did sandy koufax ever hit a homerun

Sabermetricians put little stock in pitchers' victories these days. October 2, 1966 On that night, Sept. 9, 1965, with both pitchers and Scully at their bests, Hendley was nearly the equal of Koufax. WebThe youngest man ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Sandy Koufax, was no different. Mickey Mantle, who was called out on strikes taking a Koufax curveball, walked away muttering expletives, unhappy with his Koufax experience. Koufax finished with just four strikeouts. 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. Viking; 1st edition; 299 pp. The big league game has given us 22 other perfectos, 15 since Koufax produced his. Click for copy. WebSandy Koufax gave up 204 home runs in his career. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Brooklyn had dibs on Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and the other Boys of Summer. And Koufax admitted in one interview to having a good bit of trouble with Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially in 1963. . In one of the games we will get to in a minute, the two starting pitchers pitched 23+ innings, struck out 29 Lefty Grove is the only other pitcher to have done the latter, in 1935-1939. 097 in his career. . It was, and still is, the best piece of baseball writing Ive ever seen. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. ", Hendley's loss seemed quite unfair. And one game for the ages, albeit a loss. When the award was given to Koufax at a luncheon in New York City, he was presented with a new carwhile the luncheon was taking place, a New York City police officer put a parking violation ticket on the car's windshield. Pitcher Carl Erskine is shown in his Brooklyn uniform. 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. This time, it was a pitcher's duel. Why did Sandy Koufax change his name? "This game is the most recognizable thing I've ever done in baseball," Hendley said after the game. 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. He had to have a tailor shorten the left sleeve on all his coats. His elbow was shot full of cortisone several times a season. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; The Yankees batted just .171 and scored only four runs in the Series, with Koufax being a primary factor, receiving the World Series MVP award. Who Is Sandy Koufax? 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 But baseball -- more than the other sports -- often is unfair. James hadnt hit a home run or driven in a run all month. Koufax was routinely identified in Los Angeles newspapers as Sandy, no surname necessary. Frank Finch, Its a No-Hitter for Sandy And 9 Whiffs, Too!, Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1966, p. G-1. The Dodgers' road to the World Series was much more challenging. The game is also featured in Jane Leavys 2002 biography of Koufax, Sandy Koufax: A Leftys Legacy. ", Video: 2015 ASG: Koufax throws out first pitch to Bench. He told Life reporter Tommy Thompson: I want to enjoy all this while it lasts. Bad news for Chris Morrow and other replacement players doing well in the Giants' system: You aren't welcome on the big club. 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. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. Jim Bouton, making his first World Series start, dueled Drysdale throughout, permitting only four hits in seven innings for a losing cause. Particularly in the last few innings, you knew that he knew he had the perfect game. Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, a player from the same era as Koufax, had this to say about him: Southern California felt a warm and close relationship with No. Second baseman Dick Tracewski's single preceded a three-run home run by catcher John Roseboro to give the Dodgers a 40 lead. The end can come any day or 10 years from now. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? WebSandy Koufax hit 2 home runs during his career, 0 while playing at home, 2 while on the road. 3 What was the crowd at Sandy Koufaxs first no hitter? The injury was much more serious _ a crushed artery in the palm of his hand, according to Jane Leavy in her book Sandy Koufax: A Leftys Legacy.. 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. After the World Series, in November, Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball due to his arthritic condition. background-color:#ba3434; ", 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. Indeed, Koufax's overall record, beginning with the 1962 season and running through 1965, was 84-25, three of the losses coming at the hands of Hendley (Curt Simmons beat Koufax three times as well). 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. So the uniqueness of the game is derived from Hendley exclusively. Certainly it was a historic game because in no other game did two teams combine for so few hits. 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. in journalistic studies in 1971. The Dodgers left-hander had been sidelined because of an injured pitching hand. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? He needed only to tidy up on his control that summer night in Chavez Ravine. The other Sandys -- Amoros, Valdespino, Alomar and Alomar Jr., Leon, Martinez, Alderson, Johnson and Consuegra -- are relegated to identification by surname. Boxscore. Frank Finch, Koufax Victor, Misses Shutout in Ninth, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1963, p. A-1. vs. PHI 9.0 IP, 7 H, 10 SO, 1 BB, 2 ER, W. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1972. Thanks for visiting and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. WebOf his four no-hitters, Sandy Koufax saved his finest for last. They created an enduring memory that night. It shows Mantle homering off Sandy Koufax, and in these difficult times for the Yankee great, it's the one I'd prefer to keep. For Martin, it nearly became more important than the ballgame. 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. "I was standing on the top step of the dugout, at the end. Rookie Status: One to tie, two to win. After that, who knows? 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. Moreover, neither pitcher had the cachet of Koufax, and Scully didn't provide the play-by-play. In order to harness his immense talent, Koufax had to learn to trust and tame But this, we figured, would be the ultimate: watching Mantle in our own back yard against Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. And on the worst days he had to shave with his right hand. The Dodgers faltered that season, going 80 and 82 for the year, finishing sixth in the ten-team National League. 54-56. After blowing a four-game lead with seven to play in 1962, the Dodgers again built a lead in 1963. Koufax struck out the side. In that game, Koufax struck out the first five Yankees he faced. Sandy Koufax, delivering his magic from the pitching mound during the mid-1960s. James swung and launched a shot onto the pavilion roof in right for a grand slam. Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has been a sports columnist since 1989. Jack Doyle, Pitcher Perfect, 1963-1966, New York was held to a .171 team batting average, the lowest ever for the Yankees in the postseason. His column ended thusly: "Today he turns 75. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; in Brooklyn, NY For our purposes today, though, the dazzling Koufax is merely half the story. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. (LogOut/ 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. Dusty Baker on the unsettling rash of baseball injuries: "First Ken Griffey, then Matt Williams, the two guys who were going after Roger Maris last year. The quirky Royals reliever often noted that fair territory was 90 degrees of a circle, and foul territory occupied 270 degrees. Tom Verducci,The Left Arm Of God, Sports Illustrated, July 12, 1999. "I knew it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to beat him. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. . Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? Sorry to see the Giants join the pitiful parade of teams befouling the home-plate backstop with advertising. 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. Sandy Koufax Stats by Baseball Almanac. And he remains as splendid a human being as any who has graced the planet -- courteous, caring, generous and unassuming. Only perfection beat him. Article Citation: Join our linker program. However, more signs of serious arm problems followed that year for Koufax, having jammed his arm in a base-running slide. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Tommy Thompson, Good Life of Baseballs No. Brian M. Endsley, Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964-1966 (2018), McFarland, 215pp. Last Update:31 December 2020 WebBoth Ford and Koufax pitched scoreless first innings. Nothing wrong with that.". Koufax, a Jew, refused to pitch. In his major league career, Koufax set some dazzling marks. Stats. He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The big league game has given us 22 other perfectos, 15 since Koufax produced his. Koufax, meanwhile, was perfect no runs, no hits, no walks. Their 2020 title was won as the "home team" albeit as part of the neutral site World Series in Arlington, Texas. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. 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. Sanford Koufax, who was actually born Sanford Braun, was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955-1957) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1966). It was the first game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh. Video: 2015 ASG: MLB's 'Greatest Living Players' announced. Click for card. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". But baseball -- more than the other sports -- often is unfair. 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. Koufax was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. WebIn 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. Who was Sandy Koufax for the Brooklyn Dodgers? 