Hendley, pitching for the Cubs that night in Los Angeles, warrants none of the superlatives applied above. 2) Roberto Clemente - went 33 for 111 against Koufax for a .297 batting average with 6 HRs and 16 RBIs. 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. Grover Cleveland Alexander had 3 Triple Crowns, 1915, 1916 & 1920. Koufax was as magnificent a pitcher as any who ever has stood on a big league mound. Koufax was named Sportsman of the Year for 1965 by Sports Illustrated. Years later, James told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, You couldnt hit Koufaxs 100 mph fastball, but if the ball started at the knees, it would rise to belt high by the time it got to the plate. After blowing a four-game lead with seven to play in 1962, the Dodgers again built a lead in 1963. And the Angels still were barely beyond the toddler stage in 1965. Koufax pitched four no-hitters, won three Cy Young Awards -- each unanimously -- struck out all comers and routinely shrunk the biggest and baddest hitters to Eddie Gaedel proportions and turned their wooden bats into paper-mache replicas. Los Angeles Times opening-day welcome to the new L.A. Dodgers, April 18, 1958. ", Hendley has regained a small measure of celebrity. In the game we examine herein, the performance Hendley delivered indicates that a victory or non-victory doesn't begin to evaluate a pitcher's performance in a sensible, meaningful way. "What a nice man! On October 6th, 1963, in Game 4 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium, Koufax faced the Yankees a second time. He did have two home runs. He had started once in two months, on Sept. 2, before opposing Koufax in a ballpark where he had been mostly unsuccessful. 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. The other memory has been with me since 1982, Billy Martin's downfall season as the A's manager. What made the game such a seductive piece of history was, of course, Koufax's involvement. He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins in a season nor a lower ERA (Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton had 27 wins in 1972). ". He walked two. His career resum includes a 48-52 record, 3.97 ERA, 25 complete games, six shutouts. "He actually sent me a card," Hendley said. For our purposes today, though, the dazzling Koufax is merely half the story. Nothing wrong with that.". Did 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. Sandy was family in L.A. But a mutual respect is evident between Hendley and the master. On the Dodgers, along with Koufax, were other notables, not the least of whom was Don Drysdale, the other Dodger power pitcher from the mid-1960s. Top 10 Vin Scully calls of all time - MLB "He actually sent me a card," Hendley said. Is that coincidence, or are we being punished (after the strike) for doing the wrong thing?". Portion of a Topps baseball card from the 1960s featuring ERA leaders of the day. In any case, he was put under the spotlight for refusing to pitch in such a high profile game, but was regarded proudly by Jews around the world for his decision. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. His spontaneous account of the game was comparable to what he had witnessed. What was the crowd at Sandy Koufaxs first no hitter? That's how close they came to a double no-hitter evening. Thus began, in June of 1955,theprofessional baseball career of Sandy Koufax with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Manager Walter Alston called Drysdale's performance "one of the greatest pitched games I ever saw." It was the first game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh. And seven of the 22, including Koufax's, have been decided by 1-0 scores. BRUCE JENKINS -- Mantle vs. Koufax: A Homer to Remember, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. Sandy Koufax & Mickey Mantle Frank Finch, Sandys Finger, Arm Okand How! Wearing new spikes, Gibson participated in batting practice. Willie Davis doubled in two runs in the first inning, former Yankee Bill Skowron homered in the fourth, and Tommy Davis had two triples, including an RBI triple in the eighth to lead the Dodger offense. Later, however, the two pitchers discovered that each was being used in the sessions with Bavasi against the other, saying one was asking for more than the other. Gregg Doyel, one of the scholastic pitchers Hendley coached, became a sportswriter and eventually learned, via the board game Trivial Pursuit, of his coach's accomplishments. You could tell how much he wanted it. His career resum includes a 48-52 record, 3.97 ERA, 25 complete games, six shutouts. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. 1957 Topps card, Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn Dodgers. Sandy was family in L.A. The 1963 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1963 season. How fast did Sandy Koufax throw a baseball? The momentum he created for himself brought out the best in Scully and a powerful sense of resignation for Hendley. Did any Major League Baseball (MLB) players ever hit a Roscoe McGowen, Dodgers Win; Koufax Is Victor Dodger Allows 2 Hits, Fans 14 in Beating Redlegs, 7 to 0, New York Times, August 28, 1955. Koufax's ERA in those games was 3.65. Not only did Koufax, 28, toss his third no-hitter in three years "Sandy always has been gracious toward me," he said. However, more signs of serious arm problems followed that year for Koufax, having jammed his arm in a base-running slide. Koufax won the first of his three Triple Crowns that year, leading the league with 25 wins, 306 strikeouts, and a 1.88 ERA. Hendley was a spot starter in 1965. The Very Best Act in Town He had thrown a no-hitter in each of the preceding three seasons. WebOf his four no-hitters, Sandy Koufax saved his finest for last. But to his and baseballs good fortune, he did not quit, but rather persevered, to become one of baseballs all-time greats. He'll start screaming at you. Sandy Koufax, spring training, Vero Beach, Florida, February 28, 1963. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Get well, Mick. "I knew it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to beat him. 32 -- like Joe D. in New York and Johnny U. in Baltimore. But Marichal and Spahn had surrendered eight hits each before a home run by Willie Mays ended the 16-inning, 1-0 game. Nothing wrong with that.". KOUFAX, SANDY ( Sanford Braun ; 1935 ), U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest pitchers in its history, and with Hank *Greenberg one of only two Jewish Over the years, Hendley's appreciation of Koufax has grown. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Bad news for Chris Morrow and other replacement players doing well in the Giants' system: You aren't welcome on the big club. That night in Los Angeles, hitting the ball in any direction and with any chance of success was another issue. ", 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. Koufax homered off 2 different pitchers during his career, Daily Mirror/LATimes blog says this 1966 photo by Art Rodgers shows Sandy Koufax wincing in pain, but wining his 4th consecutive game, and seven for eight, May 23, 1966. His one-word identity spread over all of baseball. 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. . He had allowed eight walks combined in his three, earlier no-hitters. Sandy Koufax - Baseball-Reference.com Do you have a blog? Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. And I knew every pitch he was going to throw fastball, breaking ball or whatever. Last Update:31 December 2020 Indeed, Koufax's overall record, beginning with the 1962 season and running through 1965, was 84-25, three of the losses coming at the hands of Hendley (Curt Simmons beat Koufax three times as well). ", Hendley's loss seemed quite unfair. over New York Yankees (A.L.). Click for card. Exceeded rookie limits during 1956 season, View Player Bio The St. Louis Cardinals took the pennant and beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Harvey Haddix and Lew Burdette pitched dual shutouts into the 13th inning. The next delivery was high and away. Haddix carried a perfect game into the 13th against a most formidable Braves lineup. Click for photo plaque. ", Hendley's loss seemed quite unfair. Brian M. Endsley, Finding the Left Arm of God: Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1960-1963 (2015), McFarland, 296pp. WebSandy Koufax Edition - Baseball Roundtable Braves right-handed pitcher (and 1957 World Series hero, Lew Burdette hit as many home runs and drove in as many runs off Sandy Considering the deadline pressure, SportsChannel is doing a nice job condensing the weekday Giants and A's games into one-hour packages ("SportsChannel Light"), an especially rewarding treat if you haven't heard the score. It takes a decidedly middle-aged person to call up the real Mantle, one of the three or four greatest all- around talents of all time.