($204,000 USD) At $204,000 USD through Heritage Auctions this rookie Sandy Koufax card sold on March 23, 2017. Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in the National League against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, September 9, 1965. The Dodgers won the pennant, and Koufax won the first of three pitchers' Triple Crowns, leading the league in wins (25), strikeouts (306) and ERA (1.88). Out of those two transitionary years, 1961-62, Sandy Koufax the master-of-all-time, baseball's Leonardo, arrived. Teammate Ed Palmquist missed the flight, so Koufax was told he would need to pitch at least seven innings. 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. The name of his home town is Brooklyn, New York. I can't pitch. Despite winning three of his next five with a 2.90 ERA, Koufax did not get another start for 45 days. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Once alerted, he made an effort to better disguise his deliveries. Koufax won . [119], In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". There will alsobe items offered where 100 percent of the sale goes to charity and those items will be clearly marked. Sandy Koufax. After four weeks, Koufax gave Drysdale the go-ahead to negotiate new deals for both of them. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. [125], Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans honored at a May 27, 2010, White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month. [51], In 1962, the Dodgers moved from the Los Angeles Coliseum, which had a 250-foot (75m) left-field line an enormous disadvantage to lefthanded pitchers to pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. Sandy Koufax's legacy as the greatest Jewish athlete ever has never been in question. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. [49] Selected as an All-Star for the first time, he appeared in both All-Star Games that year (two All-Star games were held for the years from 1959 to 1962). By JOE REEDY June 18, 2022. Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, Columbia University School of General Studies, Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders, List of Major League Baseball perfect games, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball, "Sandy Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur still resonates", "Sandy Koufax's season with UC Bearcats remembered", "Koufax Recalls His Wild Start At Forbes Field", Autographed 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Spring Training Roster Program - Army Reserves - 1957 Meal Card, Drysdale and Koufax on active duty training, How Sandy Koufaxs Motel Helped Lead to Baseballs Big-Money Era, Don Drysdale Collection at SCP - Part II - In the Army Now, Lot #23: DON DRYSDALE'S 1957-58 U.S. ARMY WORN FIELD JACKET (DRYSDALE COLLECTION), "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Major League Baseball Players of the Month", "The Strike Zone: A Chronological Examination of the Official Rules by Baseball Almanac", "1962 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "1963 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Shutouts", "1963 National League Statistics and Awards", "Joe Sobran My Other Sandy (ASCII version)", "1963 World Series box scores and play by play", "On this day 49 years ago, Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game in one hour and 43 minutes", "Domination in the Dome: Nolan Ryan Throws His Fifth No-Hitter", "Sandy Koufax turns 80: The 8 most memorable performances of his HOF career", "Every perfect game in Major League history, ranked", "Macon's Bob Hendley made history with Koufax", "Sandy Koufax Responded to a Higher Calling on Yom Kippur in 1965", "1965 World Series box scores and play by play", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Games Started", "Baltimore makes it two straight as Dodgers defense comes apart", "Elbow too much Sandy Koufax quitting baseball", "Progressive Leaders for Hits Allowed/9IP", "Career Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Wins", "The Incomparable Career of Sandy Koufax", "ESPN Classic Koufax's dominance was short but sweet", "ESPN Classic Koufax dominating in '65 Series", "Dodgers to be joined by Koufax at Spring Training", "Los Angeles Dodgers unveil Sandy Koufax statue outside stadium", "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players", "Koufax makes appearance at World Series", "Baseball Toaster: Humbug Journal: He'll be working on 14,875 days rest", "Koufax Drafted By Israeli Baseball Team", "Koufax, Mays, Aaron, Bench voted by fans as four greatest living players", "Obama Honors Jewish Americans at White House Reception, May 27, 2010", "Remarks by the President at Reception in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month", "Myth and fact part of legacy from Sandy Koufax's Yom Kippur choice", "Jewish pitcher Sandy Koufax did more than miss one game", "Sandy Koufax's wife Jane Purucker Clarke (Bio, Wiki)", "B.A.T. His nationality is American by birth. This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. [89] Ruttman, "Sandy Koufax: Pitcher Nonpareil and Perfect Gentleman". Jewish American baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax was a star player for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers before elbow arthritis forced him into early retirement. Despite his injury-shortened career, the pitcher retired at the height of his game and left a lasting mark. We strive for accuracy and fairness. strikeouts . In his 12-season major league career, Koufax had a 16587 record with a 2.76 ERA, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games, and 40 shutouts. Now 67 years later, the two are immortalized in bronze at the entrance to Dodger