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. His father, Rich, worked at the Plain Dealer for 42 years, and Passan said he got his first byline at 14 years old. "[68] In Game 4, Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep with a 21 victory over Ford, clinching the Series MVP Award for his performance. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." [113] Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in 2004 when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. But after making adjustments prior to the 1961 season, and benefitting from the team's move into expansive Dodger Stadium a year later, Koufax quickly rose to become the most dominant pitcher in the major leagues before arthritis in his left elbow ended his playing days prematurely at age 30. See. [125], Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans honored at a May 27, 2010, White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month. He was not noticed on the field as much as he wanted to be seen in his first year, as he was still quite young. Koufax later attended the University of Cincinnati and played for them for one season. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13 batters, he could not straighten his arm. "Either he throws the fastest ball I've ever seen, or I'm going blind," said Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. Koufax with the Los Angeles Dodgers, c. 1965, Major League Baseball pitchers who have won the, Baseball Anecdotes by Daniel Okrent and Steve Wulf, Harper and Row Publishers, 1989, The play-by-play data from which these averages were calculated are only available starting in 1957. On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, he threw his first no-hitter. Nearly 200 have racked up more wins. ': Anti-gov't protesters clash with cops at evening demonstrations, US lambastes 'repugnant' call by Smotrich to 'wipe out' Palestinian town, urges PM to speak out as well, Lapid slams Netanyahu for comparing Tel Aviv protests to Huwara rioters, As protests sweep nation, police use aggressive means to clear Tel Aviv rally, Clashes with stun grenades, water cannons mark 1st time these are seen at demos; at least 11 injured, 50 arrested; Netanyahu, Lapid accuse each other of stirring up anarchy, Soldier detained for allegedly threatening anti-government protesters with weapon, Roads, trains blocked as thousands march in day of disruption against overhaul, Protesters launch nationwide day of disruption against justice overhaul. [23] After seeing Koufax pitch for Lafayette, Campanis invited him to an Ebbets Field tryout. His primary source of income is his work as a baseball pitcher. [111][112], The Dodgers hired Koufax to be a minor league pitching coach in 1979. Out of those two transitionary years, 1961-62, Sandy Koufax the master-of-all-time, baseballs Leonardo, arrived. I know how terrorism affects us all, In January, we drove through Huwara on our way to a bar mitzvah in Har Bracha. There is one athlete who does: Jewish legend Sandy Koufax. Sandy Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, and at first, he wanted to be a basketball player instead of a baseball player. [6] Drysdale pitched the opener, but was hit hard by the Minnesota Twins. Sandy struggled to manage the control of his pitches, but his pace was good enough, which helped him survive in the team. [128] Regardless, his decision to not pitch on Yom Kippur in 1965 was highly significant for Jewish-Americans. If you are growing up and you want to be a rabbi, thats wonderful. Sandy Koufax Age Koufax is 84 years of age as of 2020, he was born on December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. 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. Eventually, he helped his team reach new heights of success and rankings. 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. [112] His third wife is Jane Dee Purucker Clarke, a college sorority sister of First Lady Laura Bush. [34] He saw little work, pitching only 58+23 innings with a 4.91 ERA, 29 walks and 30 strikeouts. [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. Ive watched Bob Hayes, historys best sprinter not named Usain Bolt, anchor the U.S.As 4 x 100 meters team in 1964, taking the baton in sixth place and passing everyone for the win. Its a team thats often based around your religion or the religion in your family, and I think that makes it a unique group of players who may not have that same connection or that same feel to Israel, but they have that shared experience of being Jewish and knowing what that entails.. Sandy Koufax, byname of Sanford Koufax, original name Sanford Braun, (born Dec. 30, 1935, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.), American professional baseball player who, despite his early retirement due to arthritis, was ranked among the sport's greatest pitchers. He then walked Hank Aaron on four pitches to load the bases, but struck out Bobby Thomson on a 32 fastballan outcome Koufax later came to view as "probably the worst thing that could have happened to me," leading, as it did, to five seasons spent "trying to get out of trouble by throwing harder and harder and harder. But oftentimes, when his elbow was sore, which was oftentimes, Koufax threw only his hopped-up fastball. He pitched well enoughBaltimore first baseman Boog Powell told Koufax's biographer, Jane Leavy, "He might have been hurtin' but he was bringin'"but three errors by Dodger center fielder Willie Davis in the fifth inning produced three unearned runs. [119], In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". Somehow, his school baseball team had also recruited him by then. It takes just a few seconds. [95] In his three World Series losses, all starts, spread over three different Series, Koufax gave up a total of three earned runs; the Dodgers scored a total of one run in support in all three. Has significantly contributed to the preservation of land and nature in his adopted hometown of Roxbury, Connecticut. [21] The Pirates, however, failed to offer Koufax a contract until after he was already committed to the Dodgers. Sandy presently lives with his third wife, Jane Purucker Clarke. 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In 1960, he wanted to quit the Dodgers to play on the field but was not freed from the contract. The fun of watching televised baseball in the age of Covid lasted about, oh, two games. He was only 36 years old, a sign both of how dominant he was at his best and the premature end to his career. Koufax, known for his on-the-field dominance and his refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur during the 1965 World Series, walked away from baseball at only 30 years old because of injury. When he first joined the team in 1955 they were called the Brooklyn Dodgers. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, Jeff Passan on the set of 'Baseball Tonight' during the 2021 AL Wild Card game at Fenway Park. When I run into someone whos Jewish, even though Im not particularly religious, and he or she may not be particularly religious, theres still a connection there because of how we were raised and the things that you learn growing up a Jew, he said. I think its just another way to illustrate that we can be everything, Passan said. Koufax won the Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 and 1966 by unanimous votes, winning the Triple Crown[2][3][4][5] and leading the Dodgers to a pennant each year; he was the first three-time winner of the award, and the only pitcher to do so when a single award was given instead of one for each league. [101], Koufax was the first pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, an especially impressive feat because it was during the era when only one was given out for both major leagues. Koufax briefly held the Dodgers records for career strikeouts and shutouts until longtime teammate Don Drysdale passed him in 1968. 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. During his 12-season career, he had a 165-87 win/loss record, 2,396 strikeouts, 2.76 ERA, and 40 shutouts. He was diagnosed by Dodgers team physician Robert Kerlan with traumatic arthritis. He is also the first pitcher to win the award by a unanimous votea recognition which he accomplished twice more. 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"[28], Koufax's first start was on July 6. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins, nor a lower ERA; only Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton matched the 27-win mark, in 1972. On two days rest, Koufax pitched a 6-3 complete-game victory to clinch the pennant. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. Sandy Koufax was previously married to Anne Heath Widmark, an artist, and author who is the daughter of actor and producer Richard Widmark. Koufax was an immediate beneficiary of the change, lowering his ERA at home from 4.29 to 1.75. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. Then in 1961 and through 1962, a different Koufax emerged. The Koufax years of 1963 to 1966 are the finest four-year stretch of pitching that major league baseball has ever seen or likely will see. With the Dodgers out of the pennant race he did not pitch again, ending the season with a 195 record[73] and leading the NL with a 1.74 ERA. However, due to changes in Hall practices, the 1972 induction ceremony was nearly eight months after the election, leaving Koufax slightly older than Gehrig, who had no formal induction ceremony, at the time of his induction. Baseball being so big in the emergence of sporting culture in the United States, theres a gravitas to that, theres an import to that, that I think Jews really are attracted to.. Koufax pitched two perfect relief innings in the Series opener, though they came after the Dodgers were already behind 110. However, this could not deter the sportsman in him. He also took Butazolidin for inflammation, applied capsaicin-based Capsolin ointment (also sold by the brand name "Atomic Balm") before each game, and soaked his arm in a tub of ice afterwards. The reason for their divorce is unknown. With the Series tied at 22, Koufax pitched a complete-game shutout in Game 5 for a 32 Dodgers lead