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. Somehow, at Candlestick, we expected more. Also, of the seven championships from the Dodgers franchise, it remains the only one won at home. Is that coincidence, or are we being punished (after the strike) for doing the wrong thing?". The connection between Koufax and the other gentleman, the pitcher who made that game perfection-plus, is long distance and infrequent. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Even Wilt, Whitey and Yogi seldom were identified in their city's newspaper reports in such an informal manner. On the Dodgers, along with Koufax, were other notables, not the least of whom was Don Drysdale, the other Dodger power pitcher from the mid-1960s. He couldnt go on like this, not when his doctors could not rule out the possibility that he was risking permanent damage to his arm. . 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. Sandy Koufax started it off with a record 15-strikeout performance in Game 1 to outduel the Yankees' ace left-hander Whitey Ford. Though a perfect game is a rarity, that Koufax pitched one in 1965 hardly was startling. Edward Gruvers April 2000 book, Koufax, 288pp. Who has the most NL Gold Glove awards? RHP Tom Seaver. But even the extraordinary Pirates-Braves game of May 26, 1959, paled in comparison with the Koufax-Hendley game. A 1955 Sandy Koufax rookie year card by the Topps card company, said to be a desirable card among collectors. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Sandy Koufax, May 1965 "Sport" magazine story about his "toughest batters." Who is the youngest person in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Sports fans around the country were saying how the Dodgers were going to blow it again. Koufax played his entire career with the Dodgers organization, from Brooklyn, New York through Los Angeles, California,1955 to1966. However, during this time, the commissioner of the MLB, Bowie Kuhn, and Aaron began to butt heads. The final out came on Joe Pepitone's drive that backed Dodger right fielder Ron Fairly up against the bullpen gate to make the catch of a ball that would have been a home run in Yankee Stadium. Michael Leahy, The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016), Harper, 496pp. Sandy Koufax was tapped to pitch Game 1 on October 2, 1963, as Whitey Ford, the Yankee ace, went to the mound for New York. The other Sandys -- Amoros, Valdespino, Alomar and Alomar Jr., Leon, Martinez, Alderson, Johnson and Consuegra -- are relegated to identification by surname. 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. Koufax homered off 2 different pitchers during his career, 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. Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? National League Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1963. By 1958,meanwhile, the Dodgerss organization leftBrooklyn for the promised land of Los Angeles, breaking the hearts ofmillions of New Yorkers as they went. Video: 2015 ASG: MLB's 'Greatest Living Players' announced. Born: Artist's sketch of Sandy Koufax on the April 1964 cover of Sports Illustrateds baseball issue. us, High School: Lafayette HS (Brooklyn, NY), Schools: Columbia University (New York, NY), University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH), Last Game: Advertisement (Original Caption) Sandy Koufax of the Koufax also struck out three pinch-hitters, including Harry Bright to end the game. 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 was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. Full Site Menu. Ironically, slightly more than seven weeks earlier, Bo Belinsky of the Los Angeles Angels had hurled the citys first major league no-hitter in the very same stadium. Larry Schwartz, Koufaxs Dominance Was Short But Sweet, ESPN.com. The momentum he created for himself brought out the best in Scully and a powerful sense of resignation for Hendley. . Frank Finch, Koufax Notches 12th Win as Dodgers Top Reds, 4-1, Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1963, p. C-1. Lasorda w But Marichal and Spahn had surrendered eight hits each before a home run by Willie Mays ended the 16-inning, 1-0 game. Cy Young Award winner. Harvey Haddix and Lew Burdette pitched dual shutouts into the 13th inning. He called it "unfair territory. "To be beaten by class, beaten by the guy who is one of the best, if not the best ever. On bad days hed have to bend his neck to get his face closer to his left hand so that he could shave. 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. However, the scouts glowing report on the young pitcher was reportedly lost in the Dodger front-office. The quirky Royals reliever often noted that fair territory was 90 degrees of a circle, and foul territory occupied 270 degrees. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. James swung and launched a shot onto the pavilion roof in right for a grand slam. "He actually sent me a card," Hendley said. 60th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, "Stanley Cup Final: Kings vs. Rangers in L.A.