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. (Allen Kee/ESPN Images via JTA), Sandy Koufax, pitcher of Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18, 1964 at spring training. At the age of thirty-six, he became the youngest player to get elected for Basketball hall of fame. Only St. Louis Cardinal Bob Gibson, with 13 in his iconic 1968 season,[63] "the year of the pitcher", has thrown more.[64]. Nearly 300 pitchers in AL/NL history have started more games than Koufax. 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. Koufax won the NL MVP Award and the Hickok Belt, and was the first-ever unanimous selection for the Cy Young Award. 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Whats amazing about Koufax is that he played for one team the Dodgers but he had two entirely different careers. [22] Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from Jimmy Murphy, a part-time scout. 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. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. I started running more. Sandys career was as its peak in the 1960s, when he became the ultimate wild card for his team, as a left-handed pitcher. Sabermetrician Rob Neyer called it the best curve of all time. "[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. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire and that his arm could not take another season. He also received the MVP honor once and three Triple Crowns, one each for the years 1963, 1965, and 1966. 'As Jews we gravitate to things with history, like baseball', Were really pleased that youve read, Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. Instead, the Dodgers were swept in four games, not scoring a single run in the last three. Koufax was a two-time World Series MVP with the Dodgers. He appeared in two All-Star games too, for the first time in his career. Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. For the first time in his career, he was in the starting rotation, but only for two weeks. Sports and, since 2019, at ESPN. Sherry, a backup catcher with the Dodgers, was his roommate. [86][87] At the time, Willie Mays was the highest paid player in the major leagues at $125,000 (equivalent to $1.04million in 2021) per year, and multi-year contracts were extremely unusual. Sandy Koufax is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Incorrect password. The Human Principles That Drive Organizational Success, The roughly first ten minutes of episode one. [115], Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1972, just weeks after his 36th birthday. The 2021 World Series, which featured four Jewish players, is a prime example. He said he considers himself a cultural Jew noting that his wife is Catholic and they are raising their kids without religion. [30] He did not start again for almost two months, but on August 27, Koufax threw a two-hit, 70 complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds for his first major league win. [9][12] In 1951, at the age of 15, Koufax also joined a local youth baseball league known as the "Ice Cream League". If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. Sandy Koufax is a famous American baseball player who played 12 seasons with LA Dodgers in MLB from the year 1955 to 1966. background-color:#ba3434; [71], On June 4, playing at Connie Mack Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies, Koufax walked Richie Allen on a very close full-count pitch in the fourth inning. 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Drysdale's wife Ginger suggested that they negotiate together to get what they wanted. JTA For tuned-in baseball fans, Jeff Passan is everywhere. background-image:unset; He was Mr. Koufax, Passan told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about the pitcher he once wrote a paper about for Hebrew school. "[28], Koufax's first start was on July 6. In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. After the final out of Game 7, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class. When it comes to peak value for a pitcher, few in major league history could match Sandy Koufax. 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. . Phoenix, AZ 85004 Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow, he pitched a major league-leading 335+23 innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. He would go on to cover sports at Syracuse University, the Fresno Bee, the Kansas City Star, Yahoo! His death, at an assisted living facility, was confirmed by his son, Mike. He was 36 years old at the time of his inclusion. 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They didn't have any children, and divorced in 1982, Passan, 42, grew up in a Conservative Jewish household, attending Hebrew school three times a week. Born Sanford Braun on 30th December, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, he is famous for Three-time Cy Young Award winner. He walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch in the eighth, and pinch-hitter McCovey on four pitches in the ninth, before closing out the game. A numbness developed in the index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. His second marriage, to personal trainer Kimberly Francis, lasted from 1985 to 1998. Both players were represented by an entertainment lawyer, J. William Hayes, which was unusual in an era when players were not even represented by agents. The next season was not very good either. They were married until 9th December 1998 when they got divorced. (Courtesy of Passan via JTA). In 1958, he began 73, but sprained his ankle in a collision at first base, finishing the season at 1111 and leading the NL in wild pitches. This contains his possessions, funds, and earnings. In 1972, at the age of 36, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and became the youngest player ever to have received the honor. Catcher Norm Sherry advised him to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. When Koufax allowed baserunners, he was rarely permitted to finish the inning. Despite having an injured left hand, which was also his pitching hand, Sandy performed amazingly well in the next season. His father, Rich, worked at the Plain Dealer for 42 years, and Passan said he got his first byline at 14 years old. The Minnesota Twins and Carlos Correa made a mutual decision that the shortstop will skip the World Baseball Classic for family reasons, with his wife expecting a baby during the tournament. His performance did not match his full potential. By the end of the year, after going 813, Koufax was thinking about quitting baseball to devote himself to an electronics business in which he had invested. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13 batters, he could not straighten his arm. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. For every act of hatred and violence, we should add dozens of acts of kindness and charity, A year into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, What Matters Now to Ksenia Svetlova, What Matters Now to Prof. Suzie Navot: Guarding against a Frankenstate, What Matters Now to MK Simcha Rothman: The people should appoint the judges, US says it expects Israel to prosecute settlers involved in Huwara rampage, Dr. Susan Weiss: Five areas in which the override clause should terrify women, Rabbi Noa Sattath: We NGOs called enemies of the state will defend our rights, Adv. Thats what has worked in the past. 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