as the Series returned to Metropolitan Stadium for Game 6, which the Twins won to force a seventh game. Catcher Norm Sherry advised him to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. [2] The top pitchers of the era future Hall of Famers Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn - and above all Koufax significantly reduced the walks-given-up-to-batters-faced ratio for 1963 and subsequent years. "[45] During spring training, Dodger scout Kenny Myers discovered a hitch in Koufax's windup, where he would rear back so far he would lose sight of the target. background-color:#ba3434; The left-handed pitcher played for Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the 1965 season was the one in which Sandy had trouble managing an elbow injury, he managed to play through it. In May 2010, he was invited to become a part of Jewish American Heritage Month celebrations at The White House.. [58] Compared to the previous season, walks in the NL fell 13 percent, strikeouts increased 6 percent, the league batting average fell from .261 to .245, and runs scored declined 15 percent. His no-hitter, along with a 42 record, 73 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA, earned him the Player of the Month Award for June. Find your Sandy Koufax. Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Koufax is famously private, and securing a rare interview wasnt easy Passan enlisted fellow Jewish writer Jane Leavy, Koufaxs biographer, who put in a good word for him. He had a dominant fastball, but his control was dodgy. Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. [47], In perhaps an early display of sabermetrics, Dodger statistician Allan Roth is credited with helping Koufax tweak his game in the early 1960s, particularly regarding the importance of first-pitch strikes and the benefits of off-speed pitches. Being born on December 30 1935, Sandy Koufax is 87 years old as of today's date 27th February 2023. Koufax's name is on a list submitted Tuesday to a federal judge of a dozen witnesses whom the Mets' lawyers plan to call to the witness stand at the civil trial, in Manhattan. [79][114] The Dodgers again hired Koufax in 2013 as a special advisor to team chairman Mark Walter to work with the pitchers during spring training and consult during the season. Koufax agreed not to throw at all between gamesa resolution that lasted only one start. [53][54] It would be the only time in his career he earned this distinction. [32] During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. On August 31 against the Giants, he set the NL single-game record and tied Bob Feller's modern major league record of 18,[42] also scoring on Wally Moon's walk-off home run for a 5-2 win. 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 . In spring 1954, he made the college baseball varsity team, which was coached by Jucker at that time. Education Koufaxs seasonal W-L record during that period was 25-5, 19-5, 26-8, and 27-9. [112] Neither marriage produced children. Sandy Koufax was born on December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. "[109][110], In 1967, Koufax signed a 10-year contract with NBC for US$1million (equivalent to $8.1million in 2021) to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week. Sports and, since 2019, at ESPN. We lost them for him. [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. . A numbness developed in the index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Before tenth grade, Koufax's family moved back to the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. 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. Thats what has worked in the past. This was not an abysmal performance but was not great either. After two decades of reporting, can anything make him nervous? They didnt have any children, and divorced in 1982. Whats amazing about Koufax is that he played for one team the Dodgers but he had two entirely different careers. When the time came to talk, Passan said it was the most nervous hes ever been for an interview. 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. They were married for 13 years. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. If you feel passionate about who you are, and something is important to you, even when its uncomfortable, you should stand by it. 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. Generally speaking, when Im talking to people, Ill call them by their first name. In baseball history, he has been named as greatest pitchers. [120] He was also named that year as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, he pitched a major league-leading 335+23 innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. After the 1957 season, it was speculated that he could be sent to the minor leagues to get some more practice. Koufax later said, "I had nothing at all." Jane Purucker Clarke, is the third wife of legendary MLB pitcher Sandy Koufax. Despite having an injured left hand, which was also his pitching hand, Sandy performed amazingly well in the next season.
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