Or write about sports? In 1958, he began 73, but sprained his ankle in a collision at first base, finishing the season at 1111 and leading the NL in wild pitches. In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. 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".

He suited up for the last time before his 31st birthday. In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire and that his arm could not take another season. WebSanford Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, was referred to as the man with the golden arm.. After winning the second game of the series, the Dodgers blew a 42 lead in the ninth inning of the deciding third game, losing the pennant. WebAbout Us. A numbness developed in the index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. WebSandy Koufax is a former American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played in 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was active on the field from 1955 to 1966, before an elbow injury ended his career prematurely. I can't pitch. Welcome sports fans and collectors to SandyKoufax.com, the first and only authorized and approved website by Sandy Koufax. That 0.85 mark is a Live Ball Era record at any ballpark (minimum 100 innings), and all five seasons rank in the top 100. He was the first pitcher to record 300 strikeouts three times, and set a record with 97 games of at least 10 strikeouts, also later broken by Ryan; he twice tied a modern record by striking out 18 batters in a game. Family (1) Spouse Kimberly Francis (1985 - Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, he pitched a major league-leading 335+23 innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. us, High School: Lafayette HS (Brooklyn, NY), Schools: Columbia University (New York, NY), University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH), Debut: [90] He ended up with a third pitcher's Triple Crown, pitching 323 innings, posting a 279 record, and recording a 1.73 ERA. "When he (Koufax) first came up, he couldn't throw a ball inside the batting cage," said Hall of Fame teammate Duke Snider. Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the only Phillie to reach base that day. He then walked Hank Aaron on four pitches to load the bases, but struck out Bobby Thomson on a 32 fastballan outcome Koufax later came to view as "probably the worst thing that could have happened to me," leading, as it did, to five seasons spent "trying to get out of trouble by throwing harder and harder and harder. WebSandy Koufax Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-078d) in Brooklyn, NY us More bio, uniform, draft, In 1972, Sandy Koufax was officially voted into the Hall of Fame, alongside Yogi Berra and Early Wynn.
first pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame (1972) who had more strikeouts than innings pitched . On November 18, 1966, Sandy Koufax, the ace pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, retires from baseball. (Voted by BBWAA on 344/396 ballots) Only St. Louis Cardinal Bob Gibson, with 13 in his iconic 1968 season,[64] "the year of the pitcher", has thrown more.[65]. At 86, Koufax remains an icon for ages. In that start, he struck out 11 in seven innings, but got no decision. Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. WebSandy Koufax was born on Monday, December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. [36], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Koufax's role includes attending a Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. WebSandy Koufax. [3][67][85], Before the 1966 season began, Koufax and Drysdale met separately with general manager Buzzie Bavasi to negotiate their contracts for the upcoming year. [27], Because Koufax's signing bonus was greater than $4,000 ($40,000 today), he was known as a bonus baby. Proud to support B-R.COM, and to sponsor the page of a tremendous athlete and person. Day trip or a week-long adventure. At 86, Koufax remains an icon for ages. When Koufax first came on the ballot in 1972, he cruised past the 75% threshold, netting 86.9% of the vote. Koufax had an older stepsister, Edith, who died in November 1997. He struck out 14 batters in the 10 win, at the time the most recorded in a perfect game (tied by Matt Cain in 2012).

In the first inning of that game he struck out all three batters on nine total pitches to become the sixth recorded National League pitcher and the 11th recorded pitcher in major league history to accomplish an immaculate inning. "[86] Drysdale responded that Bavasi had done the same thing with him, in reverse. '65, when he pitched two shutouts . [16] In his only season, Koufax went 31 with a 2.81 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 30 walks in 32 innings. [130], Author Larry Ruttman called Koufax "an icon" for Jewish people because of his pitching skill and what he called Koufax's "deep respect for his Judaism" as shown in 1965. Postseason included, Koufax made 88 career starts at Dodger Stadium and allowed more than three earned runs in just four of them (4.5%). Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. His postseason record was 4-3 with a 0 .95 ERA . He started out as a left-handed catcher before moving to first base. "[110][111], 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 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 24, 1955, with the Brooklyn Dodgers. "Either he throws the fastest ball I've ever seen, or I'm going blind, said Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. Koufax dominated. The game was not televised. Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter, and the Orioles won 60. [47], A day later, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. (Age 19-176d, Sabermetrician Rob Neyer called it the best curve of all time. We lost them for him. Koufax not only won three NL pitching Triple Crowns (1963, 65, 66), he actually led all of MLB in the three categories in each of those seasons. At 86, Koufax remains an icon for ages. throughout the year .

