Sandy Koufax (1972)
Date of Birth: 12/30/1935
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
College: Columbia University, University of Cincinnati
Sandy Koufax started playing baseball at the age of fifteen. Prior to that time, he played basketball. He started his amateur baseball career as a catcher and first baseman, but he became a pitcher at age seventeen.
Koufax played baseball at the University of Cincinnati before being signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in December, 1954. The following June, he played in only twelve games with the Dodgers.
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
Koufax struggled in 1956, and he ended the season with a 4.91 ERA in 16 games. In 1957, although he was in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season, he spent much of the season on the bench. The next year, his first season with over 150 innings pitched, Koufax had an 11-11 record with 131 strikeouts to 105 walks and a 4.48 ERA in 40 games.
From 1958 through 1960, Koufax moved in and out of the starting rotation, being plagued through those seasons with injuries. He pitched in 35 games in 1959 (23 as a starting pitcher). He finished the season with 8 wins and 6 losses, 173 strikeouts to 92 walks, and a 4.05 ERA in 153.1 innings.
In 1960, Koufax asked for a trade since he wasn't playing enough. He pitched in 26 games as a starter and 11 games out of the bullpen and he had a 3.91 ERA. He finished the season with 8 wins and 13 losses and 197 strikeouts to 100 walks in 175.0 innings.
Koufax became a part of the starting rotation in 1961, and he won 18 games that season. He led major league baseball in strikeouts with 269, a statistic which broke Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old MLB strikeout record.
In 1962, Koufax led the National League in ERA. He finished the season with 14 wins to 7 losses, 216 strikeouts to 57 walks, and a 2.54 ERA in 184.1 innings in 28 games.
The 1963 season was the first of four very strong seasons for Koufax. In 1963, he won his first of three Cy Young awards, his first of three National League Triple Crowns for pitchers, and the National League MVP award. He also won the first of four Sporting News Pitcher of the Year awards. He led the NL in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts. He had a 25-5 record with 306 strikeouts to 58 walks and an ERA of 1.88 in 40 games. His outstanding performance that year continued into the post-season when he won the World Series MVP award and the Babe Ruth award for pitching in two games and winning both with a 1.50 ERA.
Koufax was diagnosed with traumatic arthritis in 1964 and it limited his pitching to 29 games. Although his playing time was somewhat limited, he won the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. He finished the season with a 19-5 win-loss record, 223 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a 1.74 ERA in 223.0 innings in 29 games.
Koufax had another strong season in 1965, winning again the National League Cy Young award, Triple Crown for pitchers, Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award, and another World Series MVP award and the Babe Ruth award. That season he again led the National League in innings pitched, wins, ERA, strikeouts, and complete games, ending the season with a 26-8 record, 382 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a 2.04 ERA. He pitched his only perfect game on September 9, 1965. In that game, Koufax struck out 14 batters, the most batters struck out in any perfect game. In the 1965 postseason, he gave up 13 hits and no runs. He struck out 29 batters and walked 5 in 24.0 innings in 3 games.
In 1966, his last season in the major leagues, Koufax had another stellar year. He won his third Cy Young award and third Triple Crown, leading the National League once again in innings pitched, wins, ERA, strikeouts, and complete games. He also won his fourth Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. He played in 41 games that season with a 27-9 record, 317 strikeouts to 77 walks, and a 1.73 ERA in 323.0 innings. He pitched 27 complete games that year.
Although Koufax was at the height of his career in 1966, he chose to retire after the season ended due to his painful arthritis.
Awards and MLB Records
- NL Cy Young award (3 times)
- NL MVP
- NL Triple Crown (3 times)
- Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (4 times)
- Associated Press Athlete of the Year (2 times)
- World Series MVP
- Babe Ruth award
- Led the NL in ERA (5 times)
- Led the NL in wins (3 times)
- Led the NL in strikeouts (4 times)
- Led the NL in innings pitched (2 times)
- Led the NL in complete games (2 times)
Career Statistics
Statistics for Koufax in 10 full seasons (1957-1966) in the major leagues include:
- 3 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 27 wins in 1966
- 6 seasons with over 200 strikeouts, with a high of 382 in 1965
- 5 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.73 in 1966
Career pitching statistics for Koufax include:
- 397 games played
- 2,324.1 innings pitched
- 165-87 win-loss record
- 2,396 strikeouts to 817 walks
- 2.76 ERA
Postseason statistics for Koufax include:
- 4 postseasons
- 8 games played
- 4 complete games pitched
- 57.0 innings pitched
- 4-3 win-loss record
- 61 strikeouts to 11 walks
- 0.95 ERA
Post Playing Career
After retiring as a major league player, Koufax had a short career (1967-1972) as a broadcaster with the NBC Saturday Game of the Week. Several years later, he took a job as a minor league pitching coach for the LA Dodgers, a position he held from 1979 to 1989.
In 2007, the Israel Baseball League honored Koufax by selecting him as the final player for the league. Koufax, however, declined the opportunity to pitch again after 40 years.
Koufax was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972 on the first ballot with 86.9% of the vote.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Sandy Koufax
ESPN - Sandy Koufax
Baseball Reference - Sandy Koufax