-New York Championship Duel", "1963 World Series Game 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees", "1963 World Series Game 2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees", "1963 World Series Game 3 New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers", "1963 World Series Game 4 New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers", "1963 World Series Game 1, Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Yankees, October 2, 1963", "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares", "JOEY BISHOP SHOW with "The L.A. Dodgers" NBC sitcom", "World Series came out big winner over NFL", Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series home run, Carlton Fisk's 1975 World Series home run, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1963_World_Series&oldid=1139597287, October 1963 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Game 4 was the highest-rated sports broadcast of 1963, per, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 23:04. 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. He walked . . And he remains as splendid a human being as any who has graced the planet -- courteous, caring, generous and unassuming. The St. Louis Cardinals took the pennant and beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The dominance of the Dodgers pitchers was so complete that at no point in any of the four games did the Yankees have the lead. The Drysdale-Jim Bouton duel in Game 3 (a 1-0 final) was the greatest single day of pitching I've ever seen. Sandy Koufax makes final pitch of 63 World Series. L.A. rightfully claimed him as its own. 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. Frank Finch, Koufax Shuts Out Milwaukee, 7-0, Los Angeles Times, May 29, 1963, p. C-1. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. The Yankees tied it on a Mickey Mantle home run in the top of the seventh. However, that day happened to be Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish religion. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Everyone knew he was pitching with traumatic arthritis in his left elbow, but how bad could it be when he pitched like that? Although Mantle was about to turn 32, his tortured body was ancient, and he had played just 65 games that season. 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. But the losing pitcher in each of the seven instances surrendered at least two more hits than Hendley. Koufax, by some accounts, was neither an observant nor an involved Jew, but nonetheless, saw not playing on Yom Kippur as his responsibility. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. By the way, Hendley allowed just one walk. He also played some local baseball in a youth league, and later as a 17-year old pitcher, in a Coney Island league. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Video: 9/9/65 [emailprotected]: Koufax fans 14 in perfect game. "We both gave up two runs, we both allowed five hits. An old interview of Hall of Fame pitchers Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax made the rounds on social media Friday. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Triple Crowns in pitching have been reached more recently in 2006 by Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins in the American League, and in 2007 by Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres of the National League. But a mutual respect is evident between Hendley and the master. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins in a season nor a lower ERA (Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton had 27 wins in 1972). A crowd of 29,797 was on hand as Koufax took the mound. The connection between Koufax and the other gentleman, the pitcher who made that game perfection-plus, is long distance and infrequent. !,Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1963, p. I-1. And that's as far as it went. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. And even then his arm would swell an inch. Koufax won two of the four games. Grover Cleveland Alexander had 3 Triple Crowns, 1915, 1916 & 1920. Don Drysdale pitched a masterful three-hitter at Dodger Stadium in his complete-game win. Koufax sought to rest more and not throw as much between starts. 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. Merely Koufax vs. Whitey Ford. 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. ". 1966 book Koufax by Sandy Koufax with Ed Linn. Marichal had thrown 227. In the game we examine herein, the performance Hendley delivered indicates that a victory or non-victory doesn't begin to evaluate a pitcher's performance in a sensible, meaningful way. But Koufax shut down the Yanks after that as the Dodgers won 2-1, completing a surprising four-game sweep of New York to win the Series. Dodgers starting pitchers Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Johnny Podres, and ace reliever Ron Perranoski combined to give up only four runs in four games. Haddix carried a perfect game into the 13th against a most formidable Braves lineup. Later, another Dodger scout, Al Campanis heard about Koufax from a local sporting goods store owner, and after seeing the kid pitch locally invited him to Ebbets Field to tryout with the Dodgers. His column ended thusly: "Today he turns 75. And Sandy needed to be perfect to gain that one victory. Koufax