He has since worked for the Dodgers organization in a variety of capacities. Eddie Mathews bunted, and Koufax threw the ball into center field. What I don't understand is how he lost five,"[68] to which Dodger shortstop Maury Wills responded, "He didn't. Sandy Koufax had 2,396 strikeouts over his career. Koufax is the stepfather of Clarke's daughter from her prior marriage to artist John Clem Clarke. On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, he threw his first no-hitter. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. When throwing a fastball with baserunners, his hand position in the stretch would be higher than when he threw a curveball. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. In 1959, Koufax struck out 18 Giants in nine innings and set a major league record for strikeouts in two games with 31. 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. Home sweet home: Dominant at Dodger StadiumDodger Stadium didnt open until 1962, and its not a complete coincidence that Koufaxs career took off at about that point. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. How overwhelming was Koufax in those last six seasons? [50] 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). Instead, the Dodgers were swept in four games, not scoring a single run in the last three. On July 20 he hit the second and last home run of his career, coincidentally again in Milwaukee, a three-run shot to propel the team to a 5-4 win; it was his only game with three runs batted in. 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 second time, I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball. One of the most dominating pitchers in the game's history, Koufax was the first Koufax spent his entire career with the Dodgers, first in Brooklyn and then continuing [30] He lasted only .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}4+23 innings, giving up eight walks. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. He was only 36 years old, a sign both of how dominant he was at his best and the premature end to his career. See. With a limited baseball background, Koufax struggled with control at first, but used his raw talent to begin regularly throwing for the Dodgers in 1958, when the team moved to Los Angeles. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Evelyn and Jack Braun. They rejoined the team in the last week of spring training. WebSandy 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. Most pitching WAR in final 4 seasons1920-2022, per Baseball-Reference1) Sandy Koufax (1963-66): 36.32) Cliff Lee (2011-14): 20.23) Brandon Webb (2006-09): 18.84) Roger Clemens (2004-07): 18.25) Don Wilson (1971-74): 18.0. portion of Spring Training to work with Dodger pitchers and consulting with the team Koufax tried all sorts of treatments, but medicine was hardly as advanced as it is today, and there was little he could do to escape the pain. Koufax is the only pitcher to throw one in four consecutive seasons, with three of those performances including at least a dozen strikeouts. 10929 Sandy Koufax Dr is located in El Paso, the 79934 zipcode, and the He also took Butazolidin for inflammation, applied capsaicin-based Capsolin ointment (also sold by the brand name "Atomic Balm") before each game, and soaked his arm in a tub of ice afterwards. Family (1) Spouse Kimberly Francis (1985 - After the final out of Game 7, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class. 2023 Season Tickets Single Game Tickets Special Event Ticket Packages Promotions & Giveaways Parking Premium Seating Group Tickets Digital Ticketing Assistant My Dodgers Tickets 3D Seat Map Current Member Portal SeatGeek.

WebHall of Fame Explorer Koufax, Sandy About Stats Stories Related Hall of Famers Enlarge Plaque Originally a basketball star with dreams of being an architect, Sandy Koufax became one of the most dominating pitchers of all time. In 1972, Sandy Koufax was officially voted into the Hall of Fame, alongside Yogi Berra and Early Wynn. [83], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. Catcher Norm Sherry advised him to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. 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. Mr. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. [116], Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1972, just weeks after his 36th birthday. 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