Its tempting to believe that a pitcher who assembled one of the greatest careers in baseballs history, by age 30, must have been an early bloomer. He does not have any children. Thats why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. [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). Koufax only had two pitches: a 97 mph fastball that physicists denied but all facing batters said was gospel truth: the ball would suddenly hop up before crossing the plate. Kerlan also told Koufax that he would eventually lose full use of his arm. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. Sandy Koufax when he was young (Source: MyJewishLearning) In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. Koufax threw straight over the top, his arm a trailing catapult, set up by an exaggerated windup and long downhill stride off the mound, a 15-inch mountain in the 1960s. [93] Alston lifted Koufax at the end of the sixth inning,[93][94] with the idea of getting him extra rest before a potential fifth game. [83], In Game 2 Koufax pitched six innings, giving up two runs, and the Twins won 51 to take an early 20 lead in the series. Nearly 300 pitchers in AL/NL history have started more games than Koufax. 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. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Sandy was an All-Star for six seasons and was declared the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 1963 season. They are talented and passionate. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you want to . Sports, Passan spent about four years reporting his 2016 New York Times best-selling book The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports, a deep-dive into pitching and the epidemic of whats known in the sport as Tommy John surgery, or ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. In the second game, he pitched two scoreless innings. As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufaxs wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God, was married to Anne Koufax, formerly known asAnne H. Widmark, the daughter of actorRichard Widmark. A Cleveland native, Passan fell in love with both baseball and writing at a young age. Soon, Sandy married Kimberly Francis. His stomach and digestive tract were bleeding from cortisone shots and painkillers. 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. 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. [26], Because Koufax's signing bonus was greater than $4,000 ($40,000 today), he was known as a bonus baby. A numbness developed in the index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Sandy struggled to manage the control of his pitches, but his pace was good enough, which helped him survive in the team. Out of those two transitionary years, 1961-62, Sandy Koufax the master-of-all-time, baseballs Leonardo, arrived. So as Passan began work on his book, he knew he needed to talk to Koufax. [6] Drysdale pitched the opener, but was hit hard by the Minnesota Twins. No-Hitters, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ Although the 1965 season was the one in which Sandy had trouble managing an elbow injury, he managed to play through it. [22] Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from Jimmy Murphy, a part-time scout. Sherry, a backup catcher with the Dodgers, was his roommate. 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. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." [111][112], The Dodgers hired Koufax to be a minor league pitching coach in 1979. [82], Koufax declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. A left-hander, he pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National League (NL) from 1955 to 1957, continuing, after they became the Los Angeles . I look at religion now as being a really important thing for lots of people, but the sort of thing that for me and my family, wed like for our children to be a little more worldly until, or if, they decide to choose to go the religious route, he said. While a columnist for Yahoo! Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. [46], A day later, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. He was the youngest player ever elected, five months younger than Lou Gehrig upon his special election in December 1939 (which waived what was then a one-year waiting period before enshrinement). Education Being born on December 30 1935, Sandy Koufax is 87 years old as of today's date 27th February 2023. [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 was told that he would be playing in no less than seven innings. Laurie recognized that Koufax might be able to pitch, and recruited the 17-year-old to pitch for the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews. Sandy Koufax is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB). As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufax's wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God, was married to Anne Koufax, formerly known as Anne H. Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark. Returning to Chicago, the Dodgers won Game 6 and the Series. [69][70], Koufax's 1964 season started with great expectations. [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. 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. His strikeouts were an otherworldly 306, 223, 382 and 313. During welcome remarks in a reminiscence of Koufax's decision not to play on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, President Barack Obama said that the two had "something in common." [91] He started 41 games (for the second year in a row); only two left-handers have started more games in any season over the ensuing years through 2021.[92]. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. He also received the MVP honor once and three Triple Crowns, one each for the years 1963, 1965, and 1966. [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. Generally speaking, when Im talking to people, Ill call them by their first name. I think its just another way to illustrate that we can be everything, Passan said. And what is it, exactly, about baseball that has endeared the sport to American Jews for so long? After the final out of Game 7, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class. They were married for 13 years but had no children together. Im old enough to remember sitting in Mrs. Sorbys fourth grade class, in 1963, listening to Mel Allen of the New York Yankees, and Vin Scully of the Los Angeles Dodgers, taking turns to call the game. [106] It not only appeared to move very late but also might move on multiple planes. [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 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. He has won four-time World Series champion and three Cy Young Awards. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13 batters, he could not straighten his arm. "[28], Koufax's first start was on July 6. Koufax knew he was endangering his health. Passan said he also feels that camaraderie with Jewish players especially those who play for Team Israel during the World Baseball Classic, which is coming up next month. Sandy Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, and at first, he wanted to be a basketball player instead of a baseball player. 'As Jews we gravitate to things with history, like baseball', Were really pleased that youve read, Please use the following structure: [email protected], Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. As ESPNs senior MLB insider, he frequently breaks some of the sports biggest news and appears on several of the global sports networks television, radio and podcast programs. From 1963 to '66, Sandy Koufax had averaged a 24-7 record, 307 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA, winning three out of four Cy Young awards at a time before each league had its own award. But they lack the one thing that could mean everything. Koufax was sold, and on Oct. 4, 1971, Sanford and Anne Koufax of Los Angeles, as they signed the deed, took out a 15-year, $15,000 mortgage from Penobscot Savings Bank and bought what was known as . Before tenth grade, Koufax's family moved back to the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. 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). But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. When Koufax allowed baserunners, he was rarely permitted to finish the inning. He had two wins in 1955, which were both shutouts. Sports and, since 2019, at ESPN. In 1960 Koufax was a 36-40 pitcher beset by accuracy problems. He had a dominant fastball, but his control was dodgy. Koufaxs pitching prowess aside, Passan praised the principled stance the former Dodger took all those years ago. [56], The night before the playoffs began, manager Alston asked Koufax if he could start the next day. 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. 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