That year, 1965, Koufax and Drysdale carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series almost by themselves. On his fourth no-hitter, he made it a perfect game! LOS ANGELES -- Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax has played an enormous role in Dodgers history. Koufax with the Los Angeles Dodgers, c. 1965, Major League Baseball pitchers who have won the, Baseball Anecdotes by Daniel Okrent and Steve Wulf, Harper and Row Publishers, 1989, The play-by-play data from which these averages were calculated are only available starting in 1957. [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. He was the strikeouts Sandy Koufax, the ace. Below is the final inning of Koufaxs lone career perfect game, delivered by Vin Scully. Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the only Phillie to reach base that day. Another integral part of the audience was Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Instead, the Dodgers were swept in four games, not scoring a single run in the last three. Koufax is the stepfather of Clarke's daughter from her prior marriage to artist John Clem Clarke. He was awarded Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award. The mention of his name brought the biggest cheer at the event. In 1959, the Dodgers won a close pennant race against the Braves and the Giants, then beat the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Just in life. The 1965 season brought more obstacles for Koufax. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Evelyn and Jack Braun. While batting in April, he had been jammed by a pitch from Earl Francis. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. 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. Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. Now, 67 years ago, Jackie Robinson became my teammate and friend, Koufax said Friday. [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. 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. He threw the ceremonial first pitch to Bench from in front of the base of the mound. [86][87] At the time, Willie Mays was the highest paid player in the major leagues at $125,000 (equivalent to $1.04million in 2021) per year, and multi-year contracts were extremely unusual. [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). OLDENBURG - Some of the people in this story, the strangest Sandy Koufax story ever told, are dead . 13 min read Clayton Kershaw and Joe Torre were the primary speakers ahead of the unveiling of a bronze statue of Hall of Famer Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax at the. [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. On August 31 against the Giants, he set the NL single-game record and tied Bob Feller's modern major league record of 18,[42] also scoring on Wally Moon's walk-off home run for a 5-2 win. Red Sox exec Chaim Bloom says hes received antisemitism over teams woes, The Jewish Sport Report: Talking Jews in baseball with ESPNs Jeff Passan, ESPNs Jeff Passan opens up on his Hebrew school upbringing, interviewing Sandy Koufax and Jewish baseball history, Catholic school soccer team that brawled with Miami Jewish school forfeits state semifinal, Connecticut College students are in revolt after presidents planned talk at Florida club with antisemitic and racist past, March comes in with a roar of new Yiddish music, Converting to Judaism has defined my high school experience, 10 months into leadership crisis, fighting has renewed over German rabbinical schools future, Albania to build museum to citizens who saved Jews during Holocaust. [15] In his only season, Koufax went 31 with a 2.81 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 30 walks in 32 innings. In the second game, he pitched two scoreless innings. 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. 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. On June 13 in Milwaukee, Koufax hit the first home run of his career off Warren Spahn, providing the winning margin in a 2-1 victory in Milwaukee. Paid $15 to get my first auto of his and ngl it put a big dent in my funds lol. From 1962-66, Koufax led the National League in earned run average and shutouts . They demanded $1 million (equivalent to $8.4million in 2021), divided equally over the next three years, or $167,000 (equivalent to $1.39million in 2021) each for each of the next three seasons. [30] He did not start again for almost two months, but on August 27, Koufax threw a two-hit, 70 complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds for his first major league win. His second marriage, to personal trainer Kimberly Francis, lasted from 1985 to 1998. [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. A statue of Sandy Koufax, arguably the most famous Jewish athlete in American sports, is set to be unveiled at Dodger Stadium this month. In 12 Major Answer (1 of 15): I think he'd be a top-tier pitcher today. He was selected to seven This Date in Baseball: Sandy Koufax Throws Perfect Game AP 0:00 0:44 Sept. 9 1914 George Davis of the Boston Braves pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second. [9][12] In 1951, at the age of 15, Koufax also joined a local youth baseball league known as the "Ice Cream League". Koufax obliged. [101], Koufax was the first pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, an especially impressive feat because it was during the era when only one was given out for both major leagues. Education Now, his legacy will be front and center every time fans visit Dodger Stadium. [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 ultimately landed on the DL in mid-July and missed nine weeks. Come view this home today as it is ready for immediate move in! The Dodgers signed Koufax for a $6,000 ($61,000 today) salary, with a $14,000 ($141,000 today) signing bonus. His mother was remarried when he was nine, to Irving Koufax. He remains, over half a century later, on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. Sandy Koufax, also known as the Left Hand of God, wed Anne Koufax, formerly Anne H. Widmark, on January 1, 1969. