Teams:
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1955-1966)
Career Statistics:
W-L: 165-87
W-L %: 0.654
ERA: 2.76
Strikeouts: 2,396
BB: 817
CG: 137
SHO: 40
IP: 2,324.1
WHIP: 1.106
Sanford Braun was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family and raised in Borough Park. His parents divorced when he was three, and his mother remarried a man named Irving Koufax when he was nine. He attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School where he excelled in basketball more than baseball. He attended the University of Cincinnati and walked on to the freshman basketball team. In spring 1954, he made the baseball varsity team. That year he went 3-1 with 51 strikeouts and 30 walks. Koufax tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his Pirates try-out, he broke the thumb of the team's bullpen coach, Branch Rickey. Rickey went on to say that Koufax had the best arm of anyone he had ever seen. Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from the owner of a sporting goods store, and later went out to see him pitch. Campanis then invited him to Ebbets Field for a try-out, and later said, "There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood up. The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the first time I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball." Soon after, the Dodgers signed him to a contract.
Koufax made his major league debut (as a reliever) on June 24, 1955 against the Milwaukee Braves, though it was a forgettable outing. He finally made his first start on July 6, but lasted only 4 2/3 innings and gave up eight walks. He didn't make another start until August 27, when he threw a two-hit complete game shut-out against the Cincinnati Reds. His only other win that season was also a shut-out, though his total numbers for the year were subpar (28 walks to 30 strikeouts). The Dodgers won the World Series that year, but Koufax did not pitch.
Koufax's 1956 season wasn't much of an improvement and he was still exhibiting control problems. He only pitched 58.7 innings with a 4.91 ERA walking 29 and striking out 30. In anticipation of the 1957 season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. In his first start, against the Chicago Cubs, he struck out 13 and pitched a complete game. He won three of his next five starts with a 2.90 ERA, but didn't get another start for 45 days. In his next start, he struck out 11 in seven innings, but ended up with a no-decision.
Over the next three seasons, Koufax was hobbled with injuries. In 1958, he came out to a 7-3 start, but ended up injuring his ankle and finished the season 11-11, while leading the National League in wild pitches. In June 1959, Koufax struck out 16 batters in one game, which was a record for a night game. On August 31, he struck out 18 batters. His Dodgers made it to the World Series against the Chicago White Sox that year, but they ended up losing. After the season, Koufax requested to be traded because he wasn't getting enough playing time. By the end of 1960, after going 8-13, Koufax considered quitting to devote himself to an electronics company he'd invested in. After the end of the '60 season, Koufax threw his gloves and cleats in the trash, though they were retrieved by the clubhouse supervisor.
Koufax entered the 1961 season determined to give it a try for one more year. He showed up in better shape than he had been in years, deciding to find out just how good he could be. He was also convinced to make some changes to his windup and delivery, which bore immediate dividends. Nineteen sixty-one was his breakout season, going 18-13 with 269 strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA. On June 30, 1962 against the New York Mets, Koufax threw his first no-hitter. He continued with a strong season, despite injuring his pitching hand. After being hit with a pitch, his left index finger had turned cold, numb, and white. He was performing well, though, so he ignored the problem. But by July, his entire hand was becoming numb and he soon had to seek treatment as it was beginning to affect his performance. He visited a vascular specialist who suspected that Koufax had a crushed artery in his hand. Ten days of experimental medicine successfully reopened the artery. He finished the season 14-7 with a 2.54 ERA and 216 strikeouts, but his Dodgers lost in the pennant race to the San Francisco Giants that season.
On May 11, 1963, Koufax took a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Giants, and still ended up with a no-hitter. He ended up winning the pitcher's Triple Crown that season with a 25-5 record, a 1.88 ERA, and 306 strikeouts. He pitched eleven shutouts, won the NL MVP Award, and the Cy Young Award. While not to diminish from his amazing achievements, the fact that the strike zone was expanded before the '63 season helped contribute partly to his success. The Dodgers took on the New York Yankees in the World Series that season. In Game 1, Koufax faced Whitey Ford, striking out 15 batters. After the game, Yankees catcher Yogi Berra said (in one his few quotes that actually made sense), "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five." Koufax completed the sweep of the Dodgers in Game 4 with another win over Ford. Koufax was named series MVP.
On April 22, 1964, Koufax said he felt something "let go" inside his arm. He missed three starts and ended up getting three cortisone shots in his elbow. On June 4, Koufax, pitching against the Phillies, threw his third no-hitter in three years. It would have been a complete game, except for the fact that Koufax walked Richie Allen in the fourth inning. In August, while diving back into second base against a pickoff attempt, Koufax jammed his pitching arm. He was able to pitch two more games, but after the last (a 13-K shutout), he was not able to straighten his arm. The team's physician diagnosed him with traumatic arthritis. He ended the season 19-5 with a 1.74 ERA and 223 strikeouts.
On March 31, 1965, after pitching a complete spring training game, Koufax awoke to find his arm had turned completely black and blue. He visited again with the team's doctor who told him that he would be lucky to pitch once a week, and may eventually lose the use of his arm. He cautioned Koufax against pitching in-between starts, a resolution which he was not able to keep for very long. He began taking Empirin with codeine before (and sometimes during) games and took other medications for inflammation. On September 9, Koufax pitched his first (and only) perfect game, against the Chicago Cubs. What is interesting to note about this game is that Cubs pitcher, Bob Hendley pitched a one-hitter and only allowed two runners to reach base. Both pitchers had no-hitters going into the seventh inning.
In spite of the constant pain he was in, Koufax won another pitcher's Triple Crown, going 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA and 382 strikeouts (a record, until broken by Nolan Ryan's 383 in 1973). The Dodgers made it to the World Series once again, with Koufax famously declining to pitch Game 1 because of his observance of Yom Kippur. However, his team won the title again, with Koufax being named World Series MVP for the second time.
In April 1966, the team's physician told Koufax he needed to retire because his arm wouldn't be able to hold out for another season. Koufax kept the advice to himself and still pitched every fourth day. He pitched 323 innings and had a 27-9 record, a 1.73 ERA, and 317 strikeouts. His Dodgers beat the Phillies on the last day of the regular season to win the pennant, though they were later swept in the World Series by the Baltimore Orioles. Shortly after, Koufax announced his retirement due to the arthritis in his arm. He had played only twelve seasons.
In 1967, Koufax signed a ten-year contract to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week on NBC. He gave up the position after six years. In 1972, his first year of eligibility, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. The Dodgers hired Koufax as a minor league pitching coach in 1979, a position he held until 1990. He broke ties with the Dodgers after The New York Post (which, like the Dodgers, was part of Rupert Murdoch's business empire) ran a piece in 2003 inferring that Koufax was gay. When the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt in 2004, he returned to the organization. On May 27, 2010 Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans at a White House reception to honor Jewish American Heritage. Koufax got the largest ovation of anyone attending. Currently, he serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization dedicated to helping former baseball players who have fallen on hard times financially or medically.
No comments:
Post a Comment