Moreover, neither pitcher had the cachet of Koufax, and Scully didn't provide the play-by-play. After going 8-13 that year, Koufax thought about quitting. Sandy Koufax . Charles Maher, Frank Finch, Bavasi Doubts Koufax and Drysdale Will Sign, Los Angeles Times, March 23, 1966, p. B-1. James Lincoln Ray, Important Facts About Sandy Koufax: Dodgers Ace May Have Been Baseballs Best Lefthanded Pitcher, Suite 101.com., June 12, 2008. Sandy Koufax In order to harness his immense talent, Koufax had to learn to trust and tame Bad news for Chris Morrow and other replacement players doing well in the Giants' system: You aren't welcome on the big club. Mantle wasnt alone; Koufax struck out 15 Yankees as the Dodgers won, 5-2. The hard-throwing left-hander To be the one best player in all three categories in a single season, whether hit- ter or pitcher, is a rare and distinctive honor, marking accomplished play. The results clearly suggested that. 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. At the time Koufax was only the sixth pitcher of the modern era to throw a perfect game. Willie Mays faced Bob Gibson 108 times (92 at bats) over his career and hit just . Who is the real home run king? Current Greats: 2023 MLB Batting, 2023 MLB Pitching, Career WAR Leaders, Single-Season Home Run Leaders, Active Strikeout Leaders, Upcoming Player Milestones, MLB Scores. Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee catcher known for his quips and his play. Koufax struck out 14 of 27 batters; Hendley struck out three. Howard added a home run in the seventh. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the first on a Jim Gilliam walk, a wild pitch and a single by Tommy Davis. Also, of the seven championships from the Dodgers franchise, it remains the only one won at home. A baseball day doesn't get a whole lot better than this one: a Hall of Famer who is included on any serious list of the top 10 pitchers of all time; an iconic announcer who tops almost every list of illustrious play-by-play men and, arguably, the best-pitched game -- both sides considered -- in the long history of the big leagues. Ashburn struckout 11 times against Koufax. The Dodgers signed Koufax for a total salary and bonus package of $20,000 or roughly $170,000 in todays money. Jack Doyle, Date Posted: 10 July 2010 He was the first iconic sports figure to emerge in Southern California after Major League Baseball arrived on the West Coast. Koufax wasnt as sharp as he would be in later no-hitters, walking five and narrowly escaping trouble several times. ", "Hitting would be a lot more rewarding," Quiz reasoned, "if you could hit the ball in any direction. The 60th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the American League (AL) champion and two-time defending World Series champion New York Yankees against the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers; the Dodgers swept the Series in four games to secure their second championship title in five years, and their third in franchise history. Merely Koufax vs. Whitey Ford. Hendley, pitching for the Cubs that night in Los Angeles, warrants none of the superlatives applied above. Sandy was family in L.A. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. Marichal had thrown 227. Their only six confrontations occurred in the first four seasons of a five-season sequence, 1962-66, when Koufax was at the peak of his career. The big league game has given us 22 other perfectos, 15 since Koufax produced his. 196 against him with three home runs, nine RBI, 16 walks and 30 strikeouts (in 33 games). Koufax played his entire career with the Dodgers organization, from Brooklyn, New York through Los Angeles, California,1955 to1966. After that, who knows? This could be another tale of the astounding exploits of Sandy Koufax, one more of so many; and each one warranted. 1956 Topps baseball trading card for Sandy Koufax, pitcher, Brooklyn Dodgers. He also used Empirin with codeine for pain, which he took every night and sometimes during the fifth inning to make it through a game. You never told us who you were. Sandy Koufax & Mickey Mantle Ralph Terry, in relief, allowed Davis's RBI triple. Brooklyn had dibs on Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and the other Boys of Summer. Played for the Dodgers his entire career. !,Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1963, p. I-1. Brent Jones has joined a distinguished group of Bay Area athletes to win the Lou Gehrig Iron Man Award. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. The game proved to be something of a pitchers duel, as both Koufax and the Cubs pitcher, Bob Hendley, had no-hitters going until the seventh inning. Phoenix, AZ 85004 BRUCE JENKINS -- Mantle vs. Koufax: A Homer to Remember If he had got out of that first inning, Dodgers manager Walter Alston said about Koufax, no telling how long he might have gone., Asked whether the left index finger still bothered him, Koufax replied, My finger doesnt feel 100 percent but it does feel as good as it did the two or three games before I went under the doctors care., Two years later, April 22, 1964, James hit another first-inning home run off Koufax, a three-run shot in a 7-6 Cardinals victory. 