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. I love you one and all.. Not only was it Game One of the World Series, but it was also Yom Kippur. Sandy Koufax, left, with sculptor Branly Cadet. Sandy Koufax is a famous American baseball player who played 12 seasons with LA Dodgers in MLB from the year 1955 to 1966. Alston gave him the start in Game 5, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 92,706 fans. Thank you very much. On November 18, 1966, Sandy Koufax, the ace pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, retires from baseball. He got me sometimes. Robinson saw that Koufax was talented and had flashes of brilliance, and objected to him being benched for weeks at a time. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. [32] During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. Considered not only one of the greatest Dodgers players ever, but one of the greatest players in baseball history, Koufax's legacy . Despite injuries ending his career prematurely, Koufax established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. 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. [34] He saw little work, pitching only 58+23 innings with a 4.91 ERA, 29 walks and 30 strikeouts. Scully was not Jewish. 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. [128] In addition, there were other Jewish holidays where he said he would not pitch, including Seder night of Passover and 3 times on Rosh Hashanah, one of which was Game 4 of the 1959 World Series. [71], On June 4, playing at Connie Mack Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies, Koufax walked Richie Allen on a very close full-count pitch in the fourth inning. Sandy Koufax Hall-of-Fame Teammates Quiz - By adubbdubb. In the postseason, Koufax also shined, winning two World Series MVP Awards. His lifetime batting average against Koufax was .362 with seven home runs. But the injury made him realize that greatness can be fleeting. Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter, and the Orioles won 60. 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. Koufax was the first major league pitcher to hurl four no-hitters, and in 1965 became the eighth pitcher and the first left-hander since 1880 to pitch a perfect game. He resigned in 1990, saying he was not earning his keep, but most observers blamed it on his uneasy relationship with manager Tommy Lasorda. Once alerted, he made an effort to better disguise his deliveries. At the age of thirty-six, he became the youngest player to get elected for Basketball hall of fame. [14], Koufax attended the University of Cincinnati and was a walk-on on the freshman basketball team, a complete unknown to assistant coach Ed Jucker. [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. In 1966, his final season, he went 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA and 27 complete games.\n\nIn the postseason, Koufax also shined, winning two World Series MVP Awards.\n\nI have to be careful how I word things because I say I hit against Sandy Koufax, but I have to take that back because I only faced Sandy Koufax, said former Dodgers manager Joe Torre. 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. Catcher Norm Sherry advised him to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. 12/30/2022 at 12:00 AM 12/30/2022 at 12:00 AM 11 stats that show why Koufax is a legend. Here is the end of Vin Scullys call that night, one legend talking about another: On the scoreboard in right field, it is 9:46 p.m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles, California. Koufax was 30 when he pitched his final game for the Dodgers, Game 2 of the 1966 World Series. history to have two games with 18 or more strikeouts, and the first to have eight games with 15 or more Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, he pitched a major league-leading 335+23 innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. Nicknamed The Left Arm of God, Sandy Koufax is a four-time World Series champion (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965) and in 1972 he became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "[45] During spring training, Dodger scout Kenny Myers discovered a hitch in Koufax's windup, where he would rear back so far he would lose sight of the target. Facing the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, Koufax beat Whitey Ford 52 in Game 1 and struck out the first five batters and 15 overall, breaking Carl Erskine's decade-old record of 14 (a record that would fall to Gibson's 17 in the 1968 World Series opener). In June, the Dodgers honored the 86-year-old Koufax with a statue outside Dodger Stadium. He managed to pitch and win two more games. [52] On April 24, he tied his own record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 road win over the Cubs. He pitched well enoughBaltimore first baseman Boog Powell told Koufax's biographer, Jane Leavy, "He might have been hurtin' but he was bringin'"but three errors by Dodger center fielder Willie Davis in the fifth inning produced three unearned runs. You can always find weird numerology with sports and celebrities if you look hard enough. [22] Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from Jimmy Murphy, a part-time scout. TOTALLY IN COMMAND.. However, due to changes in Hall practices, the 1972 induction ceremony was nearly eight months after the election, leaving Koufax slightly older than Gehrig, who had no formal induction ceremony, at the time of his induction. He had two wins in 1955, which were both shutouts. [16][17] Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten. He started out as a left-handed catcher before moving to first base. On April 22 he lasted only one inning. Kimberly was a personal trainer. Autobiography of the great Dodgers pitcher, assisted by a noted sportswriter. He ended up with a third pitcher's Triple Crown, pitching 323 innings, posting a 279 record, and recording a 1.73 ERA. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Koufax was the MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1963 and also won Cy Young Awards in 1965 and '66 . Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. 1953-12-14 Brooklyn Dodgers sign pitcher Sandy Koufax; 1955-06-08 L.A. Dodgers option pitcher (and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager) Tommy Lasorda to make room on roster for future Hall of Famer, pitcher Sandy Koufax; 1955-08-27 Sandy Koufax fans 14 Reds, both teams combine for record 23 strikeouts; 1959-06-22 Most Phillies strike out in a game (16 by Sandy Koufax) of 27, 26 and 25 . Koufax authorized the book but declined to be interviewed; thus, Leavy . 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. Koufax's lifetime ERA in the Fall Classic was 0.95. . "Now, 67 years ago, Jackie Robinson became my teammate and friend," Koufax said Friday. After the final out of Game 7, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class. In a start in Cincinnati his finger split open after one inning. Less than six weeks after the series, on Friday, November 18,[96][97] Koufax announced his retirement due to an arthritic elbow. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 11 y/o me started collecting him as soon as he got drafted. [79][114] The Dodgers again hired Koufax in 2013 as a special advisor to team chairman Mark Walter to work with the pitchers during spring training and consult during the season. "[85] Drysdale responded that Bavasi had done the same thing with him, in reverse. And by the way, he and the Dodgers reached the World Series in all three of those award-winning seasons. He chuckled and said, We had an understanding. For the first time in his career, he was in the starting rotation, but only for two weeks. He won three Cy Young Awards, one MVP and three World Series titles with the Dodgers. When throwing a fastball with baserunners, his hand position in the stretch would be higher than when he threw a curveball. Advertisement Sandy Koufax, pitcher of Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18, 1964 at . Willie Mays said, "I knew every pitch he was going to throw fastball, breaking ball or whatever. And breathtaking. With his third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern-era pitchers to hurl three no-hitters.[72]. Below is the final inning of Koufaxs lone career perfect game, delivered by Vin Scully. The Los Angeles. Police, security agencies advise Jews to be on alert ahead of planned National Day of Hate on Shabbat, The Jewish Sport Report: Your guide to Team Israel and the World Baseball Classic. LOS ANGELES For Jewish sports fans around the world, Sandy Koufax has for decades occupied an unmatched legendary status. Floor plans starting at $1995. "[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. 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. On Saturday, Kershaw was one of the people selected to give a speech during Koufaxs ceremony. Even as Koufax pitched during the time of Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn and Jim Palmer, with a pretty good kid in New York named Tom Seaver about to make his big league debut (Koufax retired after the 1966 season; Seavers rookie year was 67), Koufax managed to stand taller than all of them, in exactly the way Scully described. Why didnt his obituaries say so? portion of Spring Training to work with Dodger pitchers and consulting with the team [35], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Sandy was a three-time World Series champion with a lifetime World Series ERA . Los Angeles Dodgers unveil the Sandy Koufax statue in the Centerfield Plaza to honor the Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner prior to a MLB baseball game between the Cleveland . If you order today, this is the estimated delivery date and is based on the seller's processing time and location, carrier transit time, and your inferred shipping address. [60], On May 11 Koufax no-hit the Giants 80, besting Marichalhimself a no-hit pitcher on June 15. May 6, 2022 3:38 PM PT. [44], Koufax tried one more year of baseball, showing up for the 1961 season in better condition than he ever had before. He went 25-5 that season, with the team going 34-6 in his starts. Kerlan also told Koufax that he would eventually lose full use of his arm. [119], In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". SUMMARY And a crowd of 29,139 just sitting in to see the only pitcher in baseball history [at the time] to hurl four no-hit, no-run games. 32 pic.twitter.com/DeDYaRAYY5, Living legends. MLB Tonight celebrates Sandy Koufax's 87th birthday . The lefty won three Cy Young Awards, threw four no-hitters and was 165-87 in a 12-year career with Brooklyn and Los Angeles. In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. A left-handed pitcher, he played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1955 to 1966. I like to say hes one of a kind., Given everything he has meant to the Dodgers organization over decades, Koufaxs statue unveiling drew a big crowd. The 1,776 sq. It would be easy to argue that hes the best pitcher to ever wear Dodger Blue. 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. Koufax, who played 12 seasons for the Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodgers, saw his statue unveiled in the same area as the one the Dodgers previously erected for his legendary teammate, Jackie. Find your new home at 10929 Sandy Koufax Dr located at 10929 Sandy Koufax Dr, El Paso, TX 79934. Fifty years ago on October 6, at the tender age of 30, Sandy Koufax bowed out of baseball. [55], Koufax had a strong season despite an injured pitching hand. Koufax joined Robinson, who received the first statue in Dodger Stadium history back in 2015. Awesome once. This area is served by the El Paso Independent attendance zone. He was the youngest player (age 36) and the One of the most dominating pitchers in the game's history, Koufax was the first Sandy Koufax was in the major league only twelve years, barely clearing the Hall of Fame minimum of ten. Though, he is 6 1 in feet and inches and 188 cm in Centimetres tall, he weighs about 210 lbs in Pound and 95kg in Kilograms. 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). Because of what was described as a ruptured elbow at the time, he only made 28 starts in 1964. [58] Compared to the previous season, walks in the NL fell 13 percent, strikeouts increased 6 percent, the league batting average fell from .261 to .245, and runs scored declined 15 percent. 10925 Sandy Koufax Dr is a house currently priced at $254,950, which is 1.9% less than its original list price of 259950. 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. [120] He was also named that year as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. [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. Then there's today, Dec. 30, the birthday of three American athletes of whom you may have heard: Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Sandy Koufax. After the last game of the season, he threw his gloves and spikes into the trash. Heres what to watch for. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. And here is, Feds arrest Michigan man who plotted to kill Jewish elected officials in the state, American citizen killed in latest West Bank shooting amid escalating violence. Obama continued: "He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. [115], Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1972, just weeks after his 36th birthday. Both players were represented by an entertainment lawyer, J. William Hayes, which was unusual in an era when players were not even represented by agents. Koufax was an All-Star in each of his last six seasons,[1] leading the National League (NL) in ERA each of his last five years, in strikeouts four times, in wins and shutouts three times each, and in winning percentage, innings pitched and complete games twice each; he was the first NL pitcher in 20 years to post an ERA below 2.00, doing so three times. Sanford "Sandy" Koufax, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, was referred to as the "man with the golden arm." He established one record after another as he went through an 11-year career as a pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers. [48], 1961 was Koufax's breakout season. [69][70], Koufax's 1964 season started with great expectations. Koufax, who grew up in Brooklyn playing in the city's "Ice Cream League" before heading to the University of Cincinnati to play basketball, debuted with his hometown Dodgers in 1955 after signing as a "bonus baby" in 1954. He thanked everyone from his first pitching coach to the equipment managers on his Dodgers teams. 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. [113] Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in 2004 when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. . And here is the transcript of that call. [107] He also occasionally threw a changeup and a forkball. Sandy Koufax, Ed Linn. The reason for his enshrinement at such a young age was due to his early retirement due to an arthritic condition in his elbow. strikeouts . pic.twitter.com/udkMRcWR29, The legendary life and career of Sandy Koufax. [112] His third wife is Jane Dee Purucker Clarke, a college sorority sister of First Lady Laura Bush. Koufax has served as a mentor for Kershaw. 1. Koufax jammed his pitching arm in August while diving back to second base to beat a pick-off throw. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. 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. Years later he recalled, "That winter was when I really started working out. (Harry How/Getty Images). And what a time it was: a record of 97-27 across his final four seasons, when he was at his best. In 1963, Koufax was 25-5, with a 1.88 ERA. His no-hitter, along with a 42 record, 73 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA, earned him the Player of the Month Award for June. Since his retirement, Koufax has maintained that standard. [62] He threw 11 shutouts, eclipsing Carl Hubbell's 30-year post-1900 mark for a left-handed pitcher of 10 and setting a record that stands to this day. As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufax's wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God . 6/18/2022 at 7:21 PM 6/18/2022 at 7:21 PM 'One of a kind' Koufax immortalized with Dodger Stadium statue. He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to future Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. On May 15, the restriction on sending Koufax down to the minors was lifted. He was just 30 at the time. BREATHTAKING. 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). 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. 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. He was just 30 years old, and he was retiring after a great season-he'd led the Dodgers. Lasorda would later joke that it took Koufax to keep him off the Dodger pitching staff. By the end of the year, after going 813, Koufax was thinking about quitting baseball to devote himself to an electronics business in which he had invested. 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. And maybe Elvis, too. 32 was one of the first retired by the organization, along with Jackie Robinsons No. Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed. Sandy Koufax speaks during his statue unveiling at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire and that his arm could not take another season. 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). [50] He pitched six innings in four All-Star games,[100] including being the starting pitcher for three innings in the 1966 All-Star Game. (JTA) In the pantheon of beloved sports broadcasters, Vin Scully stands alone. [2][66][84], Before the 1966 season began, Koufax and Drysdale met separately with general manager Buzzie Bavasi to negotiate their contracts for the upcoming year.