[46], A day later, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. [10] He later earned a partial scholarship. He later played for the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he was finally signed by the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for a salary of US$ 6,000 with US$ 14,000 as a signing bonus. He posted an 1813 record and led the league with 269 strikeouts, breaking Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old NL mark of 267. [48], 1961 was Koufax's breakout season. [35], To prepare for the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 03:20. With his third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern-era pitchers to hurl three no-hitters.[72]. [33], The year 1956 was not very different from 1955 for Koufax. Nobe Kawano, the clubhouse supervisor, retrieved the equipment in case Koufax returned to play the following year. Koufax played his entire MLB career with the Dodgers. This aided in his devastating curveball and may have increased his velocity, but reduced the lateral movement on his pitches, especially movement away from left-handed hitters. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league", said former New York Met Art Shamsky, who managed the Miracle. [113] Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in 2004 when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. Sandy Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, and at first, he wanted to be a basketball player instead of a baseball player. Lasorda would later joke that it took Koufax to keep him off the Dodger pitching staff. [52] On April 24, he tied his own record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 road win over the Cubs. When the time came to talk, Passan said it was the most nervous hes ever been for an interview. After seeing Koufax's Game 1 performance, Yankee Yogi Berra said, "I can see how he won 25 games. Returning to Chicago, the Dodgers won Game 6 and the Series. Change the world. Koufax later attended the University of Cincinnati and played for them for one season. He managed to pitch and win two more games. Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter, and the Orioles won 60. Ive now watched every summer Olympics documentary since 1936. He had a single-season record for 382 strikeouts in a year. Ive watched Florence Griffith Joyner (Flojo) arrive like a meteor in 1988. [121], In 1990 Koufax was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Actually, he would let you look at it. On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, he threw his first no-hitter. He also won three Cy Young Awards, one each for the years 1963, 1965, and 1966. He is married to Jane Purucker Clarke. He walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch in the eighth, and pinch-hitter McCovey on four pitches in the ninth, before closing out the game. He even contemplated quitting baseball for good, to concentrate on an electronics business. Buddy Hackett passed away on June 30, 2003, two months away from what would have been his 79th birthday on August 31. After the 1966 season, the arthritis in his left elbow intensified, and he bid his final farewell to the game. He was one of the few players in the history of the game to have announced an early retirement at such a young age. Although the 1965 season was the one in which Sandy had trouble managing an elbow injury, he managed to play through it. See. In 1960, he wanted to quit the Dodgers to play on the field but was not freed from the contract. Despite his comparatively short career, his 2,396 career strikeouts ranked seventh in major league history, trailing only Warren Spahn (2,583) among left-handers; his 40 shutouts were tied for ninth in modern NL history. Sandy Koufax's estimated net worth is roughly $10 million as of 2022, which he has earned as a baseball player. 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. After the 1957 season, it was speculated that he could be sent to the minor leagues to get some more practice. This new Koufax led the National League in strikeouts (269 in 1961), and his walks and earned-run average began to shrink. He achieved nationwide fame in 1963, when he scored 15 strikeouts in a single inning. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. Bullet Bob. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. Why Is Everyone Concerned About Cloud ROI? Former father-in-law of Sandy Koufax. 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Koufax's pitching prowess aside, Passan praised the principled stance the former Dodger took all those years ago. He would go on to cover sports at Syracuse University, the Fresno Bee, the Kansas City Star, Yahoo! In that start, he struck out 11 in seven innings, but got no decision. 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. His primary source of income is his work as a baseball pitcher. That brief run . Kerlan also told Koufax that he would eventually lose full use of his arm. 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. For a period in the early-to-mid 20th century, New York was home to three MLB teams the Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Sanford Koufax (/kofks/; 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. Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starting pitchers, 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. [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. In 1999, he was named as one of the 30 players of the MLB All-Century Team., Spouse/Ex-: Jane Purucker Clarke, Anne Koufax (m. 19691982), Kimberly Francis (m. 19851998), Notable Alumni: Columbia University School Of General Studies, University Of Cincinnati, education: University Of Cincinnati, Columbia University School Of General Studies, awards: Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, See the events in life of Sandy Koufax in Chronological Order, (One of the Greatest Pitchers in Baseball History), https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/koufax-first-to-record-two-perfect-innings-in-nl, https://www.downthedrive.com/2015/8/22/9169681/from-the-video-vault-sandy-koufax-at-his-longest-lithest-and-louchest, https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/08/29/sandy-koufax-dodgers-left-arm-god-si-60. They are talented and passionate. At the age of 22, Koufax moved to Los Angeles after living in Brooklyn, New York, for 19 years. The duo had no children together. And you still couldn't hit it. National Day of Hate: How should we respond? While watching the Burns baseball documentary, I was reminded of the short and spectacular career of Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodger pitcher, Sandy Koufax, the greatest left-hander in history. And if youre growing up and want to be a baseball player, there are no limitations. Passan, 42, grew up in a Conservative Jewish household, attending Hebrew school three times a week. Being born on December 30 1935, Sandy Koufax is 87 years old as of today's date 27th February 2023. I have an undying amount of respect for him for both doing that and just for the way that he has and continues to carry himself.. 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. He was introduced as a left-handed catcher and then moved to base. Sherry, a catcher, played just five years in the majors, hitting .215 with 18 home runs and 69 runs batted in . In Koufax's first no-hitter, he struck out 13, including the side on nine pitches in the first inning. [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. [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. Whip! Incorrect password. His father, Rich, worked at the Plain Dealer for 42 years, and Passan said he got his first byline at 14 years old. 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. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. This was in the year 1955. Sandy struggled to manage the control of his pitches, but his pace was good enough, which helped him survive in the team. [82], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. He remains, over half a century later, on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. So Ive returned to YouTube for my sports entertainment. JTA For tuned-in baseball fans, Jeff Passan is everywhere. He has since worked for the Dodgers organization in a variety of capacities. Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield opened her Riverdale home to a family of Ukrainian refugees. They were married for 13 years. 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. He has won four-time World Series champion and three Cy Young Awards. Sandy Koufax was born Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jack and Evelyn Braun, though his parents soon divorced. [22] Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from Jimmy Murphy, a part-time scout. [74], On June 20, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets, Koufax pitched his second one-hitter, allowing only a fifth-inning home run by Jim Hickman before the Dodgers came back for a 2-1 win. Set them free. 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). [89] On March 31, the morning after pitching a complete spring training game, Koufax awoke to find that his entire left arm was black and blue from hemorrhaging. Third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern-era pitchers to hurl no-hitters! 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