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. For our purposes today, though, the dazzling Koufax is merely half the story. In early 1960, Koufax asked the Dodgers to trade him because he wasnt getting enough playing time. The incident garnered national attention as an example of conflict between social pressures and personal beliefs. He did have two home runs. "In the latter part of the game, [Sandy] was awesome," Hendley said. . But a mutual respect is evident between Hendley and the master. And the run he surrendered, in the fifth inning, was unearned. ", Hendley's loss seemed quite unfair. Sandy Koufax Greatest Baseball Pitcher Ever And He was born Sanford Braun, but took the name of his stepfather after his parents divorced and his mother remarried. Even for a pitcher, Koufax was a weak hitter, batting just . Koufax was routinely identified in Los Angeles newspapers as Sandy, no surname necessary. (LogOut/ And that loss was in his only career one-hitter. His dad forgives him for that. Even today, baseball has but one Sandy, as it has one Babe. It was his second no-hitter. Gibson was 15-13 with a 2.85 ERA. The connection between Koufax and the other gentleman, the pitcher who made that game perfection-plus, is long distance and infrequent. At the University of Cincinnati he became a walk-on freshman basketball player. Only two left-handers in the ensuing years through 2000 started as many games in a season. Sandy Koufax at White House reception with the President & First Lady, 2010. Gibson broke his leg before the game and Koufax was knocked out without completing an inning. The day Hendley allowed just one hit, Koufax was perfect L.A. rightfully claimed him as its own. Koufax, a Jew, refused to pitch. Tom Verducci,The Left Arm Of God, Sports Illustrated, July 12, 1999. The Pirates traded Groat to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 1963 season, and he nearly won a second MVP trophy, finishing as the runner-up to Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax. 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. I was merely trying to meet the ball and was astonished to see it land on the roof in right field, James said. Southern California felt a warm and close relationship with No. ", Hendley added to his description of the game last winter. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 097 in his career. What made the game such a seductive piece of history was, of course, Koufax's involvement. No one has won a Triple Crown in National League hitting since 1937 when Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals last did it. Turning away sharply from a pitch, his spikes caught in the ground and he toppled over in pain, The Sporting News reported. Despite injuries that limited Mickey Mantle to just 65 games, the Yankees went 10457 to win their fourth straight American League pennantthis one by 10+12 games. Frank Finch, Big D, Sandy Give Bavasi News Today, Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1966, p. B-1. Frankie Frisch, Jim Gilliam, John Podres, and Sandy Koufax with 4 World Series wins each.Frisch won the World Series with the 1921 and 1922 New York Giants Koufax was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. Sandy Koufax in the 1960s no doubt, thinking about a strikeout. Sports fans around the country were saying how the Dodgers were going to blow it again. 1 hero and its most attractive bachelor.In one photo he was shown in a swimming pool with a girlfriend; in another, signing autographs at a department store. A single by first baseman Bill Skowron plated Howard to give the Dodgers a 10 lead. "He was great," Hendley said. They shouldn't bother. Exceeded rookie limits during 1956 season, View Player Bio WebSandy Koufax Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-112d) in Brooklyn, NY us More bio, uniform, draft, salary Viking; 1st edition; 299 pp. Frank Finch, Koufax, Drysdale Eye $1 Million Pact, Los Angeles Times, February 23, 1966, p. B-1. 32, Sandy Koufax. Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee catcher known for his quips and his play, remarked of Koufax after watching his Game 1 performance: I can see how he won 25 games. He struck out his final six batters and eight of the final 10. What could have happened? The bounces that footballs take are far less fickle than the bounces and ricochets that allow the most challenged baseball teams to beat the best. Certainly it was a historic game because in no other game did two teams combine for so few hits. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Sandy Koufax with Player of the Year trophy for 1965. "This game is the most recognizable thing I've ever done in baseball," Hendley said after the game. 1963 World Series Roscoe McGowen, Dodgers Top Pirates, 4-0; Koufax Blanks Pittsburgh; Brooks Need 7 for Pennant, New York Times, September 4, 1955. He also played some local baseball in a youth league, and later as a 17-year old pitcher, in a Coney Island league. Koufaxs seasonal W-L record during that period was 25-5, 19-5, 26-8, and 27-9. Dodger manager Walt Alston went with #3 starter Johnny Podres over #2 starter Don Drysdale because he was left-handed and Yankee Stadium was favorable to left-handed pitchers. Nothing wrong with that.". The day Hendley allowed just one hit Koufax was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Koufax pitched four no-hitters, won three Cy Young Awards -- each unanimously -- struck out all comers and routinely shrunk the biggest and baddest hitters to Eddie Gaedel proportions and turned their wooden bats into paper-mache replicas. Sandy Koufax, delivering his magic from the pitching mound during the mid-1960s. Sandy Koufax with Ed Linn, Sandy Koufax, New York: Viking Press, August 30, 1966, 299 pp. The 22 coolest things that happened during the 2022 MLB season How could Billy have been so late? And Sandy needed to be perfect to gain that one victory. American League winners of the pitching Crown in more recent years have been Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and 1998, and Pedro Martinez of he Boston Red Sox in 1999. December 20, 1965 Sports Illustrated cover honoring Sandy Koufax. Koufax Peddles His Biography for Tidy Advance of $110,000, Los Angeles Times, March 19, 1966, p. A-1. The Dodgers left-hander had been sidelined because of an injured pitching hand. It sounded just like a twig snapping, Gibson told The Sporting News. But each was a far cry from the Koufax-Hendley confrontation. Last Update:31 December 2020 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 ", The loss was readily rationalized by the Cubs pitcher: "If you have to lose a game, he was the guy you were proud to lose to," Hendley said. Even for a pitcher, Koufax was a weak hitter, batting just . A crowd of 29,797 was on hand as Koufax took the mound. Call 415- 750-4442 for ticket prices and other information. We were like Cubs fans who wouldn't go see the White Sox if you paid us. The Dodgers scored first in the bottom of the fifth on a monumental Frank Howard home run into the second (Loge) level at Dodger Stadium. National League Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1963. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. ", Hendley has regained a small measure of celebrity. s Duels of All Time (Part III 1957 Topps card, Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn Dodgers. In late August 1964, the morning after winning his 19th game a shutout with 13 strikeouts he could not straighten his arm. Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? WisdomAnswer And what a great lesson that is. He had started once in two months, on Sept. 2, before opposing Koufax in a ballpark where he had been mostly unsuccessful. To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. Sandy Koufax makes final pitch of 63 World Series. Koufax left baseball with the highest regard of his fellow players, as he had been a model professional, not one to seek the spotlight or boast of his abilities, and often thinking and acting on behalf of the team rather than himself. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". "He actually sent me a card," Hendley said. Koufax ended up pitching two complete game shutouts in Games 5 and 7 of that World Series, with the Dodgers taking the Series, four games to three. That's how close they came to a double no-hitter evening. On August 21, the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 21 in 16 innings to take a 7+12 game lead. He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. Clemente struckout 20 times against Koufax. [8], 1963 World Series (40): Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.) His one-word identity spread over all of baseball. Or write about sports? Hendley was a spot starter in 1965. did The Dodgers upped the lead to 5-0 when Skowron singled home Willie Davis with two outs in the third inning against Ford, who went just five innings. Lasorda w RHP Tom Seaver. This year's awards dinner, to be hosted by Gary Radnich, will be June 29 at the Nikko Hotel in S.F. 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 Yankees tied it on a Mickey Mantle home run in the top of the seventh. Because the Dodgers swept the series, the details of that last game have clouded over. Koufax won the first of his three Triple Crowns that year, leading the league with 25 wins, 306 strikeouts, and a 1.88 ERA. Harvey Haddix and Lew Burdette pitched dual shutouts into the 13th inning. Ford set the Dodgers down in order in the first inning, but got into trouble in the second inning. That brought to the plate James, a right-handed batter with a .277 average. This could be another tale of the astounding exploits of Sandy Koufax, one more of so many; and each one warranted. But even the extraordinary Pirates-Braves game of May 26, 1959, paled in comparison with the Koufax-Hendley game. Who is the youngest person in the Baseball Hall of Fame? The Los Angeles Dodgers would set a new low in 1966, two runs. In that game, Koufax struck out the first five Yankees he faced. PopHistoryDig.com, July 10, 2010. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Since 1933, it has been the summer showcase for the greatest athletes to ever play the game. How Many Batters Did Sandy Koufax Strikeout In His Career make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. He needed 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.