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| '''Sanford Braun Koufax''' strung together five amazing seasons as a ] pitcher in the ] before ] ended his career at the age of 31. | '''Sanford Braun Koufax''' strung together five amazing seasons as a ] pitcher in the ] before ] ended his career at the age of 31. | ||
| Born ], ] in ], Koufax caught the eye of scouts from his hometown ] and was signed to a contract in ]. Although he was a long way from being ready for the major leagues, the rules at the time stipulated that he had to spend two years in the majors before being sent to the ]. |
Born ], ] in ], Koufax caught the eye of scouts from his hometown ] and was signed to a contract in ]. Although he was a long way from being ready for the major leagues, the rules at the time stipulated that he had to spend two years in the majors before being sent to the ]. Ironically, the Dodgers cut their future manager, ], to make room for Koufax. | ||
| Blessed with a blazing fastball but little command of it, Koufax played for Brooklyn for three seasons (1955-57) with limited success. He was still a fan favorite with the ] community, however. After the team moved to ] in ], Koufax continued in the same role, pitching long relief with an occasional start. | Blessed with a blazing fastball but little command of it, Koufax played for Brooklyn for three seasons (1955-57) with limited success. He was still a fan favorite with the ] community, however. After the team moved to ] in ], Koufax continued in the same role, pitching long relief with an occasional start. | ||
Revision as of 14:46, 7 February 2003
Sanford Braun Koufax strung together five amazing seasons as a Major League Baseball pitcher in the 1960s before arthritis ended his career at the age of 31.
Born December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, Koufax caught the eye of scouts from his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers and was signed to a contract in 1955. Although he was a long way from being ready for the major leagues, the rules at the time stipulated that he had to spend two years in the majors before being sent to the minor leagues. Ironically, the Dodgers cut their future manager, Tommy Lasorda, to make room for Koufax.
Blessed with a blazing fastball but little command of it, Koufax played for Brooklyn for three seasons (1955-57) with limited success. He was still a fan favorite with the Jewish community, however. After the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, Koufax continued in the same role, pitching long relief with an occasional start.
He had been making slow but steady progress as a pitcher until 1961, when a teammate, catcher Norm Sherry, advised him he was overthrowing and could be a more effective pitcher if he would just "ease off a bit." Koufax took the advice to heart and had a fine season, winning 18 games that season.
The next year, when the Dodgers moved into Dodger Stadium, a ballpark which strongly favored a power pitcher, Koufax exploded all at once. He missed a third of the season with injuries, but led the National League in ERA with a mark of 2.54.
In 1963, Koufax won the pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (25), ERA (1.88) and strikeouts (306). He finished the season as the winner of the Cy Young Award and league MVP award and was chosen as MVP of the World Series, as well. He repeated as ERA champ in 1964 while going 19-5.
In 1965, Koufax and the Dodgers won the World Series again, while he captured his second Cy Young and World Series MVP awards. He won his second Triple Crown with a 26-8 record, 2.04 ERA and 382 strikeouts, a major league record that stood until Nolan Ryan broke it by one in 1974.
Koufax won his third Cy Young Award and third Triple Crown in 1966, going 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA and 317 strikeouts. But after the Dodgers lost the World Series, he announced his retirement, stating that the arthritis in his left arm was making it too painful to continue.
His career record was 165-87, with a 2.76 ERA.
In 1972, Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was the youngest man ever so honored, at age 36.