Sandy Koufax
Induction Information Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1972, Player 344 votes on 396 ballots 86.87%
Born: December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York
ML Debut: 6/24/1955
Primary Position: Pitcher
Bats: R Throws: L Primary Uniform #: 32
Played For: Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1955-1966)
Primary Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Post-Season: 1959 World Series, 1963 World Series, 1965 World Series, 1966 World Series
Awards: All-Star (6): 1961-1966; National League MVP 1963; National League Cy Young Award (3): 1963, 1965, 1966; World Series MVP 1963, 1965
Bio
After Sandy Koufax finally tamed his blazing fastball, he enjoyed a five-year stretch as perhaps the most dominating pitcher in the game's history. He won 25 games three times, captured five straight ERA titles, and set a new standard with 382 strikeouts in 1965. His fastball and devastating curve enabled him to pitch no-hitters in four consecutive seasons, culminating with a perfect game in 1965. He posted a 0.95 ERA in four career World Series, leading the Dodgers to three championships.
He was the only child of Jack Braun, a salesman, and Evelyn Lichtenstein, a CPA, both Jewish, who lived in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. Koufax's parents divorced by the time he was three. Jack Braun had little contact with his son after the divorce and eventually stopped paying child support and alimony.
Sandy and his mother lived with his grandparents, Max and Dora Lichtenstein, next door to comedian Buddy Hackett. When Sandy turned nine his mother married Irving Koufax, a neighborhood lawyer; Irving had a daughter named Edie from a previous marriage. Although Irving never legally adopted Koufax, Sandy always referred to Irving as his father and took on his last name. Shortly after the marriage, the family moved to Rockville Centre, Long Island, and in June 1949 the family returned to Brooklyn, this time to the Bensonhurst neighborhood.
As a youth, Koufax's first love was basketball. In 1951 a coaches' strike shut down scholastic sports in public schools all over the city. Koufax and his friends joined the Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst basketball team and led them to the first Jewish Welfare Board championship. Koufax began his hall of fame baseball career by playing stoop ball. [1] Koufax's subsequent baseball career began with the Tomahawks in the "Pop" Secol's Ice Cream League; they already had a pitcher, so Koufax played catcher, using a right-handed glove turned inside-out because he was left-handed.
In 1953, Koufax's senior season at Lafayette High School (Brooklyn), he was named team captain of the basketball team. During that same year, the New York Knicks scrimmaged the local high school teams in clinics sponsored by the Police Athletic League. On February 6, 1953 they played one such game against Lafayette High School. Koufax played center against future Basketball Hall of Famer, Harry "The Horse" Gallatin. Koufax did so well against the pros that they resorted to injuring him when he went for a rebound by "sandwiching" him between Gallatin and another future Hall of Famer, Dick McGuire.
Koufax, while playing first base for Lafayette, was spotted by Milt Laurie, the father of two of Koufax's teammates and coach of the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews. Laurie got his sons to recruit Koufax to pitch for the Parkviews. Laurie would keep Koufax overnight in order to make sure he got to the baseball field on time and would take Koufax to the Lafayette High School field to work on his pitching control.
Despite his athletic skill and versatility, Koufax started at the University of Cincinnati in the fall of 1953 without an athletic scholarship. He was a walk-on for the freshman basketball team, and a complete unknown to coach Ed Jucker. After watching him practice, Jucker got him awarded a work-study scholarship. Koufax lived off-campus and joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.
The university's baseball team went to New Orleans and Florida during the spring break, which sounded better than spending it in Bensonhurst, so Koufax and his roommate, Norman Lefkowitz, decided to try out for the team. Koufax threw so hard during tryouts that two catchers, Bill Hall and Joe Miller, quit the team rather than catch for him. Finally, Danny Gilbert volunteered to catch for him; both Koufax and Gilbert made the 1954 varsity team. That season, Koufax went 3–1 with a 2.81 ERA to go along with 51 strikeouts and 30 walks, in 32 innings. Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report which was promptly lost.
Koufax's first tryout was with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. Unfortunately, he forgot his glove and threw several pitches over the catcher's head. His next tryout was for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. During the tryout, Koufax threw so hard that he broke the thumb of his catcher, Sam Narron, the bullpen coach for the Pirates. Branch Rickey, then general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm I've ever seen".[1] The Pirates offered Koufax $15,000, but he turned them down.
Dodgers scout Al Campanis had been told about Koufax from a local sporting goods store owner. After seeing Koufax pitch at Lafayette High School, Campanis immediately invited him to a try out at Ebbets Field. Dodgers manager Walter Alston and scouting director Fresco Thompson watched as Campanis assumed the hitter's stance while Koufax started throwing. Campanis later said that "the hair on my arms rose, and the only other time that happened was the first time I saw the Sistine Chapel".[2] The Dodgers signed Koufax for $20,000—a $14,000 signing bonus and a $6,000 salary. Koufax accepted this offer, planning to use the signing bonus as tuition for architecture school just in case baseball did not work out.
Quote
"I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five." — Yogi Berra, in 1963
Did You Know...
Sandy Koufax attended the University of Cincinnati on a basketball scholarship, playing freshman basketball (and baseball) under legendary hoops coach Ed Jucker?
Hall of Fame Teammate: Don Drysdale