Sandy Koufax Statue and More

Sandy Koufax and Other Baseball Stuff

By David A. Avila

(Published June 21, 2022)

A statue of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax was dedicated by the Los Angeles Dodger organization at Dodger Stadium. It’s only the second time a former Dodger has been honored with a statue. The other was the legendary Jackie Robinson.

Only baby boomers are alive who actually saw the great southpaw hurler Koufax slice through lineups with his superior fastball and dynamite curve. Even fewer baseball journalists remain today who saw him pitch the Dodgers to three World Series championships.

Yes, I’m actually one of those who did watch him pitch at Dodger Stadium.

It was a hot summer night on August 14,1965, visiting the Dodgers was the Pittsburgh Pirates. The big question was if a game would still take place? The Watts Riots were raging in South-Central L.A. and buildings were burning with smoke plumes visible for miles. Lives had been lost and a question of safety loomed.

A few Dodgers lived in or near that area including Jim Gilliam one of the key players on the team.

The game proceeded to take place.

During Koufax’s tenure as a Los Angeles Dodger, the team was always in the thick of the National League pennant race. That year the Pirates led by the fiery Roberto Clemente were among the teams fighting for the NL Pennant against the Dodgers.

Every time that Koufax pitched fan attendance shot up. You never knew if he would hurl another no-hitter. That year during the heat of the race the Brooklyn native tossed a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. Fans piled through the turnstiles to see what number 32 would do against the offensive-minded Pirates.

The Pirates and the Dodgers battled each other tough throughout the season. On this Saturday evening the two teams were scoreless going into the 10^th inning. Pirate pitcher Don Cardwell always gave the Dodgers trouble and this game was no different. Koufax was still pitching in the 10^th and batted for himself and walked in the extra inning. Gilliam was at-bat and sliced a line drive to right field almost exactly at Clemente. He took a few steps and dropped the ball. The great outfielder’s muff allowed Koufax to score from second base with the winning run and the Dodgers won 1-0 in the 10^th.

As my family and I left the stadium at night, we could see orange flames in the distance as buildings continued to burn in South-Central. The riots had started because of alleged police brutality toward Blacks and was a grim reminder that society is not perfect.

That night a Gold Glove outfielder Clemente dropped a ball that allowed the Dodgers to win. That year the Dodgers would go on to win the NL Pennant and 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. The Pirates finished 1965 in third place seven games behind.

Koufax would pitch only one more year before retiring at the young age of 30 years old because of a severely arthritic left arm. He was so dominant during his last six years that he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at 36 years old. The youngest to ever gain admittance into the prestigious baseball memoriam.

The Dodger great still attends games and is a regular visitor to the spring training drills. He often stops by to give young pitchers tips on technique and philosophy. One of his mentees was current Dodger standout Clayton Kershaw who many compare to Koufax.

Kershaw gave a heartful speech on Saturday June 18, concerning his mentor’s contribution toward his career and others on the Dodger organization.

“He was the best ever to do it,” said Kershaw who first met Koufax while on a flight to Los Angeles and still calls him for advice or just to talk. “I was having problems with my breaking ball. He said simply stay tall. That’s all.”

Kershaw said Koufax continues to be an advisor and a friend.

Joe Torre, the former New York Yankee and Los Angeles Dodger manager, also played against Koufax while on the Milwaukee Braves,

“He was remarkable. You knew he was pitching because you could hear it,” said Torre describing the hiss sound of a Koufax fastball. “He was a winner and gave you everything he had.”

Koufax set numerous records as a left-handed pitcher.

The late Casey Stengel, who played during the early 1900s against pitchers like Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, said one time that in his opinion Koufax was the best he ever saw.

How better to describe Koufax whose statue will now stand tall for visitors at Dodger Stadium.

As a youngster I would never miss Koufax if he was pitching on television. You always knew something special might happen whenever he made that high kick and fired that sizzling fastball or extraordinary curve.

“Dandy Sandy,” as famed Dodger announcer Vin Scully would say.

Yes, he was.

100 Games Left

With less than 100 games remaining in season 2022, some surprises have emerged especially in the American League East.

The New York Yankees have dominated by reaching the 50-win mark faster than any other team in Major League Baseball. They now lead by 12 games over the second place Toronto Blue Jays.

Not that anyone predicted the Yankees would be subpar, but no one predicted the team from the Bronx would be dominating the competition by such a large margin. Pitching has been even better than expected with Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon adding more depth to the starting rotation.

Another team surprising experts has been Minnesota Twins leading the AL Central at this juncture. Many expected the Chicago White Sox to run away with the division. Instead, the Twins have stayed in front.

In the NL the New York Mets were expected to be at the top and have surprisingly led by as much as 10 games until the Atlanta Braves hit a torrid win streak. Now the lead has been cut down in half. The other surprising fact is the Mets have surged to first place without the services of their two aces Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer. Just how good will they be when or if they return?

All Star Game

Voting has commenced for the All-Star Game that will take place this year at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday July 19.