In 114 career at-bats against him, Aaron hit .368, with an on-base percentage of .433. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. L.A. rightfully claimed him as its own. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? Gibson was replaced by Curt Simmons, a left-hander who had made one start since late August. On that day he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants, a team then powered by a bevy of capable hitters including future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda. Johnson, Washington Senators, won 3 Triple Crowns: 1913, 1918 & 1924. (The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series in Game 6 while they were designated as the home team, but the game was played at a neutral site, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This series was also the first meeting between teams from New York City and Los Angeles for a major professional sports championship. Indeed, Koufax's overall record, beginning with the 1962 season and running through 1965, was 84-25, three of the losses coming at the hands of Hendley (Curt Simmons beat Koufax three times as well). In any case, he was put under the spotlight for refusing to pitch in such a high profile game, but was regarded proudly by Jews around the world for his decision. amzn_assoc_title = "Related Reading"; WebSandy Koufax Edition - Baseball Roundtable Braves right-handed pitcher (and 1957 World Series hero, Lew Burdette hit as many home runs and drove in as many runs off Sandy Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. We'll miss departed Warrior broadcaster Steve Albert as a person; he always seemed to have a kind word for everyone. Only perfection beat him. It was his second no-hitter. Who Is Sandy Koufax? It was this bad: Koufax couldnt straighten his left arm-it was curved like a parenthesis. Los Angeles Dodgers, Baseball Season Forecast, Sports Illustrated, April 13, 1964. Willie Mays faced Bob Gibson 108 times (92 at bats) over his career and hit just . Koufax was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. The storyline isn't only that he pitched a perfect game 50 years ago tonight, but rather that the opposing pitcher, one Bob Hendley, pitched a one-hitter while Koufax was perfecting his resum. Relying mostly on fastballs against the Cardinals, Koufax walked the first two batters, Julian Javier and Curt Flood. WebOf his four no-hitters, Sandy Koufax saved his finest for last. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. This year's awards dinner, to be hosted by Gary Radnich, will be June 29 at the Nikko Hotel in S.F. His dad forgives him for that. . Sandy Koufax, delivering his magic from the pitching mound during the mid-1960s. His 2,396 career strikeouts at retirement in 1966 ranked 7th best all-time. Lasorda w Video: 9/9/65 [emailprotected]: Koufax fans 14 in perfect game. We both retired early [Hendley at 28, Koufax at 30], we both had elbow problems." Koufax struck out 14 of 27 batters; Hendley struck out three. What would come the next day? I was merely trying to meet the ball and was astonished to see it land on the roof in right field, James said. Brian M. Endsley, Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964-1966 (2018), McFarland, 215pp. Later, another Dodger scout, Al Campanis heard about Koufax from a local sporting goods store owner, and after seeing the kid pitch locally invited him to Ebbets Field to tryout with the Dodgers. But the losing pitcher in each of the seven instances surrendered at least two more hits than Hendley. Ironically, slightly more than seven weeks earlier, Bo Belinsky of the Los Angeles Angels had hurled the citys first major league no-hitter in the very same stadium. James swung and launched a shot onto the pavilion roof in right for a grand slam. And the Angels still were barely beyond the toddler stage in 1965. Do you have a sports website? To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. But Marichal and Spahn had surrendered eight hits each before a home run by Willie Mays ended the 16-inning, 1-0 game. Koufax was routinely identified in Los Angeles newspapers as Sandy, no surname necessary. This time, it was a pitcher's duel. Click for photo plaque. In fact, at that seasons end he threw his glove and spikes into the trash. After going 8-13 that year, Koufax thought about quitting. And in the post-WWII period the more modern era of baseball Koufax would be the only guy to win three Triple Crowns for pitching (see Triple Crown sidebar below). The connection between Koufax and the other gentleman, the pitcher who made that game perfection-plus, is long distance and infrequent. ), The World Series Most Valuable Player Award went to Sandy Koufax, who started two of the four games and had two complete game victories. A 1955 Sandy Koufax rookie year card by the Topps card company, said to be a desirable card among collectors. They had been at Mantle's house nearby, and knowing these two, they probably hoisted their first cocktails before noon. I could hear it and feel it tear.. Marichal had thrown 227. The Los Angeles Dodgers would set a new low in 1966, two runs. Burdette, who was the winning pitcher, allowed 12 hits in his complete game victory, though. At the University of Cincinnati he became a walk-on freshman basketball player. Gregg Doyel, one of the scholastic pitchers Hendley coached, became a sportswriter and eventually learned, via the board game Trivial Pursuit, of his coach's accomplishments. His strikeouts were an otherworldly 306, In that game, Koufax struck out the first five Yankees he faced. Why did Sandy L.A. Dodgers Sandy Koufax and John Roseboro celebrate on the field in L.A. after beating the Yankees to clinch the World Series, October 6,1963. He clinched the pennant for Los Angeles for the second straight year with a complete game on two days rest. . However, more signs of serious arm problems followed that year for Koufax, having jammed his arm in a base-running slide. His career resum includes a 48-52 record, 3.97 ERA, 25 complete games, six shutouts. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. 32, Sandy Koufax. Phone: 602.496.1460 These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Certainly it was a historic game because in no other game did two teams combine for so few hits. . Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. 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 they went to St. Louis for a three-game series on September 16, their lead was one game over the Cardinals, who had won 19 of 20 games. Hendley, pitching for the Cubs that night in Los Angeles, warrants none of the superlatives applied above. And Drysdale, so mean, so precise, pitched a three- hit shutout. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 4 Who was Sandy Koufax for the Brooklyn Dodgers? Frank Finch, Koufax Notches 12th Win as Dodgers Top Reds, 4-1, Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1963, p. C-1. Nothing wrong with that.". Sandy Koufax was born Sanford Braun in December 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, the child of Evelyn and Jack Braun, who divorced when Sandy was three. I was at Koufax's perfect game in '65, and Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley nearly pitched a no-hitter himself that night, but the magnitude of the World Series turned Drysdale-Bouton into legend. The game still holds the record for fewest base runners. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The end can come any day or 10 years from now. 1 Hero, Life, August 2, 1963, pp. October 2, 1966 The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Video: Doddgers Retired Number: No. I threw the ball pretty hard, Gibson said in the video, and if I threw the ball inside to him, I couldnt get it by him. Koufax added: For me, he was the toughest out. Gibson fractured a bone above his right ankle and his leg was placed in a cast. Sandy Koufax Career highlight stats. 2) Roberto Clemente - went 33 for 111 against Koufax for a .297 batting average with 6 HRs and 16 RBIs. Pitcher Carl Erskine is shown in his Brooklyn uniform. The A's took the dive last year, and in a way, you can't blame teams for seeking free advertising on the center-field camera. But this pinnacle performance of pitching wouldn't be a prominent part of our past if this oft-times pedestrian pitcher had permitted one more hit in his extraordinary eight innings. Haddix carried a perfect game into the 13th against a most formidable Braves lineup. When the award was given to Koufax at a luncheon in New York City, he was presented with a new carwhile the luncheon was taking place, a New York City police officer put a parking violation ticket on the car's windshield. Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn became Hall of Famers, and they already had developed uncommon prestige within the game by July 2, 1963, when their Giants and Braves opposed each other in San Francisco. He was the first three-time Cy Young winner in baseball. His career resum includes a 48-52 record, 3.97 ERA, 25 complete games, six shutouts. He then scored a moment later on Willie Davis' sacrifice fly. The Yankees tied it on a Mickey Mantle home run in the top of the seventh. Among Hendley's victories was a four-hitter, a 2-1 Cubs victory at Wrigley Field, against the Dodgers -- and Koufax -- six days after the perfect game. By early August 1963, as Koufax led the majors in wins, shutouts, and strikeouts, Life magazine did a close up cover story on him (photo at top of article), calling him baseballs No. As well as he was throwing and setting people down, there was very little chance of overcoming him. . And seven of the 22, including Koufax's, have been decided by 1-0 scores. And that's as far as it went. Koufax also tied a World Series record when he fanned the first five Yankees he faced. James told New York Times columnist Arthur Daley the grand slam gave me the most personal satisfaction and the most surprise of any home run he hit. In order to harness his immense talent, Koufax had to learn to trust and tame Clemente struckout 20 times against Koufax. Sandy Koufax with Player of the Year trophy for 1965. Tony Kubek had two of the Yankees' three hits, but none of the hits were extra-base hits. My friends and I were drenched in the glory of Mays, Aaron, Clemente and Robinson; we'd watched them consistently for years. In consultation with the Dodgers team physician, Dr. Kerlan, he was told he would be lucky to pitch once a week and might eventually lose full use of his arm. . Up 4-0, Koufax picked up where he left off, striking out Mantle and Maris, then getting Elston Howard on a foul pop up. However, that day happened to be Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish religion. You never told us who you were. Who has the most NL Gold Glove awards? He did have two home runs. And Koufax did, initiating a 30-inning run during which he walked one batter. "This game is the most recognizable thing I've ever done in baseball," Hendley said after the game. Frank Finch, Koufax Victor, Misses Shutout in Ninth, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1963, p. A-1. L.A. rightfully claimed him as its own. His mother later remarried when Sandy was nine, to Irving Koufax, who Sandy regarded as his father. 32, Sandy Koufax. The next delivery was high and away. Like Koufax, Hendley was betrayed by his pitching elbow and forced to retire earlier than planned. Koufax and Scully, of course, have a long-standing Dodger Blue relationship. News reports called it a circulatory problem in the index finger of his left hand. The Koufax perfect game against the Cubs was also noted for the play-by-play call by broadcaster Vin Scully, the venerable voice of the Dodgers for more than 50 years. amzn_assoc_asins = "B074VDVW98,0062360574,1476669422,0803286902"; Sandy Koufax, Life magazine August 2, 1963 The Mostest Pitcher: Most Wins, Most Shutouts, Most Strike-outs. Click for copy. He ended up pitching 323 innings that year, finishing with a 27-9 record. . He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. Certainly it was a historic game because in no other game did two teams combine for so few hits. Keith Thursby, Sandy Koufax on Pitching and Pain, April 10, 1969, LATimes.com, (Daily Mirror Blog), April 10, 2009. Roscoe McGowen, Dodgers Top Pirates, 4-0; Koufax Blanks Pittsburgh; Brooks Need 7 for Pennant, New York Times, September 4, 1955. The Dodgers left-hander had been sidelined because of an injured pitching hand. Ever so slightly flawed by Johnson' flare, the Hendley-Koufax game need not be bronzed. 2 How fast did Sandy Koufax throw a baseball? In the 1963 World Series, the Dodgers (99-63) faced the New York Yankees (104-57), with the Yankees favored to win the best-of-seven fall classic. Yankee starter Al Downing, who would take the loss, went only five innings and charged with three runs. Sandy Koufax, Sports Illustrated cover, March 4, 1963. More remarkable was that Koufax was the losing pitcher in each of the other instances. Everyone knew he was pitching with traumatic arthritis in his left elbow, but how bad could it be when he pitched like that? Koufax also set a new standard with 382 strikeouts in 1965. . The results clearly suggested that. Jim Bouton, making his first World Series start, dueled Drysdale throughout, permitting only four hits in seven innings for a losing cause. New York was held to a .171 team batting average, the lowest ever for the Yankees in the postseason. One of his two sons, Bart, lives nearby, and he enjoys baseball and embraces the advanced metrics that have emerged in the past 15 years. NL Los Angeles Dodgers (4) vs. AL New York Yankees (0). Second baseman Dick Tracewski's single preceded a three-run home run by catcher John Roseboro to give the Dodgers a 40 lead. Maybe Ill go back to where I came from and finish college.. Sandy Koufax was tapped to pitch Game 1 on October 2, 1963, as Whitey Ford, the Yankee ace, went to the mound for New York. Famous Dodgers who played in that same era included Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Jim Gilliam, Gil Hodges, Don Newcombe, Gino Cimoli, John Roseboro, among others. Considering the deadline pressure, SportsChannel is doing a nice job condensing the weekday Giants and A's games into one-hour packages ("SportsChannel Light"), an especially rewarding treat if you haven't heard the score. 32 -- like Joe D. in New York and Johnny U. in Baltimore. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Martin showed up about 15 minutes before a game in Arlington, Texas, one night, a particularly embarrassing scene because the players were goofing around like kids with a substitute teacher, and coach Jackie Moore, fearing Billy might not make it at all, had assumed tenuous control of the club. Clete Boyer was the only Yankees regular not to strike out. Koufax, a Jew, refused to pitch. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. As of mid-year 2010, Sandy Koufax was still active, appearing for example, at the May 27, 2010 White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month where he greeted President Obama who later joked with the audience that he and Sandy had something in common: We are both lefties, said the President.