Sandy Koufax was born on Monday, December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. Koufax was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 24, 1955, with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Sandy Koufax baseball stats page.
"The (golf) pro kept telling me since I hit right-handed I had to keep my left arm straight. I told him, 'If I could do that, I'd still be pitching.'" - Sandy Koufax (1970) [Sandy Koufax Quotes]
Sandy KoufaxSandy 'The Man With The Golden Arm' Koufax Autograph on a 1986 Sports Design Baseball Card (#17) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sandy KoufaxSandy Koufax Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1955 | 20 | Dodgers | 12 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 3.02 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41.2 | 183 | 33 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
1956 | 21 | Dodgers | 16 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .333 | 4.91 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58.2 | 261 | 66 | 32 | 37 | 10 | 29 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - |
1957 | 22 | Dodgers | 34 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 3.88 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 104.1 | 444 | 83 | 45 | 49 | 14 | 51 | 1 | 122 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - |
1958 | 23 | Dodgers | 40 | 26 | 7 | 11 | 11 | .500 | 4.48 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 158.2 | 714 | 132 | 79 | 89 | 19 | 105 | 6 | 131 | 17 | 1 | 0 | - |
1959 | 24 | Dodgers | 35 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 6 | .571 | 4.05 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 153.1 | 679 | 136 | 69 | 74 | 23 | 92 | 4 | 173 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - |
1960 | 25 | Dodgers | 37 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 13 | .381 | 3.91 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 175.0 | 753 | 133 | 76 | 83 | 20 | 100 | 6 | 197 | 9 | 1 | 0 | - |
1961 | 26 | Dodgers | 42 | 35 | 2 | 18 | 13 | .581 | 3.52 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 255.2 | 1,068 | 212 | 100 | 117 | 27 | 96 | 6 | 269 | 12 | 3 | 2 | - |
1962 | 27 | Dodgers | 28 | 26 | 2 | 14 | 7 | .667 | 2.54 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 184.1 | 744 | 134 | 52 | 61 | 13 | 57 | 4 | 216 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - |
1963 | 28 | Dodgers | 40 | 40 | 0 | 25 | 5 | .833 | 1.88 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 311.0 | 1,210 | 214 | 65 | 68 | 18 | 58 | 7 | 306 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
1964 | 29 | Dodgers | 29 | 28 | 1 | 19 | 5 | .792 | 1.74 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 223.0 | 870 | 154 | 43 | 49 | 13 | 53 | 5 | 223 | 9 | 0 | 0 | - |
1965 | 30 | Dodgers | 43 | 41 | 2 | 26 | 8 | .765 | 2.04 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 335.2 | 1,297 | 216 | 76 | 90 | 26 | 71 | 4 | 382 | 11 | 5 | 0 | - |
1966 | 31 | Dodgers | 41 | 41 | 0 | 27 | 9 | .750 | 1.73 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 323.0 | 1,274 | 241 | 62 | 74 | 19 | 77 | 4 | 317 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
12 Years | 397 | 314 | 44 | 165 | 87 | .655 | 2.76 | 137 | 40 | 9 | 2,324.1 | 9,497 | 1,754 | 713 | 806 | 204 | 817 | 48 | 2,396 | 87 | 18 | 7 | 0 |
Sandy KoufaxSandy Koufax Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1955 | 20 | Dodgers | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1956 | 21 | Dodgers | 16 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .118 | .211 | .118 |
1957 | 22 | Dodgers | 34 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1958 | 23 | Dodgers | 40 | 49 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .122 | .140 | .143 |
1959 | 24 | Dodgers | 35 | 54 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .111 | .143 | .167 |
1960 | 25 | Dodgers | 37 | 57 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .123 | .167 | .123 |
1961 | 26 | Dodgers | 42 | 77 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .065 | .163 | .065 |
1962 | 27 | Dodgers | 28 | 69 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .087 | .113 | .130 |
1963 | 28 | Dodgers | 40 | 110 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .064 | .111 | .091 |
1964 | 29 | Dodgers | 29 | 74 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .095 | .141 | .095 |
1965 | 30 | Dodgers | 43 | 113 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 44 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .177 | .242 | .195 |
1966 | 31 | Dodgers | 41 | 118 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .076 | .113 | .102 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 397 | 776 | 26 | 75 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 43 | 0 | 386 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 10 | .097 | .145 | .116 |
