He and the city were connected like JFK and Hyannisport, like Elvis and Memphis. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. He clinched the pennant for Los Angeles for the second straight year with a complete game on two days rest. Sandy Koufax in the 1960s no doubt, thinking about a strikeout. Frankie Frisch, Jim Gilliam, John Podres, and Sandy Koufax with 4 World Series wins each.Frisch won the World Series with the 1921 and 1922 New York Giants The Untold Truth Of Hank Aaron Sabermetricians put little stock in pitchers' victories these days. They expressed similar admiration for Aaron. And Sandy needed to be perfect to gain that one victory. On that night, Sept. 9, 1965, with both pitchers and Scully at their bests, Hendley was nearly the equal of Koufax. Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? WisdomAnswer Sandy Koufax Man of the Year for Sport magazine, February 1964. Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn became Hall of Famers, and they already had developed uncommon prestige within the game by July 2, 1963, when their Giants and Braves opposed each other in San Francisco. I was merely trying to meet the ball and was astonished to see it land on the roof in right field, James said. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn became Hall of Famers, and they already had developed uncommon prestige within the game by July 2, 1963, when their Giants and Braves opposed each other in San Francisco. Although Mantle was about to turn 32, his tortured body was ancient, and he had played just 65 games that season. 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. No-Hitters, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ Seldom has a person & pitcher pairing produced such excellence on both sides of the ampersand. Frank Howard homered into the second deck down the left-field line, a feat that went unmatched at Dodger Stadium for years. Koufax's ERA in those games was 3.65. Koufax was obviously one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, but his breaking balls were what was so devastating. WebAces were on the mound again in a game 1 rematch between Whitey Ford and Sandy Koufax. 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. Koufaxs career spanned a period from 1955 to 1966 from the end of the Brooklyn Dodgers era in New York, to their early years in Los Angeles. Who Is Sandy Koufax? How could Billy have been so late? Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? The Yankees' four runs in the series was, at the time, the second-lowest total in a World Series, as the Philadelphia Athletics had scored only three runs in 1905. Web> Sandy Koufax. Mays or Koufax?, Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1966, p. C-3. "He was great," Hendley said. The game still holds the record for fewest base runners. Though, Leavy reported, the hand injury had bothered Koufax since April (by July, the tissue was close to gangrene, she wrote), he entered the September start against St. Louis with a 14-5 record and 2.15 ERA. ", 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. Frank Finch, Big D, Sandy Give Bavasi News Today, Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1966, p. B-1. Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | Leave a Comment. Koufax, meanwhile,was making his first appearance since a one-inning start July 17 at Cincinnati. The day Hendley allowed just one hit, Koufax was perfect Do you have a blog? Moreover, Hendley's ERA in his six starts opposite Koufax was 2.98. A 1955 Sandy Koufax rookie year card by the Topps card company, said to be a desirable card among collectors. But in the seventh inning of that game, Mantle homered into the left-field pavilion to tie the game, 1-1. Former professional baseball player Sandy Koufax began his career in 1955 when he was signed by his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. And that's as far as it went. It sounded just like a twig snapping, Gibson told The Sporting News. 1966 book Koufax by Sandy Koufax with Ed Linn. Koufax was named Sportsman of the Year for 1965 by Sports Illustrated. University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH). I'm 46, and I just barely qualify. After one more relief outing, Koufax got his first start, on July 6, 1955. }, Cronkite School at ASU Charles Maher, LAffaire Drysdale-Koufax: Villains or Heroes?, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1966, p. G-1. But baseball -- more than the other sports -- often is unfair. It was the first game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh. The Koufax perfect game against the Cubs was also noted for the play-by-play call by broadcaster Vin Scully, the venerable voice of the Dodgers for more than 50 years. "To be beaten by class, beaten by the guy who is one of the best, if not the best ever. My friends and I were drenched in the glory of Mays, Aaron, Clemente and Robinson; we'd watched them consistently for years. Though a perfect game is a rarity, that Koufax pitched one in 1965 hardly was startling. By May 11th, 1963, Koufax was is very good form. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? In the decades that have passed, the legend of that game has grown. It became the gold standard the instant Koufax struck out Harvey Kuenn for the the 27th out. On that night, Sept. 9, 1965, with both pitchers and Scully at their bests, Hendley was nearly the equal of Koufax. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. According to base-stealing threat Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals, Koufax couldnt field bunts well or hold runners on base too well. Koufax won the first of his three Triple Crowns that year, leading the league with 25 wins, 306 strikeouts, and a 1.88 ERA. Born: For there was a time in his career, at one seasons end in 1960, when he threw his glove and spikes into the trash can, believing he was through with baseball. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A baseball day doesn't get a whole lot better than this one: a Hall of Famer who is included on any serious list of the top 10 pitchers of all time; an iconic announcer who tops almost every list of illustrious play-by-play men and, arguably, the best-pitched game -- both sides considered -- in the long history of the big leagues. The Dodgers left-hander had been sidelined because of an injured pitching hand. Sandy Koufax & Mickey Mantle Brooklyn had dibs on Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and the other Boys of Summer. 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. After the World Series, in November, Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball due to his arthritic condition. Koufax, on two days rest, pitched a complete game, with the Dodgers winning 6-3 to clinch the NL pennant. You never told us who you were. In 2007, Koufax was drafted by the Catcher Elston Howard (.287 BA, 28 HRs, 85 RBI) won the MVP Award, while Joe Pepitone, Roger Maris, and Tom Tresh also topped the 20 home run mark. Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com. 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. 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. The storyline isn't only that he pitched a perfect game 50 years ago tonight, but rather that the opposing pitcher, one Bob Hendley, pitched a one-hitter while Koufax was perfecting his resum. 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. Jane Leavy, Sandy Koufax: A Leftys Legacy, New York: Harper-Collins, 2002. Your fans will never forget. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. I would think the last two or three innings -- that's as well as I've pitched.". Change). did In a single game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league players hit in a career! In the 1963 World Series, the Dodgers (99-63) faced the New York Yankees (104-57), with the Yankees favored to win the best-of-seven fall classic. The Drysdale-Jim Bouton duel in Game 3 (a 1-0 final) was the greatest single day of pitching I've ever seen. He had allowed eight walks combined in his three, earlier no-hitters. 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. "This game is the most recognizable thing I've ever done in baseball," Hendley said after the game. In fact, Sandy Koufax hit 2 home runs during his career, 0 while playing at home, and 2 while on the road. But this pinnacle performance of pitching wouldn't be a prominent part of our past if this oft-times pedestrian pitcher had permitted one more hit in his extraordinary eight innings. Heres one account from Sports Illustrated by Tom Verducci in 1999, describing what Koufax was going through: In the last 26 days of his career Koufax started seven times, threw five complete-game wins and had a 1.07 ERA. Sandy Koufax at White House reception with the President & First Lady, 2010. Clemente struckout 20 times against Koufax. Those were the years when a number of great players roamed the fields of big league parks. Frank Finch, Koufax, Drysdale Eye $1 Million Pact, Los Angeles Times, February 23, 1966, p. B-1. He needed They created an enduring memory that night. The event they created, known as nothing more than "CHI at LA" before it began, stands among the most astonishing games ever played at any point of any baseball season. "He was great," Hendley said. Hendley never had told his players of his baseball past. I could hear it and feel it tear.. . The Dodgers' road to the World Series was much more challenging. WebSandy Koufax Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Left 6-2 , 210lb (188cm, 95kg) Born: December 30, 1935 (Age: 87-112d) in Brooklyn, NY us More bio, uniform, draft, salary On bad days hed have to bend his neck to get his face closer to his left hand so that he could shave. Explore Which team has won the most World Series since 2000? 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. He was also the first major leaguer to pitch four no-hitters which were also in consecutive seasons. And seven of the 22, including Koufax's, have been decided by 1-0 scores. As well as he was throwing and setting people down, there was very little chance of overcoming him. Koufax, meanwhile, was perfect no runs, no hits, no walks. And that loss was in his only career one-hitter. Gibson broke his leg before the game and Koufax was knocked out without completing an inning. . Michael Leahy, The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016), Harper, 496pp. "I was average.". To date, this is the only time the Dodgers have won the deciding game of a World Series at home. The hard-throwing left-hander Clete Boyer was the only Yankees regular not to strike out. Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, a player from the same era as Koufax, had this to say about him: To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. Koufax also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Award for best pitcher by unanimous votes during an erawhen only one pitcher was chosen per season. But in the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. The big league game has given us 22 other perfectos, 15 since Koufax produced his. Charles Maher, Frank Finch, Koufax, Drysdale Reject $210,000, Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1966, p. B-1. Paul Richards, who managed ball clubs in both leagues, said of Koufax, This man has a sense of responsibility beyond gain and glory. Once in1966 whena television network offered him $25,000 to allow their cameras to follow him around, Koufax agreedto do it for $35,000, and then only if the money was divided so that every Dodger player, coach, and trainer received $1,000. For Martin, it nearly became more important than the ballgame. Merely Koufax vs. Whitey Ford. Koufax and Scully, of course, have a long-standing Dodger Blue relationship. On September 29, 1966, near the end of the regular season, Koufax threw a four-hitter to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1, achieving a third 300-strikeout season, the first major league pitcher to do so since Amos Rusie did it in 1890-92. Koufax started 41 games that year as he did the previous year. An old interview of Hall of Fame pitchers Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax made the rounds on social media Friday. Yet Koufax almost missed these magical years. Turning away sharply from a pitch, his spikes caught in the ground and he toppled over in pain, The Sporting News reported. Even Wilt, Whitey and Yogi seldom were identified in their city's newspaper reports in such an informal manner. . Hendley, left-handed and born in Macon, Ga., pitched in the big leagues for seven seasons, three with the Milwaukee Braves, 1 1/2 with the Giants and two-plus with the Cubs before ending his career with the Mets in 1967. On that day he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants, a team then powered by a bevy of capable hitters including future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda. 097 in his career. Second baseman Dick Tracewski's single preceded a three-run home run by catcher John Roseboro to give the Dodgers a 40 lead. Did Sandy Koufax ever hit a home run? He retired 27 consecutive batters without allowing any to reach base. 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. As well as he was throwing and setting people down, there was very little chance of overcoming him. The next delivery was high and away. The Dodgers upped the lead to 5-0 when Skowron singled home Willie Davis with two outs in the third inning against Ford, who went just five innings. Frank Finch, Its a No-Hitter for Sandy And 9 Whiffs, Too!, Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1966, p. G-1. A number of his former players contacted him after Doyel's story appeared.
Credit Unions That Don't Use Chexsystems,
Craigslist Ventura Furniture For Sale By Owner,
Could Not Initiate A Checkpoint Operation General Access Denied Error,
Motion For Summary Disposition Michigan Sample,
Articles D