Koufax was obviously one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, but his breaking balls were what was so devastating. Out of those two transitionary years, 1961-62, Sandy Koufax the master-of-all-time, baseballs Leonardo, arrived. Baseballs overlooked superstar finally gets his due in a new documentary, It Aint Over. Gregg Doyel, one of the scholastic pitchers Hendley coached, became a sportswriter and eventually learned, via the board game Trivial Pursuit, of his coach's accomplishments. Gibson was replaced by Curt Simmons, a left-hander who had made one start since late August. Return to Top; Major League Players. It was his second no-hitter. (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. By the spring of 1954 he was also pitching for the college baseball team, and doing quite well. Kids Free All Summer, it says, with a phone number you can't read (seems the batter and umpire are in the way). View Sandy Koufax's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). Since 1933, it has been the summer showcase for the greatest athletes to ever play the game. Click for photo plaque. But each was a far cry from the Koufax-Hendley confrontation. . Ever so slightly flawed by Johnson' flare, the Hendley-Koufax game need not be bronzed. Tony Kubek had two of the Yankees' three hits, but none of the hits were extra-base hits. Relying mostly on fastballs against the Cardinals, Koufax walked the first two batters, Julian Javier and Curt Flood. By the way, Hendley allowed just one walk. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. With the count 2-and-2, Koufax was a strike away from getting out of the jam. His spontaneous account of the game was comparable to what he had witnessed. 097 in his career. There were 21 guys who did this in 2022, setting a new MLB record. "He was great," Hendley said. Hendley was a spot starter in 1965. Aces were on the mound again in a game 1 rematch between Whitey Ford and Sandy Koufax. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1987: Year of the Smiths, Ozzie and J.T., forCardinals, Harry Parker: Best selection of Cardinals firstdraft. How could Billy have been so late? Sandy Koufax in what appears to be an impromptu locker room press conference following his no-hitter against the New York Mets of June 30, 1962. They had Harvey Kuenn hit for me [with two out in the ninth inning]. So the uniqueness of the game is derived from Hendley exclusively. Video: 9/9/65 [emailprotected]: Koufax fans 14 in perfect game. Koufax pitched two relief innings in Game 1 of that series and started Game 5 at the Los Angeles Coliseum before more than 92,000 fans. According to base-stealing threat Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals, Koufax couldnt field bunts well or hold runners on base too well. Up 4-0, Koufax picked up where he left off, striking out Mantle and Maris, then getting Elston Howard on a foul pop up. His work ("Oh, brother!") But to his and baseballs good fortune, he did not quit, but rather persevered, to become one of baseballs all-time greats. Sandy Koufax was born Sanford Braun in December 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, the child of Evelyn and Jack Braun, who divorced when Sandy was three. Burdette, who was the winning pitcher, allowed 12 hits in his complete game victory, though. The Dodgers signed Koufax for a total salary and bonus package of $20,000 or roughly $170,000 in todays money. Mays' home run came on Spahn's 201st pitch. Sandy was family in L.A. ", Hendley has regained a small measure of celebrity. Others also saw a few weaknesses in Koufax. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. "Sandy always has been gracious toward me," he said. Writing for CBSSports.com, Doyel blew Hendley's cover in a column on April 30, 2015, the coach's 75th birthday. Why did Sandy This could be another tale of the astounding exploits of Sandy Koufax, one more of so many; and each one warranted. Sandy Koufax on Friday avenged the previous Sundays loss in Houston by striking out 14 Colt .45s in a shutout win at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time since 1924 that both leagues had pitching Triple Crown winners in the same season. ", "Hitting would be a lot more rewarding," Quiz reasoned, "if you could hit the ball in any direction. For our purposes today, though, the dazzling Koufax is merely half the story. Do you have a blog? Hendley beat him three times and lost but once. Mays or Koufax?, Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1966, p. C-3. Over the years, Hendley's appreciation of Koufax has grown. [8], 1963 World Series (40): Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.) Dont Let Em Fool You; Koufax Wanted to Pitch, Los Angeles Times, March 31, 1966, p. B-1. His stomach was always queasy from the cocktail of anti-inflammatories he swallowed before and after games, which he once said made him half-high on the mound. He soaked his elbow in an ice bath for 30 minutes after each game, his arm encased in an inner tube to protect against frostbite.

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did sandy koufax ever hit a homerun