In 1960 Koufax was a 36-40 pitcher beset by accuracy problems. He remains, over half a century later, on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. This was not an abysmal performance but was not great either. But they lack the one thing that could mean everything. In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. Its tempting to believe that a pitcher who assembled one of the greatest careers in baseballs history, by age 30, must have been an early bloomer. But Koufax played for the Los. The game also set a record for the fewest hits ever in a major league contest,[79][80] thanks to a one-hitter thrown by the opposing pitcher, Bob Hendley of the Cubs, who only allowed only two batters to reach base. He was diagnosed by Dodgers team physician Robert Kerlan with traumatic arthritis. 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But in fact, Koufax didnt bloom into the player he became until halfway through his career. After the 1957 season, it was speculated that he could be sent to the minor leagues to get some more practice. In the first inning of that game he struck out all three batters on nine total pitches to become the sixth recorded National League pitcher and the 11th recorded pitcher in major league history to accomplish an immaculate inning. Koufax carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the powerful Giants lineup, including Mays and fellow future Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. With his second wife, he had a daughter named Marie, born in 1946. He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched (6.79) and to strike out more than nine batters (9.28) per nine innings pitched. To make matters worse for him, he was plagued with injuries throughout the next few seasons. Obama continued: "He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. He was 30 years old when he retired. Years later he recalled, "That winter was when I really started working out. Sandy Koufax is a famous American baseball player who played 12 seasons with LA Dodgers in MLB from the year 1955 to 1966. [112] His third wife is Jane Dee Purucker Clarke, a college sorority sister of First Lady Laura Bush. [103], "I knew every pitch he was going to throw and still I couldn't hit him. [6][7] Upon his retirement, Koufax's career ERA of 2.76 trailed only Whitey Ford among pitchers with at least 2,000 innings pitched since 1925; his .655 winning percentage ranked third among both left-handers and modern NL pitchers. While baseball was something he ardently loved, Sandy was more inclined toward basketball during his days in Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. Koufax was a two-time World Series MVP with the Dodgers. More about Sandy Koufax edit Dating History # Jane Clarke Koufax and Sandy Koufax have been. 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. Whoosh! He has won four-time World Series champion and three Cy Young Awards. '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. As Israel implodes, does nobody in Netanyahus Likud have the guts to defy him? The fun of watching televised baseball in the age of Covid lasted about, oh, two games. The other Dodger pitcher was Koufax, who stood 62 and had powerful shoulders and back and legs. Koufax 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. He was the youngest player ever elected, five months younger than Lou Gehrig upon his special election in December 1939 (which waived what was then a one-year waiting period before enshrinement). [118] In 2022, a statue of Koufax was unveiled at Dodger Stadium. His ERAs were 1.88, 1.74, 2.04 and 1.73. [53][54] It would be the only time in his career he earned this distinction. Ruttman, "Sandy Koufax: Pitcher Nonpareil and Perfect Gentleman". [115], Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 1972, just weeks after his 36th birthday. They demanded $1 million (equivalent to $8.4million in 2021), divided equally over the next three years, or $167,000 (equivalent to $1.39million in 2021) each for each of the next three seasons. Legendary Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax thanks 46 people during a 10-minute speech at the unveiling of his statue at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. He was also named the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1963, and was runner-up for the award the other two years. His third wife is Jane Dee Purucker Clarke, a college sorority sister of First Lady Laura Bush. Former father-in-law of Sandy Koufax. [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. Koufax agreed not to throw at all between gamesa resolution that lasted only one start. Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the only Phillie to reach base that day. Wife's statement to paramedics key to charges . As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufax's wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God, was married to Anne Koufax, formerly known as Anne H. Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark. In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. If theres one thing that I look at with regret that my kids dont have, because were not raising them Jewish, its that.. Frequently, the pair can be spotted walking inside Dodger Stadium to watch a game. The retired professional baseball player has earned $10 million net worth. Sandy Koufax was born on December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Sandy Koufax is an American who used to play professional baseball and has a $10 million net worth. (AP Photo), Jeff Passan at his bar mitzvah, October 9, 1993. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Sandy Koufax is a devout Jew and is known as one of the most famous Jewish players to have graced the American sports scene. He was the first pitcher to record 300 strikeouts three times, and set a record with 97 games of at least 10 strikeouts, also later broken by Ryan; he twice tied a modern record by striking out 18 batters in a game. 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.. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Koufax played his entire MLB career with the Dodgers. [126], Koufax has been described by Sports Illustrated writer John Rosengren as a secular Jew. I have an undying amount of respect for him for both doing that and just for the way that he has and continues to carry himself.. [130], Koufax married Anne Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark, in 1969; they divorced in 1982. The way that he represented himself, the way he honored Judaism, and, when it was an incredibly difficult thing, stuck by what mattered to him, I think thats applicable across religions, across cultures, across backgrounds, Passan said. Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. 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. There is one athlete who does: Jewish legend Sandy Koufax. "Either he throws the fastest ball I've ever seen, or I'm going blind," said Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. background-image:unset; [54] On April 22, however, "he felt something let go in his arm," resulting in three cortisone shots for a sore elbow and three missed starts. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. 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. Family (1) Spouse Kimberly Francis (1985 - 9 December 1998) (divorced) 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. "[104], Koufax threw with a pronounced straight-over-the-top arm action. During his 12-season career, he had a 165-87 win/loss record, 2,396 strikeouts, 2.76 ERA, and 40 shutouts. In 1985, they got officially married. [8][9] His parents, Evelyn (ne Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. [108] Late in his career, his tendency to tip pitches became even more pronounced. But after the long layoff, Koufax was ineffective in three appearances as the Giants caught the Dodgers at the end of the regular season, forcing a three-game playoff. [128] In addition, there were other Jewish holidays where he said he would not pitch, including Seder night of Passover and 3 times on Rosh Hashanah, one of which was Game 4 of the 1959 World Series. "[68] In Game 4, Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep with a 21 victory over Ford, clinching the Series MVP Award for his performance. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. 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. Most of his velocity came from his strong legs and back, combined with a high leg kick during his wind-up and long forward extension on his release point toward home plate. 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. [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. Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starting pitchers, Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, Columbia University School of General Studies, Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders, List of Major League Baseball perfect games, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball, "Sandy Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur still resonates", "Sandy Koufax's season with UC Bearcats remembered", "Koufax Recalls His Wild Start At Forbes Field", Autographed 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Spring Training Roster Program - Army Reserves - 1957 Meal Card, Drysdale and Koufax on active duty training, How Sandy Koufaxs Motel Helped Lead to Baseballs Big-Money Era, Don Drysdale Collection at SCP - Part II - In the Army Now, Lot #23: DON DRYSDALE'S 1957-58 U.S. ARMY WORN FIELD JACKET (DRYSDALE COLLECTION), "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Major League Baseball Players of the Month", "The Strike Zone: A Chronological Examination of the Official Rules by Baseball Almanac", "1962 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "1963 National League Team Statistics and Standings", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Shutouts", "1963 National League Statistics and Awards", "Joe Sobran My Other Sandy (ASCII version)", "1963 World Series box scores and play by play", "On this day 49 years ago, Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game in one hour and 43 minutes", "Domination in the Dome: Nolan Ryan Throws His Fifth No-Hitter", "Sandy Koufax turns 80: The 8 most memorable performances of his HOF career", "Every perfect game in Major League history, ranked", "Macon's Bob Hendley made history with Koufax", "Sandy Koufax Responded to a Higher Calling on Yom Kippur in 1965", "1965 World Series box scores and play by play", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Games Started", "Baltimore makes it two straight as Dodgers defense comes apart", "Elbow too much Sandy Koufax quitting baseball", "Progressive Leaders for Hits Allowed/9IP", "Career Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average", "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Wins", "The Incomparable Career of Sandy Koufax", "ESPN Classic Koufax's dominance was short but sweet", "ESPN Classic Koufax dominating in '65 Series", "Dodgers to be joined by Koufax at Spring Training", "Los Angeles Dodgers unveil Sandy Koufax statue outside stadium", "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players", "Koufax makes appearance at World Series", "Baseball Toaster: Humbug Journal: He'll be working on 14,875 days rest", "Koufax Drafted By Israeli Baseball Team", "Koufax, Mays, Aaron, Bench voted by fans as four greatest living players", "Obama Honors Jewish Americans at White House Reception, May 27, 2010", "Remarks by the President at Reception in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month", "Myth and fact part of legacy from Sandy Koufax's Yom Kippur choice", "Jewish pitcher Sandy Koufax did more than miss one game", "Sandy Koufax's wife Jane Purucker Clarke (Bio, Wiki)", "B.A.T. The 1965 season brought more obstacles for Koufax. Despite having an injured left hand, which was also his pitching hand, Sandy performed amazingly well in the next season. "[126][127] Obama directly acknowledged the high esteem in which Koufax is held: "This is a pretty distinguished group," he said of the invited guests, which included members of the House and Senate, two justices of the Supreme Court, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, rabbinical scholars, "and Sandy Koufax." Koufax threw straight over the top, his arm a trailing catapult, set up by an exaggerated windup and long downhill stride off the mound, a 15-inch mountain in the 1960s. As noted, Mrs. Clarke is Koufaxs wife number 3; back on January 1st, 1969, Sandy, known as the Left Hand of God, was married to Anne Koufax, formerly known asAnne H. Widmark, the daughter of actorRichard Widmark. Subsequently, his mother married another man, Irving Koufax, who adopted Sandy. 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