Stadium. [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. [35], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Finally, on his way out the door in 1966, Koufax finished 27-9, the most victories in any of his 12 seasons. Koufax obliged. In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. Nobe Kawano, the clubhouse supervisor, retrieved the equipment in case Koufax returned to play the following year. Returning to Chicago, the Dodgers won Game 6 and the Series. An outstanding schoolboy athlete, Koufax starred at basketball and barely played baseball during his time at Lafayette High School. In 1965 he set a major league record with 382 strikeouts; it was broken in 1973 by Nolan Ryan, but remains the top mark for NL pitchers and left-handers. [23] After seeing Koufax pitch for Lafayette, Campanis invited him to an Ebbets Field tryout. Koufax also made headlines for adhering to his faith. He held batters to 5.79 hits per nine innings, and allowed the fewest baserunners per nine innings in any season ever: 7.83, breaking his own record (set two years earlier) of 7.96. 5. Koufax pitched two perfect relief innings in the Series opener, though they came after the Dodgers were already behind 110. A trailblazing player in the Negro Leagues, baseball pitcher Satchel Paige also became the oldest rookie in Major League history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. All rights reserved. He had six exemplary seasons in the 1960s. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Evelyn and Jack Braun. Sanford Koufax (/ k o f k s /; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. [82], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Sandy Koufax debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955 at the age of 19. Though Koufax had a much shorter career than contemporary stars such as Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, he easily earned enough votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1972 to become the youngest player inducted into the Hall of Fame. [27], Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, 1955, against the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers trailing 71 in the fifth inning. He was the first pitcher in history to average more than one strikeout per inning, and the first to allow fewer than seven hits per nine innings pitched. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Meanwhile, the Dodgers waged a public relations battle against them. He was awarded Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award. He managed to pitch and win two more games. [117] On June 4 of that year, Koufax's uniform number 32 was retired alongside those of Dodger greats Roy Campanella (39) and Jackie Robinson (42). [8][9] His parents, Evelyn (ne Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. MLB Debut Koufax made his major league debut on June 24 1955 against the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers trailing 7-1 in the fifth inning.Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. [111][112], The Dodgers hired Koufax to be a minor league pitching coach in 1979. Michael Jordan is a former American basketball player who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and won the Most Valuable Player Award five times. After a slow start, his baseball career was cut short by problems with his pitching arm. Koufax was the MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1963 and also won Cy Young Awards in 1965 and '66 . Koufax played 12 years at the MLB level, all with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite giving up on his curveball early in the game after failing to throw strikes with it in the first two innings, and pitching the rest of the game relying almost entirely on fastballs, Koufax threw a three-hit shutout to clinch the Series. Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. 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. Third Party Auction sites are flooded with fake and unlicensed items. [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. On Sept. 25, 1966, at Wrigley Field, Sandy Koufax, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar who soon would retire, faced off against Ken Holtzman, the promising 20-year-old rookie for the Chicago Cubs.. The Koufax years of 1963 to 1966 are the finest four-year stretch of pitching. In May 2010, he was invited to become a part of 'Jewish American Heritage Month' celebrations at 'The White House.' In 1969, Sandy Koufax married Anne Widmark, daughter of Hollywood actor Richard Widmark. Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan established records with his 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters during his 27-year Major League Baseball career. 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. In the second game of a doubleheader, Koufax faced Jim Bunning for the second time that season,[90] in a match-up between perfect game winners. Sandy Koufax. In August of 1972 Cooperstown welcomed a star-studded group of inductees for the Class of 1972. Koufax won the Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 and 1966 by unanimous votes, winning the Triple Crown[2][3][4][5] and leading the Dodgers to a pennant each year; he was the first three-time winner of the award, and the only pitcher to do so when a single award was given instead of one for each league. To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. 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". That changed to some degree in recent years as the legendary lefty has signed a little more frequently in private settings in response to . Or write about sports? Do you have a sports website? of 27, 26 and 25 . Koufax had an older stepsister, Edith, who died in November 1997. 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