1935
Born December 30, 1935
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Sandy Koufax Marquee Hall of Fame 1972
Sandy Koufax was an ordinary pitcher for six years and then, from 1961, arguably the best anyone had seen. He finished with 165 wins and 2,396 strikeouts in 12 seasons, won the Cy Young Award three times when one award covered both leagues, and threw four no-hitters, the last a perfect game in 1965.
He pitched the second half of his career on an elbow that swelled after every start and was treated with ice baths and anti-inflammatories that he was warned would cost him the arm. In the 1965 World Series he declined to pitch the opening game because it fell on Yom Kippur, then won games five and seven.
He retired in November 1966, a month after a 27-win season, at 30. The Hall of Fame elected him in 1972 at 36, the youngest man ever chosen.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 6 | 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 4 | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year | 4 | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Cy Young Award | 3 | 1963, 1965, 1966 |
| Triple Crown (pitching) | 3 | 1963, 1965, 1966 |
| Babe Ruth Award | 2 | 1963, 1965 |
| The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year | 2 | 1963, 1965 |
| World Series MVP | 2 | 1963, 1965 |
| Hutch Award | 1 | 1966 |
| Most Valuable Player | 1 | 1963 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | .000 |
| 1956 | BRO | 16 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .118 |
| 1957 | BRO | 34 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | .000 |
| 1958 | LAD | 40 | 49 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 0 | .122 |
| 1959 | LAD | 35 | 54 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 0 | .111 |
| 1960 | LAD | 37 | 57 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 0 | .123 |
| 1961 | LAD | 42 | 77 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 35 | 0 | .065 |
| 1962 | LAD | 28 | 69 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 42 | 0 | .087 |
| 1963 | LAD | 40 | 110 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 51 | 0 | .064 |
| 1964 | LAD | 29 | 74 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 0 | .095 |
| 1965 | LAD | 43 | 113 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 44 | 0 | .177 |
| 1966 | LAD | 41 | 118 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 57 | 0 | .076 |
| Career | — | 397 | 776 | 26 | 75 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 43 | 386 | 0 | .097 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | 2 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 41.2 | 33 | 14 | 28 | 30 | 3.02 |
| 1956 | BRO | 2 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 58.2 | 66 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 4.91 |
| 1957 | BRO | 5 | 4 | 34 | 13 | 0 | 104.1 | 83 | 45 | 51 | 122 | 3.88 |
| 1958 | LAD | 11 | 11 | 40 | 26 | 1 | 158.2 | 132 | 79 | 105 | 131 | 4.48 |
| 1959 | LAD | 8 | 6 | 35 | 23 | 2 | 153.1 | 136 | 69 | 92 | 173 | 4.05 |
| 1960 | LAD | 8 | 13 | 37 | 26 | 1 | 175.0 | 133 | 76 | 100 | 197 | 3.91 |
| 1961 | LAD | 18 | 13 | 42 | 35 | 1 | 255.2 | 212 | 100 | 96 | 269 | 3.52 |
| 1962 | LAD | 14 | 7 | 28 | 26 | 1 | 184.1 | 134 | 52 | 57 | 216 | 2.54 |
| 1963 | LAD | 25 | 5 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 311.0 | 214 | 65 | 58 | 306 | 1.88 |
| 1964 | LAD | 19 | 5 | 29 | 28 | 1 | 223.0 | 154 | 43 | 53 | 223 | 1.74 |
| 1965 | LAD | 26 | 8 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 335.2 | 216 | 76 | 71 | 382 | 2.04 |
| 1966 | LAD | 27 | 9 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 323.0 | 241 | 62 | 77 | 317 | 1.73 |
| Career | — | 165 | 87 | 397 | 314 | 9 | 2324.1 | 1754 | 713 | 817 | 2396 | 2.76 |
On this day & linked events
1955
Major-league debut: Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax made a major-league debut on June 24, 1955.
1962
Sandy Koufax's No-Hitter
Sandy Koufax threw a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Mets on June 30, 1962, winning 5–0.
1963
Sandy Koufax's No-Hitter
Sandy Koufax threw a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants on May 11, 1963, winning 8–0.
1964
Sandy Koufax's No-Hitter
Sandy Koufax threw a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 4, 1964, winning 3–0.
1965
Sandy Koufax's Perfect Game
Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 1965, winning 1–0.
1966
Final major-league game: Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax played a final major-league game on October 2, 1966.
Image: publicity still, public domain