The event they created, known as nothing more than "CHI at LA" before it began, stands among the most astonishing games ever played at any point of any baseball season. Out of those two transitionary years, 1961-62, Sandy Koufax the master-of-all-time, baseballs Leonardo, arrived. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. Even for a pitcher, Koufax was a weak hitter, batting just . Sandy Koufaxs Perfect Game, Wikipedia.org. The Dodgers left-hander had been sidelined because of an injured pitching hand. Tom Verducci,The Left Arm Of God, Sports Illustrated, July 12, 1999. WebKoufax 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. His career resum includes a 48-52 record, 3.97 ERA, 25 complete games, six shutouts. He had started once in two months, on Sept. 2, before opposing Koufax in a ballpark where he had been mostly unsuccessful. Over the years, Hendley's appreciation of Koufax has grown. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; But first baseman Joe Pepitone lost Boyer's peg in the white-shirted crowd background; the ball struck Pepitone in the arm and rolled down the right field line, allowing Gilliam to scamper all the way to third base. . After going 8-13 that year, Koufax thought about quitting. . Sandy Koufax, May 1965 "Sport" magazine story about his "toughest batters." He received more than the normal number of birthday cards, including one from Sandy Koufax. But the Dodgers swept the three games from the Cardinals to move four games ahead with nine to play; a 41 win over the Mets clinched the pennant in the season's 158th game. Koufax was routinely identified in Los Angeles newspapers as Sandy, no surname necessary. And to add class and a coating of brilliance to their tandem achievement, the game was narrated by a man who has risen to the level of national icon because of his genius in the booth, Vin Scully. Merton Hanks also will be honored that night, receiving the Matt Hazeltine award as the 49ers' defensive player of the year. Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax were scheduled to start against one another in a September 1962 showdown of two of the premier pitchers of the era. In the decades that have passed, the legend of that game has grown. Manager Walter Alston called Drysdale's performance "one of the greatest pitched games I ever saw." WebBoth Ford and Koufax pitched scoreless first innings. Switch teams or you have no chance. ), Video: 50 Greatest Moments: #2 Koufax's perfect game, "We pitched against each other twice in six days," Hendley recalls. (Voted by BBWAA on 344/396 ballots) He was also named the National Leagues Most Valuable Player. December 30, 1935 But the losing pitcher in each of the seven instances surrendered at least two more hits than Hendley. The next delivery was high and away. Haddix carried a perfect game into the 13th against a most formidable Braves lineup. By early August 1963, as Koufax led the majors in wins, shutouts, and strikeouts, Life magazine did a close up cover story on him (photo at top of article), calling him baseballs No. Mickey Mantle, who was called out on strikes taking a Koufax curveball, walked away muttering expletives, unhappy with his Koufax experience. James hadnt hit a home run or driven in a run all month. But even the extraordinary Pirates-Braves game of May 26, 1959, paled in comparison with the Koufax-Hendley game. The momentum he created for himself brought out the best in Scully and a powerful sense of resignation for Hendley. Since 1933, it has been the summer showcase for the greatest athletes to ever play the game. Koufax, on two days rest, pitched a complete game, with the Dodgers winning 6-3 to clinch the NL pennant. By the spring of 1954 he was also pitching for the college baseball team, and doing quite well. He was born Sanford Braun, but took the name of his stepfather after his parents divorced and his mother remarried. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Charles Maher, Frank Finch, Koufax, Drysdale Reject $210,000, Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1966, p. B-1. Click for copy. 4 Who was Sandy Koufax for the Brooklyn Dodgers? There was no success to be had on Sept. 9 that year, despite his brilliant pitching; strange because the Cubs pitcher often prospered when he opposed Koufax. Seldom has a person & pitcher pairing produced such excellence on both sides of the ampersand. . Koufax struck out 14 of 27 batters; Hendley struck out three. Famous Dodgers who played in that same era included Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Jim Gilliam, Gil Hodges, Don Newcombe, Gino Cimoli, John Roseboro, among others. Those were the years when a number of great players roamed the fields of big league parks. Sabermetricians put little stock in pitchers' victories these days. Koufax would hold that record until 1981 when Nolan Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter. But even the extraordinary Pirates-Braves game of May 26, 1959, paled in comparison with the Koufax-Hendley game. Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Of the Los Angeles Dodgers' five World Series championships since the opening of Dodger Stadium, this was the only one won at Dodger Stadium. Sandy Koufax, delivering his magic from the pitching mound during the mid-1960s. Los Angeles Times opening-day welcome to the new L.A. Dodgers, April 18, 1958. ", Hendley has regained a small measure of celebrity. 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. Sandy Koufax, 1st Cy Young, Detroit Free Press, October 25, 1963. Who is the youngest person in the Baseball Hall of Fame? "What a nice man! 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. Koufax and Scully, of course, have a long-standing Dodger Blue relationship. One of his two sons, Bart, lives nearby, and he enjoys baseball and embraces the advanced metrics that have emerged in the past 15 years. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. And seven of the 22, including Koufax's, have been decided by 1-0 scores. Particularly in the last few innings, you knew that he knew he had the perfect game. For our purposes today, though, the dazzling Koufax is merely half the story. (FYI: The lone run Hendley allowed in that one was driven in by the man who pinch-hit for Koufax in the seventh inning -- Don Drysdale. Jim Bouton, making his first World Series start, dueled Drysdale throughout, permitting only four hits in seven innings for a losing cause. He did have two home runs. Frank Finch; Koufax Wins, Shelved by Injury,Los Angeles Times, Jul 13, 1962, p. C-1. [7]. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Marichal had thrown 227. In fact, Sandy Koufax hit 2 home runs during his career, 0 while playing at home, and 2 while on the road. And even then his arm would swell an inch. Roscoe McGowen, Brooklyn-Bred Bonus Baby Is Coming of Age; Koufax 2-Hitter in 2d Start Is Sign of Maturity; Dodgers Are Getting Return on Money Paid to Hurler, New York Times, August 29, 1955. And the run he surrendered, in the fifth inning, was unearned. 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. Sandy Koufax in the 1960s no doubt, thinking about a strikeout. Exceeded rookie limits during 1956 season, View Player Bio Martin showed up about 15 minutes before a game in Arlington, Texas, one night, a particularly embarrassing scene because the players were goofing around like kids with a substitute teacher, and coach Jackie Moore, fearing Billy might not make it at all, had assumed tenuous control of the club. Hendley was a spot starter in 1965. Charles Maher, LAffaire Drysdale-Koufax: Villains or Heroes?, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1966, p. G-1. Their 2020 title was won as the "home team" albeit as part of the neutral site World Series in Arlington, Texas. In the 1963 World Series, the Dodgers (99-63) faced the New York Yankees (104-57), with the Yankees favored to win the best-of-seven fall classic. Sandy Koufax, Sports Illustrated cover, March 4, 1963. The 15 strikeouts bested fellow Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine's mark in 1953 by one, and would be surpassed by Bob Gibson in 1968 with 17. Perfect Game. This was the first time that the Yankees were swept in a World Series in four straight (the 1922 World Series had one tie). Tommy Thompson, Good Life of Baseballs No. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 View Sandy Koufax's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). Call 415- 750-4442 for ticket prices and other information. Koufax struck out 14 of 27 batters; Hendley struck out three. 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. "We both gave up two runs, we both allowed five hits. Join our linker program. Lasorda w Although Mantle was about to turn 32, his tortured body was ancient, and he had played just 65 games that season. Catcher Elston Howard (.287 BA, 28 HRs, 85 RBI) won the MVP Award, while Joe Pepitone, Roger Maris, and Tom Tresh also topped the 20 home run mark. And healso took Butazolidin for inflammation and applied a capsaicin-based ointment to his arm known to athletes as atomic balm before each game. Johnson, Washington Senators, won 3 Triple Crowns: 1913, 1918 & 1924. Do you have a blog? How fast did Sandy Koufax throw a baseball? After the World Series, in November, Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball due to his arthritic condition. Koufax sought to rest more and not throw as much between starts. He also threw 11 shutouts, a total that only Bob Gibson would later surpass. Click for copy. Like Koufax, Hendley was betrayed by his pitching elbow and forced to retire earlier than planned. Certainly it was a historic game because in no other game did two teams combine for so few hits. Koufax also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Award for best pitcher by unanimous votes during an erawhen only one pitcher was chosen per season. "I was just getting people out. 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. But Marichal and Spahn had surrendered eight hits each before a home run by Willie Mays ended the 16-inning, 1-0 game. He struck out double digits The A's took the dive last year, and in a way, you can't blame teams for seeking free advertising on the center-field camera. Video: Doddgers Retired Number: No. With that, the two decided to negotiate their contracts as a package, demanding $1 million (about $6.7 million in current dollars) between them over three years. The end can come any day or 10 years from now. Koufax's ERA in those games was 3.65. Former professional baseball player Sandy Koufax began his career in 1955 when he was signed by his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. But now the great Mantle had come to town, and he had homered off Koufax, and our lives were eminently richer. The Dodgers faltered that season, going 80 and 82 for the year, finishing sixth in the ten-team National League. Koufax had pitched in Brooklyn, but he never performed in the borough where he'd been raised as he did in Los Angeles. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, 11 gadgets to boost your WFH productivity. The other Sandys -- Amoros, Valdespino, Alomar and Alomar Jr., Leon, Martinez, Alderson, Johnson and Consuegra -- are relegated to identification by surname. He was also the first major leaguer to pitch four no-hitters which were also in consecutive seasons. Koufax had pitched in Brooklyn, but he never performed in the borough where he'd been raised as he did in Los Angeles. With one out, right fielder Frank Howard doubled into left center field. Koufax played his entire career with the Dodgers organization, from Brooklyn, New York through Los Angeles, California,1955 to1966. Get well, Mick. L.A. rightfully claimed him as its own. Later, however, the two pitchers discovered that each was being used in the sessions with Bavasi against the other, saying one was asking for more than the other. Koufax wasnt as sharp as he would be in later no-hitters, walking five and narrowly escaping trouble several times. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; 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. His column ended thusly: "Today he turns 75. Brian M. Endsley, Finding the Left Arm of God: Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1960-1963 (2015), McFarland, 296pp. "To be beaten by class, beaten by the guy who is one of the best, if not the best ever. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. And Koufax admitted in one interview to having a good bit of trouble with Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially in 1963. We didn't get American League baseball until 1961 during my youth in Southern California, and even then, for most Dodger fans, the Angels were a joke. Sandy Koufax Stats by Baseball Almanac. ". (The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series in Game 6 while they were designated as the home team, but the game was played at a neutral site, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Now 76 and 15 years into his retirement from teaching, Hendley still lives in the Macon area, where he coached high school baseball, with his wife Runette. But in the bottom of the inning, Gilliam hit a high hopper to Yankee third baseman Clete Boyer; Boyer leaped to make the grab, and fired an accurate throw to first base. The connection between Koufax and the other gentleman, the pitcher who made that game perfection-plus, is long distance and infrequent. But two Dodgers managed to reach base, and one scored. That's how close they came to a double no-hitter evening. 1957 Topps card, Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn Dodgers. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Koufax finished the year with a 19-5 record. He was the first three-time Cy Young winner in baseball. Advertisement (Original Caption) Sandy Koufax of the He had allowed eight walks combined in his three, earlier no-hitters. In 1966, before the regular baseball season began, the Dodgers two key pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were each scheduled to negotiate new contracts with Dodgers general manager Joseph Buzzie Bavasi. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Click for photo plaque. In this game, Mantle would hit a homer off Koufax in the 7th inning ( Mantles 15th in World Series play) which tied the game temporarily at 1-1. The Dodgers' lone hit came two innings later when Lou Johnson's opposite-field bloop landed just beyond first base and rolled into foul ground for a double. !,Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1963, p. I-1. The Koufax perfect game against the Cubs was also noted for the play-by-play call by broadcaster Vin Scully, the venerable voice of the Dodgers for more than 50 years. Not only did Koufax, 28, toss his third no-hitter in three years Fifty years ago on October 6, at the tender age of 30, Sandy Koufax bowed out of baseball. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; In fact, things are going so right for Koufax that last Saturday in Milwaukee, one of the rare occasions when he did not pitch well, he hit a three-run homer to prevent defeat. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Frank Finch, Sandys Finger, Arm Okand How! background-color:#ba3434; Dont Let Em Fool You; Koufax Wanted to Pitch, Los Angeles Times, March 31, 1966, p. B-1. His only grand slam was the one off Koufax. You could tell how much he wanted it. Koufax compiled a 25-and-5 win-loss record in 1963 as the Dodgers won the NL pennant and he became the first-ever unanimous selection for the Cy Young award for best pitcher. In the American League, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox won the hitting Triple Crown twice, in 1942 and 1947; Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees did it in 1956; 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.Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles in 1966; and Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox was the last hitter to do so in 1967. After blowing a four-game lead with seven to play in 1962, the Dodgers again built a lead in 1963. Relying mostly on fastballs against the Cardinals, Koufax walked the first two batters, Julian Javier and Curt Flood. Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax (cover story), Sporting News, July 17, 1965. However, more signs of serious arm problems followed that year for Koufax, having jammed his arm in a base-running slide. Who was Sandy Koufax for the Brooklyn Dodgers? His spontaneous account of the game was comparable to what he had witnessed. Consider that great fastball pitchers are tiny increments ahead of one another, and that the great Koufax was never timed faster than 93.2; the notion that Feller threw more than 7 mph faster than Ryan is dazzling.