From , Koufax led the National League in earned run average and shutouts. He was the strikeouts leader four times, setting a single-season mark with in , and had the most wins three times, with totals of 27, 26 and He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched in his career 6. He also became the second pitcher in baseball history to have two games with 18 or more strikeouts, and the first to have eight games with 15 or more strikeouts.
Roger Khan of the Los Angeles Times quoted Al Campanis, who worked in the front office of the Dodgers organization, as saying, "Only two times in my life has the hair literally stood up on the back of my neck. Once was when I saw Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel. The other time was when I first saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball. Thus, Koufax never played in the minor leagues, but had to develop in the spotlight of the majors.
This situation was difficult because Koufax was a very wild pitcher. While he threw the ball hard and had a speedy fastball, he often lacked control.
When he did have control of his pitches, it was inconsistent. It was said that left-handed pitchers took longer to develop, but some speculated that Koufax might have had a confidence problem as well. Koufax admitted he was initially in awe of his team-mates. In his first two seasons with the Dodgers, , Koufax only appeared in 28 games, posting a record of four wins and six loses.
Though he won only two games each season, he showed flashes of his future brilliance. In one game, his second career start, Koufax threw a two-hit shutout. Koufax threw the ball hard in that game, and believed that he had to throw it that way for it to work.
This belief hindered his development for six years. During the season, Koufax pitched more often and turned his first winning season record, five wins and four losses. After the season ended, Koufax remained with the Dodgers when they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. He continued to be used in more games and demonstrated enough talent that the Dodgers did not give up on him.
He posted an record on the season. This trend continued in Koufax tied the new major league record for most strikeouts in a two-game period with 31, 13 in one, than 18 against the San Francisco Giants. Koufax's season was a similar combination of highs and lows. Though his record was eight wins and 13 losses, he struck out batters in innings. He was disappointed with himself, and was not sure if the Dodgers would keep him on the team, for good reason.
In his first six seasons, his record was only After the final game that season, I threw all my baseball stuff away, left the clubhouse and didn't think I'd ever come back. I even went into business, but wasn't crazy about it. Our clubhouse man, Nobe Kawano, handed me the gear and said, 'I took all your stuff out of the garbage. Before the beginning of the season, Koufax talked to his team's general manager, Buzzie Bavasi, and asked that he be allowed to pitch on a more regular basis.
Koufax believed that if he had too many days off in between starts, it was detrimental to his arm. Bavasi granted his request, and Koufax finally learned to control his fastball, in part because of advice from catcher Norm Sherry. As one of the few Jewish players in baseball, he encountered bigotry from opposing players and even within his own clubhouse.
Koufax finally gained control of his overpowering fastball and knee-buckling curveball in the early s, and embarked on one of the most dominant pitching runs in baseball history. From to , he recorded wins against only 34 losses, led the National League in ERA five times, set a single-season record with strikeouts, and won three Cy Young Awards and one Most Valuable Player trophy. He dazzled in the national spotlight when he set a World Series single-game record with 15 strikeouts in , and again when he threw a perfect game to wrap up a record fourth no-hitter in Koufax also made headlines for adhering to his faith.
With Game 1 of the World Series slated to fall on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Koufax famously sat out the game in observance. He returned and lost the following day, but won Games 5 and 7 to clinch the championship for his team, further cementing his status as an icon to both his religious community and Dodgers fans. Despite his string of amazing performances, Koufax pitched in pain throughout the campaigns due to arthritis in his left elbow.
Tired of constantly taking medication and concerned about his future health, Koufax stunned the baseball world by announcing his retirement on November 18, Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos.
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