Leyendas del Juego : Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax
Lefthanded Pitcher; Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers 1955-1965

 

Sandy Koufax dominated the pitching mound for five consecutive seasons with his explosive fastball and sharp breaking curveball.  From 1962 thru 1966, Koufax won five consecutive ERA Titles and compilied an unheard of record of 111-34, a winning pct of .766. He was picked for six straight All-Star games. Koufax led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts for three consecutive seasons. In 1963, he hurled 11 shutouts and had a record of 25-5, pct of .833, he seemed unbeatable in the mid-1960. 

Sandy Koufax dominated the World Series games with his curve as he struckout 15 New York Yankees in game one. He came back to win game four with a 2-1 victory and helped the Dodgers sweep the Yankees in four games. In 1965, he won his second Cy Young Award, as he went 26-8 and set the major league record by stricking out 382 would be hitters, ( Nolan Ryan broke this awesome record by fanning 383 in one season ).  Koufax also pitched his fourth career no-hitter and had 8 shutouts.

Koufax pitched his first seven years in the majors without much fanfare and his record of 54 wins and 53 loses bears this fact out. He credited Dodgers catcher, Norn Sherry and others with changing his pitching delivery, which improved his control, and he changed his grip on his curveball to make it break away from the hitters.  An arm injury forced Koufax to retire early.  Many sports writers rate Koufax as the best pitcher of all time - for a five year period.

Sandy Koufax career highlights include a 165-87, a pct of .655.  He started 314 games and completed 137.  Koufax struck out over a batter an inning with 2396 K’s in 2324 innings. He threw 40 shutouts and had a career ERA of 2.76.