Sandy KoufaxSandy Koufax Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1955 Dodgers | P | 12 | 5 | 125 | 8 | 0.7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 1.51 |
1956 Dodgers | P | 16 | 10 | 176 | 7 | 0.4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.07 |
1957 Dodgers | P | 34 | 13 | 313 | 8 | 0.2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 0.60 |
1958 Dodgers | P | 40 | 26 | 476 | 28 | 0.7 | 27 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 1.53 |
1959 Dodgers | P | 35 | 23 | 460 | 21 | 0.6 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 1.17 |
1960 Dodgers | P | 37 | 26 | 525 | 24 | 0.6 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.23 |
1961 Dodgers | P | 42 | 35 | 767 | 35 | 0.8 | 33 | 7 | 26 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .943 | 1.16 |
1962 Dodgers | P | 28 | 26 | 553 | 21 | 0.8 | 19 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .905 | 0.93 |
1963 Dodgers | P | 40 | 40 | 933 | 41 | 1.0 | 38 | 4 | 34 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .927 | 1.10 |
1964 Dodgers | P | 29 | 28 | 669 | 29 | 1.0 | 27 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .931 | 1.09 |
1965 Dodgers | P | 43 | 41 | 1,007 | 46 | 1.1 | 46 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.23 |
1966 Dodgers | P | 41 | 41 | 969 | 38 | 0.9 | 37 | 7 | 30 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 1.03 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 397 | 314 | 6,973 | 306 | 0.8 | 292 | 64 | 228 | 14 | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 1.13 | |
12 Years | 397 | 314 | 6,973 | 306 | 0.8 | 292 | 64 | 228 | 14 | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 1.13 |
Sandy KoufaxSandy Koufax Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1955 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.07 | 6.48 | 6.05 |
1956 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.03 | 4.60 | 4.45 |
1957 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 2.39 | 10.52 | 4.40 |
1958 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.9 | 49.0 | 1.25 | 7.43 | 5.96 |
1959 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 1.88 | 10.15 | 5.40 |
1960 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 57.0 | 1.97 | 10.13 | 5.14 |
1961 Dodgers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.2 | 38.5 | 2.80 | 9.47 | 3.38 |
1962 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 69.0 | 1.6 | 17.3 | 3.79 | 10.55 | 2.78 |
1963 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 110.0 | 2.2 | 15.7 | 5.28 | 8.86 | 1.68 |
1964 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.3 | 74.0 | 4.21 | 9.00 | 2.14 |
1965 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.6 | 16.1 | 5.38 | 10.24 | 1.90 |
1966 Dodgers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.1 | 23.6 | 4.12 | 8.83 | 2.15 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 388.0 | 2.0 | 27.7 | 2.93 | 9.28 | 3.16 |
Sandy KoufaxSandy Koufax Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers | 32 | $6,000.00 | - | - |
1956 Brooklyn Dodgers | 32 | $6,000.00 | - | - |
1957 Brooklyn Dodgers | 32 | $8,500.00 | - | - |
1958 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $10,000.00 | - | - |
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $14,000.00 | - | Stats |
1960 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $19,000.00 | - | - |
1961 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $18,500.00 | Stats | - |
1962 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $27,500.00 | Stats | - |
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $35,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
1964 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $70,000.00 | Stats | - |
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $110,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
1966 Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | $125,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
Sandy Koufax Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Sanford Koufax, who was actually born Sanford Braun, was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955-1957) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1966). Did you know that Sandy, his nickname, was the youngest player ever inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (36 years, 20 days / #2 - Lou Gehrig, 36 years, 172 days), the first pitcher to ever throw four no-hitters, and one of only three pitchers (the other two are Walter Johnson & Grover Alexander) in baseball history to win the Triple Crown of Pitching (leading the league in wins, strikeouts and earned run average) three times?
Sandy Koufax No-Hitter #1 Ticket | Baseball Almanac Collection
Sandy Koufax. No-Hitter #1. June 30, 1962.
Wildness had curtailed his progress through the first six years of his big league career, but by 1962 Sandy Koufax had finally begun to fulfill the promise that would eventually earn him a place in the Hall of Fame.
Having had his first big season the year before when he posted an 18-13 record, Koufax was in the midst of another fine season when he faced the New York Mets in a Saturday June 30. game at Dodger Stadium. Koufax, then 26 years old, took a 10-4 record for the second place Dodgers into the battle against Bob Miller and a 10th place Mets team, which in this, it's first year in the National League, would set an all-time record for futility by losing 120 games.
A crowd of 29,797 was on hand as Koufax took the mound. Ironically, slightly more than seven weeks earlier, Bo Belinsky of the Los Angeles Angels had hurled the city's first major league no-hitter in the very same stadium.
Koufax wasn't as sharp as he would be in later no-hitters, walking five and narrowly escaping trouble several times. But he struck out 13, was aided by two double plays, and was in command all the way.
After retiring the side in order in the first, Koufax had a scare when Frank Thomas, leading off the second, slashed a sharp grounder toward the hole between third and short. Shortstop Maury Wills raced to his right, made an extraordinary backhanded stop and threw to first to barely beat the slow-footed Thomas.
The Dodgers had spotted Koufax a 4-0 lead in the first with the help of a triple by Willie Davis, singles by Tommy Davis and Frank Howard surrounding a walk, John Roseboro's two-run double and a single by Larry Burright. Howard added a home run in the seventh.
In the sixth, Koufax had another close call with two-time National League batting champ Richie Ashburn at the plate. Ashburn sliced a line drive to left where Tommy Davis momentarily lost the ball in the glare of the lights. But Davis recovered in time to make a splendid running catch.
Koufax, who had walked Ashburn and Felix Mantilla in the early innings with neither advancing to second base, walked one batter in each of the last three innings. He passed Thomas in the seventh and Elio Chacon in the eighth, but neither moved up.
In the ninth, Koufax walked lefthanded Gene Woodling, a surprised choice as a pinch-hitter, to start the inning. With Joe Christopher inserted as a pinch-runner, the ever-dangerous Ashburn sliced a 1-1 pitch down the left field line that just curved foul at the last moment. He then banged a grounder to Wills, who flipped to second baseman Larry Burright for a force out on Christopher.
That brought up Rod Kanehl, who hit a two-strike bouncer to third where Jim Gilliam fielded it and threw to second for a force out on Ashburn. The final out came a moment later when Mantilla pounded a high hopper on a 2-1 pitch to Wills. The shortstop backed up, gloved the ball on the second bounce high above his head, and fired to Burright to force the speedy RodKanehl for the final out.
Koufax had his first of his then-record four no-hitters. Idled later in the season by a circulation problem in his left index finger, he finished the year with a 14-7 record.
Sandy Koufax No-Hitter #2 Ticket | Baseball Almanac Collection
Sandy Koufax. No-Hitter #2. May 11, 1963.
The 1963 season was the first of four consecutive brilliant campaigns put together by Sandy Koufax. That season, he became a 20-game winner for the first time, posting a 25-5 record. Leading up to the end of his career in 1966, Koufax would win 97 and lost just 27 over those four seasons.
Because of a circulatory problem discovered in his left index finger the previous year, Koufax had begun the 1963 season under a cloud of doubt. But the hard-throwing, 27-year-old southpaw got off to a fast start, and was 3-1 coming into a Saturday May 11 game at Dodger Stadium against the first place San Francisco Giants.
The defending National League champions fielded a lineup that featured heavy hitters such as 1962 NL home run king Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Felipe Alou and Harvey Kuenn. They also sent future Hall of Famer Juan Marichal to the mound to face Koufax and the fifth place Dodgers with a huge crowd of 49,807 watching.
Koufax answered by retiring the first 22 batters he faced. The Giants finally broke the spell when Ed Bailey walked with one out in the eighth after Cepeda had hit a hard shot to the mound that Koufax deflected to second baseman Nate Oliver, who nipped the batter at first by a step. But Bailey was quickly erased on Jim Davenport's double play grounder to shortstop Dick Tracewski.
Before that, Koufax had had only a few anxious moments. One came in the fifth, when Cepeda tapped a slow roller to Tracewski, who moved in, fielded the ball barehanded, and made the play to first. In the seventh, Alou, the league's batting leader, pounded a high fly to deep left. Tommy Davis, who had just moved from third to left field, raced into the corner and made a backhanded catch leaning against the box seat railing at the 360-foot mark. Mays followed with a screaming liner to third, which Jim Gilliam grabbed for the third out of the inning.
Koufax retired Joe Amalfitano on a pop-up leading off the ninth. Jose Pagan was up next, and he slashed a line drive to deep center that Willie Davis hauled down near the wall. That brought up Willie McCovey, destined to become the league's home run champ that season, as a pinch-hitter. Pitching too carefully, Koufax walked McCovey on four pitches.
Now Koufax had to face Kuenn, a .300 lifetime hitter who had won the American League batting championship in 1959. Koufax fired a strike. On the next pitch, Kuenn hit an easy bouncer back to the mound. Koufax grabbed the ball, and threw to Ron Fairly at first for the final out and the second no-hitter of the lefthander's career.
The Dodgers gave Koufax plenty of offensive support. They scored in the second on Wally Moon's solo homer to right, and three times in the sixth on an RBI single by Moon and a two-run single by John Roseboro that drove Marichal to the showers. Fairly's three-run double high lighted a four-run eighth for the Dodgers.
Koufax finished with just four strikeouts. He walked two.
With Koufax leading the way on the mound, the Dodgers went on to capture the National League pennant and sweep the New York Yankees in the World Series. Koufax won two of the four games.
Sandy Koufax. No-Hitter #3. June 4, 1964.
The third no-hitter by Sandy Koufax had special significance, and it wasn't only because it was the only no-hit game he hurled on the road.
Koufax had struggled through much of the early season in 1964 because of a strained pitching arm and faulty mechanics. He lugged a 5-4 record into the Thursday June 4 skirmish with the first place Philadelphia Phillies At Connie Mack Stadium. A crowd of 29,700 was on-hand to watch Koufax and the eighth place Los Angeles Dodgers face Chris Short.
Not only did Koufax, 28, toss his third no-hitter in three years while again beating a first place club as he had the year before, but he also served notice that his arm was fully recovered. The hard-throwing lefthander would win 14 of his next 15 decisions, finishing the season with a glittering 19-5 record.
Against the Phillies, who remained in first place until the end of the season when they staged one of the great collapses in baseball history by blowing a six and one-half game lead with 12 games left to play, Koufax was nearly perfect.
Mixing bullets with his awesome curve, he faced the minimum 27 batters, throwing just 97 pitches while striking out 12 and walking one. Koufax struck out every Phillies batter in the startling lineup at least once except Cookie Rojas. Only four balls were hit to the outfield.
Frank Howard supplied Koufax with all the runs he needed with a three-run homer onto the roof in left-center that broke a scoreless tie in the seventh. The blow followed singles by Jim Gilliam and Tommy Davis.
Koufax was strong from start to finish. he opened by retiring Rojas on a grounder to third, then struck out Johnny Callison and Dick Allen.
The lefthander also struck out Tony Taylor and Short in the third, Ruben Amaro and Short in the sixth and Gus Triandos and Roy Sievers in the eighth.
The only runner to reach base against Koufax was Allen, who drew a two-out walk on a 3-2 fastball that just missed the plate in the fourth inning. Allen was quickly rubbed out when he tried to steal second, and was gunned down by catcher Doug Camilli with cleanup hitter Danny Cater at bat.
Allen also gave the Dodgers defense its only difficult chance when he hit a high chopper toward third in the seventh inning. Gilliam charged the ball, and fired to first just in time to beat the speedy Allen.
The hardest-hit ball of the game came off the bat of Cater in the eighth inning. It was a solid line drive that Wes Parker pulled down in right field.
Koufax faced the bottom of the Phillies' order in the ninth. He struck out Taylor on a 2-2 pitching leading off the inning. Amaro swung at the first pitch and lofted a pop-up behind first that Ron Fairly gloved with ease. Bobby Wine was then sent to the plate as a pinch-hitter. During the at-bat, there was a slight delay when a foul tip by Wine bounced up and smacked umpire Ed Vargo in the throat. The umpire was shaken up, but soon resumed his stance behind the plate.
And Koufax resumed his mastery of the Phillies, blowing away Wine on four pitches. With the gem completed, Koufax joined Bob Feller as the only modern pitchers with three no-hitters.
Sandy Koufax. No-Hitter #4. September 9, 1965.
Of his four no-hitters, Sandy Koufax saved his finest for last. It was a record setting, perfect bame masterpiece in a game that ranks as one of the greatest pitching duels in big league history.
Not only did the 29-year-old lefthander become the first pitcher to hurl four major league no-hitters — doing it in four consecutive years — his mound opponent, Bob Hendley, almost tossed a no-hitter too. Hendley allowed just one hit, while walking one against the second place Dodgers. The game set a major-league record for fewest hits by both teams.
Koufax carried a glittering 21-7 record into the Thursday September 9 battle against the eighth place Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. A crowd of 29,139 was in attendance.
Combining his always blazing fastball with a wicked curveball and superb control, Koufax struck out 14 Cubs, including the last six batters he faced. Only seven balls were hit out of the infield.
The Cubs hit just two balls hard. With one out in the first inning, Glenn Beckert, before striking out, drilled a line drive down the left field line that hooked foul. An inning later, Byron Browne slammed a hard line drive directly at Willie Davis in center field.
The Dodgers scored their only run of the game in the fifth inning. The did it without a hit. Lou Johnson walked leading off the inning. He was sacrificed to second by Ron Fairly. When Hendley failed to hold him close to the bag, Lou Johnson stole third. He kept right on going when Cubs' catcher Chris Krug's throw went into left field.
Lou Johnson turned out to be the only player in the game to reach base safely when with two outs in the seventh he broke up Hendley's no-hitter with a bloop double to right field. It was the only hit of the entire game.
Koufax, meanwhile, sailed along, in the fifth striking out Ernie Banks for the second of three times. The brilliant southpaw had a couple of close calls in the closing innings. Leading off the sixth, Krug grounded to shortstop Maury Wills, who fielded the ball cleanly, but threw low to first. Wes Parker, an outstanding fielder, scooped the throw out of the dirt for the out. In the seventh with two outs, Koufax threw three straight balls to Billy Williams before coming back with two called strikes. Williams then sliced a 3-2 pitch to left where Johnson made an easy catch.
Koufax finished the game in a blaze of glory. He struck out Ron Santo, Banks and Browne in the eighth. Koufax begane the ninth by fanning Krug on a 2-2 fastball. Next up was pinch-hitter Joe Amalfitano. Koufax got two quick strikes, then whiffed him with another sizzling fastball. The final batter was another pinch-hitter, former American League batting champion Harvey Kuenn who, ironically, had made the last out in Koufax's 1963 no-hitter. Kuenn took a strike, then two balls. He swung and missed on the next pitch. When the count at 2-2, Koufax uncorked another blazing fastball, and Kuenn swung and missed.
Koufax had made baseball history. He finished the season with a sparkling 26-8 record. That would be followed by a 27-9 mark in 1966, the final year of Koufax's masterful pitching career.
Sandy Koufax Video | Perfect Game | September 9, 1965
In 1963, Sandy Koufax led the National League in wins (25), strikeouts (306) ERA (1.88), and threw eleven shutouts, setting a new record for shutouts by a left-handed pitcher that is still in the Shutouts Record Book (the previous record was held by Carl Hubbell who had ten shutouts in 1933).
When Koufax was honored with the Cy Young Award after the season, he won it unanimously — the first-ever unanimous Cy Young selection in baseball history! Two years later, Koufax won again, the second-ever unanimous selection in baseball history. And when he won in 1966, he was the third-ever unanimous selection in baseball history. To date, he remains the only pitcher to win it three times unanimously!
Sandy Koufax | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1972 (HOF)
Immaculate Innings (throwing exactly 9 pitches - ALL 9 are strikes - 3 outs recorded) research is far from complete, but since Baseball Almanac started researching them in 1999, Sandy Koufax was the first pitcher in baseball history with three career immaculate innings: (1st) 06-30-1962, 1st inning, Richie Ashburn, Rod Kanehl, Felix Mantilla. (2nd) 04-19-1963, 5th inning, Bob Aspromonte, Jim Campbell, Turk Farrell. (3rd) 04-18-1964, 3rd inning, Leo Cardenas, Johnny Edwards, Jim Maloney. Do you know who tied Koufax in 2021? [Answer]