Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 30, 1935, Sandy Koufax was an American baseball legend. He was a three-time Cy Young Award winner, a member of two World Series winning teams in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and a Hall of Famer. He pitched a no-hitter twice and whiffed 382 hitters in his career, the NL record.
He was one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history and was named the first-ever unanimous Cy Young winner in 1963. He also won the World Series MVP in 1963 and 1965, leading the Dodgers to their first two World Series titles.
Sandy Koufax was a hero to many baseball fans because of his impressive stats and accolades. He had a great career and is known as “the man with the golden arm” because of his 100-mph fastball and a powerful curveball.
But he was also a hero to many people in the Jewish community because of his decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur. This caused a lot of controversy because it was an issue of religion and morals.
When the World Series began, there were letters to The Los Angeles Times praising Koufax for his religious choice but others questioned his actions. It made Koufax a hero to many Jews but a villain to some other people in the community.
In 1966, he retired due to an arthritic elbow. But his legacy lives on through the statues that were created to honor him in Centerfield. The statues are 10% larger than life size and feature quotes that the pitcher has uttered throughout his career.
