Sandy Koufax
By Tom Kirvan
Originally a basketball star with dreams of becoming an architect, Sandy Koufax turned to baseball instead, enjoying a Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as one of the most dominating pitchers of all time.
Born on December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Koufax signed a contract with the then Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, impressing a scout who saw potential in the skinny left-hander.
The potential turned to star-studded reality in 1959 when Koufax struck out 18 batters in a game against the San Francisco Giants. Four seasons later, Koufax led the National League in wins with 25, pitching 11 shutouts while leading the league in strikeouts with 306. He won both the Cy Young Award and the National League Most Valuable Player Award that season.
“I can see how he won 25 games,” said New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra of the Dodger star in 1963. “What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
Thanks in large part to his pitching dominance, the Dodgers won the World Series title in 1963 and 1965, as Koufax would go on to win two more Cy Young Awards and five straight ERA (Earned Run Average) titles. His list of awards would have grown had it not been for a bad elbow that was riddled with arthritis, causing Koufax to retire in 1966 after 12 seasons in the Major Leagues. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, becoming the youngest player so honored even though he eschewed the nickname of “the Left Arm of God.”
Sandy Koufax*
“Pitching is the art of instilling fear,” Koufax said of his success on the mound.
“I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started making them try to hit it,” he surmised.
In 1965, as the Dodgers were about to square off against the Minnesota Twins in the opening game of the World Series, Koufax decided to place his Jewish faith above baseball, sitting out the first game because it fell on the date of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement on the Jewish calendar.
“A man is entitled to his belief, and I believe I should not work on Yom Kippur,” Koufax said in explaining his decision. “It’s as simple as all that and I’ve never had any trouble on that account since I’ve been in baseball.”
*publicity still, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons