Koufax Calls It Quits

The powerful lefty averaged only six wins per year for the first half of his career, but in 1961 Koufax began quite possibly the most impressive six-year span ever for a pitcher.

Koufax led the bigs in wins in 1963 (25), 1965 (26) and 1966 (27). His average ERA during his tyranny on National League hitters was an exceptional 1.99.

“I can see how he won 25 games,” said Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, whose Yankees faced Koufax in the 1963 World Series. “What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”

In 1963, Koufax also became just the second pitcher to ever take home an MVP and a Cy Young in the same season – after Don Newcombe did it with Brooklyn in the first year of the Cy Young Award of 1956.

Only Nolan Ryan had a better strikeout season (383 in 1973) than Koufax had in 1965, when he fanned 382 NL batters.

“Hitting against Sandy Koufax,” said Pirates slugger and future Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, “is like drinking coffee with a fork.”

Koufax became the first pitcher to reach four career no-hitters on Sept. 9, 1965, surpassing Larry Corcoran, Cy Young and Bob Feller.

“Sandy pitches in extreme pain that can only be overcome by his motivational urge,” said team physician Dr. Robert Kerlan, according to an article in the New York World-Telegram and Sun.

And despite this mental resolve that allowed the vaunted ace to pitch through immense pain, he was a gentleman of the highest order.

“There is hardly a strong enough word for the way the other players feel about Koufax,” said Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. “It almost goes beyond affection… for a man so gentle he seems misplaced in a jock shop.”

Koufax was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, becoming just the 10th player to be inducted in his first year of eligibility and the youngest player (at age 36) to be elected.

Thomas Lawrence was a publications intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum