I'm a 70 year old Die Hard Dodger fan since 1962 saw him pitch several times he's still attends all the Dodger games and I'm so glad to see him in the stands one quick note my nephew played Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox Kevin Millar, went to spring training in 2003 the year Boston won the World Series and it's spring training Kevin introduced me to Colfax and I got a ball sign with a picture one of the greatest moments of my life, God bless Vin Scully still miss him Happy Trails everyone
Koufax is the greatest lefty ever! No one will ever come close to his 6 seasons of beauty. Vin Scully talking soothes the soul. Two amazing legends and humble men.
Lol. Steve Carlton had so many bad years. He’s one of those guys that has impressive totals because he played so long but was never dominant. kind of like don sutton.
As a 6 year old, Sandy Koufax autographed a baseball for me in the Dodger dressing room in 1963. My dad was an LAPD detective and had a few friends on the Dodgers. When he handed me the ball I cried. He asked why I was crying, and I told Sandy Koufax that I wanted Willie Mays' autograph. Sandy and my dad both laughed at the youthful indiscretion, Sandy adding "Son Willie has autographed a lot of my baseballs". True story, and I still have the ball.
Wow, what a great story...a glimpse of Koufax' humor. Man, what a phenomenal pitcher...I was a rabid Pirate fan at the time but it was easy to see Koufax was something special.
The true testement to Koufax greatness was that while a few have been compared to Koufax he was never compared to anybody else. He was in a word INCOMPARABLE.
Mryrhodesian you know what's sad about Koufax, if they had the technology that we do today they could've performed surgery on Sandys elbow and he could've kept pitching
+TheMitmit03 If Achilles hadn't taken that arrow in the heel, he'd have won a lot more battles. And been a lot less interesting. Koufax isn't just important because he was a great pitcher, or a Jewish sports hero. He's loved because he represents a very old theme in legend, that of a demigod rendered mortal. And he had the grace to accept his fate, and by doing so he transcended it.
Sandy has been my hero since 1959. Probably because I was 10 yrs old living in L.A. and he threw SO HARD! It was frustrating to watch his early years - when he went 8 - 13 but you just KNEW someday - it would happen. Was so lucky to have parents who put up with my hero worship. We moved 100 miles north. I would try & figure out the pitching rotation & order tickets to see Sandy pitch! Was lucky enough to attend his 2nd No hitter against Giants & Jack Sanford. "Electric." When Sandy retired I was stunned. I understood but was SO sad. An incredible human being. I'm also SO grateful for Vin Sculley helping me understand everything. I almost consider him to be a 2nd father. I'm blessed.
I'm 63 years old and have been watching baseball since 1961. Sandy Koufax is in a class all by himself. And that goes for greats even like Juan Marichal, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Jim Palmer, and Steve Carlton. Sandy in my opinion is, without a doubt, the GREATEST PITCHER OF ALL TIME.
The greatest "hitte"r of all time? Wow. That's a tough one. A lot of people say Ted Wiliams was the best, even though I never saw him play. Off the top of my head in my lifetime, I can think of Tony Gwynn. But I'm sure there are many more out there, includng Rod Carew.
Joe McIlnen yeah Tony Gwynn was a really good hitter. Im only one 38 so I havent seen the greats like Williams, Rose, Mays etc. The best Ive seen are guys like Gwynn, Manny Ramirez, Bonds, Helton, Will Clark, Robert Alomar, Bernie Williams...
Saw my first game at old Crosley Field in 1957. As a lifelong Reds fan, Koufax was the enemy, but we all acknowledged that he was special. From 1961-66 he was the best pitcher I've ever seen; a shame the arthritis cut his career short. But you have to hand it to Warren Spahn, who few seem to remember. He was great forever! Won 363 games and spent 3 years in WWII; was wounded at the Battle of the Remagen Bridge in Germany, and pitched till he was 44. For hitters, Williams was the best, imho. Combined power and average. 2nd all time in slugging % and 1st in OB% while missing 5 years to be a Marine fighter pilot. Only Ruth and Gehrig combined power and average like Williams, and both played primarily before night baseball, relief pitchers, and integrated baseball. Williams hit .388 with 38 homers in 1957 at the age of 39. 'nuff said...
I saw Sandy Koufax pitch (vrs. Milwaukee Braves, 15 s/o) & Oscar Robertson (more than a few games, Lakers versus the Cincinnati Royals). Awesome! Most of the "greats" I've seen, I'd say it was a unique joy seeing them play, I didn't compare them. Each was like a comic book super hero, they had special gifts.
@@fredwright5954 they do if you achieved what sandy did those 6 years are the reason that he is till this day the youngest ball player to ever be inducted into the hall of fame
Here in LA, ca. The name of SANDY koufax, was magic, to Every sports fan. Whether a Football fan, a basketball fan, Tennis fan, or a hockey fan, Everybody, knew who he was, AND admire him. He was Incredible. The best of all time, Without a doubt.
Koufax led the NL in ERA five years in a row. 1962-1966. No other pitcher ever did that. For those five seasons, he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the majors. He had both the best fastball and the best breaking ball in the game.
Godbless Vin Scully! His amazing oratory skills kept me in love with my Dodgers for over 50 years! Class, knowledgeable, but most of all HUMBLE. Godspeed MR SCULLY! You are dearly missed. PS: I was a 12 year old boy at the San Diego zoo with my dad, mom, little sis and even littler bro walking with my Dodger cap on. Some dude with huge forearms walking with his wife and daughter said “nice hat”! I was a huge Steve Yeager fan, but my mom was absolutely in LOVE with Steve Garvey! I wasn’t impressed because I wanted to be a catcher, but my mom and dad started talking with Garvey, and I have to say, both him and his then wife were beyond awesome. After that, I became a Garvey-Yeager fan! To this day, now pushing 60, I doubt Steve Yeager would have given us the time of day, vs Garvey being a class act.
I heard my first Dodger game in 5th grade and watched Wally Moon hit a homer over the tall fence at the Coliseum. My first Koufax game was at Dodger Stadium in 1962, and I saw as many Koufax games as my dad could get tickets for at work. In those days the only televised games were at Candlestick and the World Series. I was a rabid Dodger fan my entire life until the first strike, when I lost heart in baseball as I realized it was just another business. In all, I probably personally watch over 20 Koufax games including a no-hitter and his perfect game, plus his Immaculate Inning of striking out the side on 9 pitches. Greatest and most dominant pitcher of all time, absolutely.
As I kid, I saw Koufax pitch against the Mets at the old Shea Stadium. My friends and I took the train in from Copiague and had box seats on the third base side a few rows back. Yes, kids could afford a good seat back then. Koufax was my idol, but he was gone in about the 5th inning that day, against the Mets. A few years later, I was watching the TV news at night with my parents and it was announced that Koufax was retiring due to arthritis. I cried. But many years on now, I can see that he did the right thing and put his health before the game and the money. I am a retired subway train operator from NYC and everytime while I was operating the D train I would pass Koufax's old high school in Brooklyn and think to myself, "Man, it would be so cool to go back in time and see Koufax pitch in high school...." . Anyone have a DeLorean?
I can remember going to games growing up and we always went when Koufax was pitching. I never saw the Dodgers lose a game in person until later when I saw Don Sutton lose. I can also remember going to the beach on a weekend and Vin Scullys voice was heard. Two great memories of two great individuals
I still have the sports article from the LA Times where Jim Murray, their sports columnist was interviewing Pete Rose. Jim asked Pete Rose in all 24 seasons you played, who would you say the best picher you ever faced was: Pete said, you know Jim I faced them all, Gibson, Marichal, Fuller, Carlton, Seaver, Drysdale. No contest, Koufax!
Ron Davis: All time great pitcher Don Sutton compared all the greats and then came to the following conclusion.. "The most dominating pitcher. without a doubt and with no equal was Sandy Koufax" Koufax stood out even in a pitching rich era plus those Dodger teams were weak offensively so Koufax knew that quite possibly if he gave up 2 runs or more there would be a good chance he'd lose. 0.95 post season ERA shows that when the spotlight was the brightest he really showed up.
Koufax was my childhood hero.... Get him a run and a win was almost assured... never saw him pitch in person... saw him at a Kershaw game in LA in 2012... that was a great day for me
i've never been west of arizona so i'm guessing that to watch clayton !!!!! kershaw pitch while seeing sandy koufax before your very eyes is a good way to pass the time. geez, louise! i was less than a year old the last time he pitched!
Having lived at times in SoCal / LA, when, in my youth, I'd spend summers with my Mom & her USMC husband, I'd listen to Dodgers games on the radio, because both Mom & Frank liked baseball, & The Dodgers or The Cardinals. I listened to Vin Scully as early as 1955. . As a kid, my MLB hero was Hank Aaron . And in the summer of '61, I got to see Joe Adcock , Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews & Del Crandall hit 4 homers in a row, off of Drysdale , as the Braves bombed The Dodgers. I also got to hear Sandy Koufax pitch a 3 hitter the next game , as The Dodgers beat The Braves , & my man Hank went 1 for 5 . Drysdale was awesome ; Koufax was one of a kind ; only Bob Gibson came close.-------------MJL< 75 y/o Now.
I was blessed to see almost all of the great MLB players of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s play in person, but the one I will tell my grandchildren about is Sandy Koufax.
Vin's radio call of Sandy's perfect game is classic. I still webcast / broadcast occasional HS sports, and every now and then I remember something Vin said during a broadcast that no one else remembers, and I apply it to my own call of the game. Case in point: 2 yrs. ago I was the color commentator during a football game of St. John Bosco in So. Calif vs. Central Cath. of No. Calif. Bosco was the number one team in the nation, and the opponents were shutout by them by over 40 pts. in the 3d qtr. I remembered one night Vin commented on Dodger 3d baseman Mickey Hatcher having a terrible time that night in handling ground balls, so much so, Mickey started laughing and shaking his head. Vin described that and said "Mickey seems to think on a bad night all he can do is shake his head and say "what a guy you do.?' " I told about that incident and then said : "when you're Central Cath. and you're losing to the top team in the nation by over 40 pts. in the 3d qtr., all the Raiders can do is shake their collective heads and say "what can a team do ?' "
The reason Koufax was better than them all was that his fastball and curve had so much movement...the fastball would rise at the plate and the curve would drop several feet at the plate. I was impressed by Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson in my time on this earth.
Nolen Ryan is the greatest pitcher of all time 4 decades of base ball 7 no hitters 5714 strikeouts and countless 1 hitters im 74 yrs l saw Kofax pitch and Ryan pitch and one other thing Nolen did all this as a right hander and thats hard to do.
I am 76 and have been to Ebbett's Field 3 tmes, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium as well. I was Brooklyn Dodger fan and whenever he pitched I always felt that they would win. The fastball set up the curve and you would have the feeling that batters at times gave up!!
I had the great honor to see the perfecto against the Cubs in 1965. Double no hitter through six and Bob Hendley pitched the game of his life. Imagine throwing a one hitter and the only run you surrender was without benefit of a hit ?!?!? I’ve heard that O’Malley was secretly wishing for the double. May have been the greatest game ever pitched in MLB history. I think Hendley beat koufax the following week. I cannot remember. Koufax struck out the last 6 hitters with a rising fastball. Interesting trivia - Harvey Kuenn made the final out that night as well as making the final out in Koufax’s no hitter against the Giants in 1963.
In my 20's in the 60's I was playing in a slow pitch league and my cousin and I went to a local batting cage. The machines had big league pitcher names. I first hit the Warren Spann machine and hit it pretty good. Then like a dope I went to the Koufax machine and the place had put this one set on very high! About the only thing I could do is bunt. After that I had a tough time hitting slow pitch for a few games! Should have stayed on the Harvey Haddex one.
Had Sandy Koufax not ruptured his left elbow on August 16,1964, reaching out to touch Second Base on a pickoff move by The St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, Koufax might have pitched until 1969.
@E W Ten years after Sparky Lyle retired from NY he was also throwing bp and the hitters finally said no more. Literally every ball he threw had MLB level movement on it. He couldn't throw a straight ball.
@E W Jimmy Morris from the movie The Rookie had an experience like that. Had major shoulder surgery, retired to teach chemistry at the highschool in Regan County Tx. Started throwing bp for his baseball team there and found there was no pain and the rehab was so complete that he was hitting mid 90s a decade after quitting.
When THAT curve was working. FORGET IT!! I mean FORGET IT!! He had you leaning and YOU were in trouble. Very good fastball and a curve that just fell off the table. GOODNIGHT!! Hit THAT!!
Yes this is very true about the curveball I heard Pete Rose talk about it. Pete of course was a great hitter. But I heard him say that koufax's curveball went from 12 to 6 very fast. He said it was impossible to hit even if he knew it was coming.
One other huge difference. Koufax was even more amazing and elevated his game in the post season, which was phenomenal because he was already at the top level. Kershaw on the other hand, was horrible and a huge choker in the playoffs. In fact he messed up for 8 straight post seasons but management kept giving him chances and he finally had one decent (not great) year. But look at his playoff stats and this boy has disappointment me over and over and over and over when I was a huge Dodger fan in the early 2000's.
Koufax, at his peak, the goat. Gibson and McLain reached his level BUT only for 1-2 years; Pedro and Randy Johnson were ALMOST as good- but there is a difference between a pitcher walking to mound and knowing it could be a shutout vs a no hitter. NB too Koufax NEVER had a decent offensive team to support him, and never had big leads to play with hitters. Gibson McLain and Pedro played with much better offensive support, and Johnson had decent teams behind him most years, and strong teams some years. Steve Carlton ALSO never had support, and had more pitches than Koufax, and is often overlooked as perhaps second best pitcher of the post 1960 era.
Randy Johnson is not even in the same galaxy..no one talks about him.. people still talk about Gibson, Drysdale, Pedro, Clemens, Smoltz, Maddux.. Randy Johnson, no one...but none rise to the utter brilliance and mythology of Koufax.. Scully is correct: once every couple hundred years a meteor showers the sky..Bo Jackson was another..maybe prime Jordan.. that's about it
Casey Stengel - who saw a lot of pitchers in his life - once said. "Forget Mathewson and the rest of them, none of them was as good as the Jewish kid".
Pedro was the best I ever saw, but Koufax, Gibson, Feller, and Johnson were probably just as good. God decides if you can throw gas, but the best had crazy off-speed stuff, and God had to take a back seat in the greatest conversation. The big guy could only root and smile.
If Koufax had been as great starting out in Brooklyn like he did later on in L.A., he would have been greater than Nolan Ryan, not that Sandy was a slouch pitcher. He definitely would have been a 300 winner had it not been for his early retirement due to an arthritic pitching arm.
Why was Koufax's arm so sore at 31? Maybe it was games like the one vs Milwaukee where he threw 209 pitches. There were no pitch counts back then. If you started you were expected to finish. Perhaps there should have been. In today's game he might have gone until 40.
Marichal was great but I would go with Gibson. I never forgave him for hitting Johnny Roseboro over his head with a bat. Marichal said he buzzed his ear when Johnny threw back to the mound...mebbe so.
Wait.... Didn't think Cowherd even knew baseball was being played! All you ever hear on his show is the NFL & the NBA, and some college football. Boring!!!
Well, for me Koufax has got to share that number 1 classification with Marichal and Gibson. I cannot put him head and shoulders over those two pitchers.
Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax,the list gets pretty short pretty fast. If I had to choose one man for one start to save my life? Bob Gibson. Saw them both at their height.
Scherzer is a great pitcher - kind of a real throwback - but until he goes 9 innings he will never be in Koufax's league. Scherzer has the stuff to win 25 games a year but with that bullpen, he will only get 15 because he only goes 7 innings, like just about everyone today.
Ok. Everybody got me wrong here 😂 I’m totally aware Scherzer and Koufax are completely different levels. I was just saying that some of the things Scully said I’ve heard about Scherzer. Come on people no one is stupid enough to compare those two
If you had seen him you would know the truth. Even his peers almost universally acknowledged Koufax as the greatest in their era. Remember, he was pitching to Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Banks, Rose, Allen, & so many other great players. Yes, he bloomed late, but he bloomed best. Imagine a star pitcher today carrying that kind of workload. 41 COMPLETE GAMES in two years! Also, youngest player ever voted into the Hall of Fame. Hundreds of ex-players & sportswriters weren't wrong. P.S.: Gale Sayers only played seven years yet is in the Hall of Fame, also as the youngest player ever . Coincidence, I think not.
YOU ARE PROBABLY A ZZZZZ GENERATION OR MILLINNEL. YOU TALK OUT OF YOUR HAT.THE PLAYERS TODAY ARE CRYBABIES,CURSE,POUND THERE CHEST,A PITCH CLOSE TO THE BATTER AND THEY GO NUTS.THEY DESTROYED THE GAME.50S,60S AND 70S ANDSOME 80S BEST OF THE BEST. NOW EVERY PLAYER THAT FACE SANDY WISH THEY WERE SICK THAT DAY BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE A10YR.OLD AT BAT.THEY SAID,AM I A BIG LEAGER?????***ALL GREAT BBPLAYERS BACK THEN,AND TODAY COULDN'T SHINE HIS SHOES.MAYS,AARON,ROSE,MANTLE ETC WAS PLAIN OUT SCARED OF HIM.OH I KNOW.THE GREAT PITCHER TODAY PITCHES 5 INNINGS STIKES OUT 5 AND THE CALL HIM GREAT.JOKE TIME!!! BRING IN THE RELIEF PITCHER SO THE BATTER DON'T HAVE 4 TO 5 BATS WHERE THEY COULD CLOCK THE TODAYS PITCHER. NOT THE G. O A.T.-K. O. U. F. A. X
Love Vin Scully I think he's the greatest announcer probably of all time! He's also a Dodger fan so I would say he's got to be a little bias! I believe Pete Rose said Gibson was the toughest he ever faced but I could be wrong the 60s was a long time ago !but if its a Lefty I would have to take Randy Johnson talking about greatest pitchers of all time I would definitely have to take Nolan Ryan also ahead of him and 6 years is an awful short period of time! I would definitely take Prime Bob Gibson over Koufax! Noticed some people stating age I'm 65 and I've lived and died baseball, football, basketball, and boxing! Just my opinion because it's all opinions!
@@richstex4736 Were you see that the La news ive seen 3 specials bout Pete he finished 2nd to Gibson for Mvp 67 or 8 1 of the 2hr special he said Gibson!!
I'm a 70 year old Die Hard Dodger fan since 1962 saw him pitch several times he's still attends all the Dodger games and I'm so glad to see him in the stands one quick note my nephew played Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox Kevin Millar, went to spring training in 2003 the year Boston won the World Series and it's spring training Kevin introduced me to Colfax and I got a ball sign with a picture one of the greatest moments of my life, God bless Vin Scully still miss him Happy Trails everyone
Koufax is the greatest lefty ever! No one will ever come close to his 6 seasons of beauty. Vin Scully talking soothes the soul. Two amazing legends and humble men.
id take steve carlton anyday
@@fredwright5954 And you'd be wrong EVERY DAY!
@@D-FensDogG is it as hard as it looks?
@@fredwright5954 You, sir, are Fernando Valenzuela's best pitch!
Adios, mi amigo.
Lol. Steve Carlton had so many bad years. He’s one of those guys that has impressive totals because he played so long but was never dominant. kind of like don sutton.
As a 6 year old, Sandy Koufax autographed a baseball for me in the Dodger dressing room in 1963. My dad was an LAPD detective and had a few friends on the Dodgers. When he handed me the ball I cried. He asked why I was crying, and I told Sandy Koufax that I wanted Willie Mays' autograph. Sandy and my dad both laughed at the youthful indiscretion, Sandy adding "Son Willie has autographed a lot of my baseballs". True story, and I still have the ball.
Wow, what a great story...a glimpse of Koufax' humor. Man, what a phenomenal pitcher...I was a rabid Pirate fan at the time but it was easy to see Koufax was something special.
I hope you still have the ball lol
Don’t ever give that ball away. I still have the scorecard from
His perfect game somewhere in my files.
The true testement to Koufax greatness was that while a few have been compared to Koufax he was never compared to anybody else. He was in a word INCOMPARABLE.
Mryrhodesian you know what's sad about Koufax, if they had the technology that we do today they could've performed surgery on Sandys elbow and he could've kept pitching
+TheMitmit03 If Achilles hadn't taken that arrow in the heel, he'd have won a lot more battles. And been a lot less interesting. Koufax isn't just important because he was a great pitcher, or a Jewish sports hero. He's loved because he represents a very old theme in legend, that of a demigod rendered mortal. And he had the grace to accept his fate, and by doing so he transcended it.
Mryrhodesian Pedro Martinez is a serious consideration.
@@DS-xp4jb Nope...not in the same class as Koufax.
@@johnnypastrana6727 yes, pedro was. His stats bare it out. Plus he pitched against the DH.
Sandy has been my hero since 1959. Probably because I was 10 yrs old living in L.A. and he threw SO HARD! It was frustrating to watch his early years - when he went 8 - 13 but you just KNEW someday - it would happen. Was so lucky to have parents who put up with my hero worship. We moved 100 miles north. I would try & figure out the pitching rotation & order tickets to see Sandy pitch! Was lucky enough to attend his 2nd No hitter against Giants & Jack Sanford. "Electric." When Sandy retired I was stunned. I understood but was SO sad. An incredible human being. I'm also SO grateful for Vin Sculley helping me understand everything. I almost consider him to be a 2nd father. I'm blessed.
I'm 63 years old and have been watching baseball since 1961.
Sandy Koufax is in a class all by himself. And that goes for greats even like Juan Marichal, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Jim Palmer, and Steve Carlton.
Sandy in my opinion is, without a doubt, the GREATEST PITCHER OF ALL TIME.
Joe McIlnen ok. so who is the greatest hitter of all time?
The greatest "hitte"r of all time? Wow. That's a tough one. A lot of people say Ted Wiliams was the best, even though I never saw him play. Off the top of my head in my lifetime, I can think of Tony Gwynn. But I'm sure there are many more out there, includng Rod Carew.
Joe McIlnen yeah Tony Gwynn was a really good hitter. Im only one 38 so I havent seen the greats like Williams, Rose, Mays etc. The best Ive seen are guys like Gwynn, Manny Ramirez, Bonds, Helton, Will Clark, Robert Alomar, Bernie Williams...
I'd agree and throw in Musial and Hornsby.
Saw my first game at old Crosley Field in 1957. As a lifelong Reds fan, Koufax was the enemy, but we all acknowledged that he was special. From 1961-66 he was the best pitcher I've ever seen; a shame the arthritis cut his career short. But you have to hand it to Warren Spahn, who few seem to remember. He was great forever! Won 363 games and spent 3 years in WWII; was wounded at the Battle of the Remagen Bridge in Germany, and pitched till he was 44.
For hitters, Williams was the best, imho. Combined power and average. 2nd all time in slugging % and 1st in OB% while missing 5 years to be a Marine fighter pilot. Only Ruth and Gehrig combined power and average like Williams, and both played primarily before night baseball, relief pitchers, and integrated baseball. Williams hit .388 with 38 homers in 1957 at the age of 39. 'nuff said...
Sandy was my boyhood hero, & at 73 yrs. he's still my hero ! It was awesome when he pitched, & the best I have ever seen !
I saw Sandy Koufax pitch (vrs. Milwaukee Braves, 15 s/o) & Oscar Robertson (more than a few games, Lakers versus the Cincinnati Royals). Awesome! Most of the "greats" I've seen, I'd say it was a unique joy seeing them play, I didn't compare them. Each was like a comic book super hero, they had special gifts.
From 1961 until 1966...before he had to retire because of arthritis in his left arm after the 1966 WS...he was the BEST pitcher of all time!!!
I've heard that quote attributed to Casey Stengel, who goes back even further than Durocher.
Damn right
six years dont cut it
@@fredwright5954 they do if you achieved what sandy did those 6 years are the reason that he is till this day the youngest ball player to ever be inducted into the hall of fame
@@805livin4 he benefited from playing in a large market team
In his prime, Koufax was like a general in control of his army AWESOME!
Here in LA, ca. The name of
SANDY koufax, was magic, to
Every sports fan. Whether a
Football fan, a basketball fan,
Tennis fan, or a hockey fan,
Everybody, knew who he was,
AND admire him. He was
Incredible. The best of all time,
Without a doubt.
Koufax led the NL in ERA five years in a row. 1962-1966. No other pitcher ever did that. For those five seasons, he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the majors. He had both the best fastball and the best breaking ball in the game.
I also think that from 1962-65 batters hit below .200 against Koufax as well.
didnt play long enough
@@fredwright5954 shut it troll, go find other threads to spam.
Godbless Vin Scully! His amazing oratory skills kept me in love with my Dodgers for over 50 years!
Class, knowledgeable, but most of all HUMBLE. Godspeed MR SCULLY! You are dearly missed.
PS: I was a 12 year old boy at the San Diego zoo with my dad, mom, little sis and even littler bro walking with my Dodger cap on. Some dude with huge forearms walking with his wife and daughter said “nice hat”!
I was a huge Steve Yeager fan, but my mom was absolutely in LOVE with Steve Garvey!
I wasn’t impressed because I wanted to be a catcher, but my mom and dad started talking with Garvey, and I have to say, both him and his then wife were beyond awesome.
After that, I became a Garvey-Yeager fan!
To this day, now pushing 60, I doubt Steve Yeager would have given us the time of day, vs Garvey being a class act.
I heard my first Dodger game in 5th grade and watched Wally Moon hit a homer over the tall fence at the Coliseum. My first Koufax game was at Dodger Stadium in 1962, and I saw as many Koufax games as my dad could get tickets for at work. In those days the only televised games were at Candlestick and the World Series. I was a rabid Dodger fan my entire life until the first strike, when I lost heart in baseball as I realized it was just another business. In all, I probably personally watch over 20 Koufax games including a no-hitter and his perfect game, plus his Immaculate Inning of striking out the side on 9 pitches. Greatest and most dominant pitcher of all time, absolutely.
As I kid, I saw Koufax pitch against the Mets at the old Shea Stadium. My friends and I took the train in from Copiague and had box seats on the third base side a few rows back. Yes, kids could afford a good seat back then. Koufax was my idol, but he was gone in about the 5th inning that day, against the Mets. A few years later, I was watching the TV news at night with my parents and it was announced that Koufax was retiring due to arthritis. I cried. But many years on now, I can see that he did the right thing and put his health before the game and the money. I am a retired subway train operator from NYC and everytime while I was operating the D train I would pass Koufax's old high school in Brooklyn and think to myself, "Man, it would be so cool to go back in time and see Koufax pitch in high school...." . Anyone have a DeLorean?
I do but the time travel controller isn't reliable.
I can remember going to games growing up and we always went when Koufax was pitching. I never saw the Dodgers lose a game in person until later when I saw Don Sutton lose. I can also remember going to the beach on a weekend and Vin Scullys voice was heard. Two great memories of two great individuals
Hayley’s Comet! Never saw him play but the stories and stats are enough for me
Vin Scully's voice, it's sacred, not just for the game of baseball, but for sports in general
I still have the sports article from the LA Times where Jim Murray, their sports columnist was interviewing Pete Rose. Jim asked Pete Rose in all 24 seasons you played, who would you say the best picher you ever faced was: Pete said, you know Jim I faced them all, Gibson, Marichal, Fuller, Carlton, Seaver, Drysdale. No contest, Koufax!
Ron Davis: All time great pitcher Don Sutton compared all the greats and then came to the following conclusion.. "The most dominating pitcher. without a doubt and with no equal was Sandy Koufax" Koufax stood out even in a pitching rich era plus those Dodger teams were weak offensively so Koufax knew that quite possibly if he gave up 2 runs or more there would be a good chance he'd lose. 0.95 post season ERA shows that when the spotlight was the brightest he really showed up.
What an honor to be able to interview Vin Scully.
Willie Stargell said hitting Sandy Koufax was like eating soup with a fork . A true super star.
Man I’m only 30 and I would of loved to see Koufax and Bob Gibson live
Same, I’m 29 and dream about being able to see those guys.
I saw 'em a lot. They were GREAT!
Koufax was my childhood hero.... Get him a run and a win was almost assured... never saw him pitch in person... saw him at a Kershaw game in LA in 2012... that was a great day for me
i've never been west of arizona so i'm guessing that to watch clayton !!!!! kershaw pitch while seeing sandy koufax before your very eyes is a good way to pass the time. geez, louise! i was less than a year old the last time he pitched!
koufax, i mean.
Having lived at times in SoCal / LA, when, in my youth, I'd spend summers with my Mom & her USMC husband, I'd listen to Dodgers games on the radio, because both Mom & Frank liked baseball, & The Dodgers or The Cardinals. I listened to Vin Scully as early as 1955. . As a kid, my MLB hero was Hank Aaron . And in the summer of '61, I got to see Joe Adcock , Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews & Del Crandall hit 4 homers in a row, off of Drysdale , as the Braves bombed The Dodgers. I also got to hear Sandy Koufax pitch a 3 hitter the next game , as The Dodgers beat The Braves , & my man Hank went 1 for 5 . Drysdale was awesome ; Koufax was one of a kind ; only Bob Gibson came close.-------------MJL< 75 y/o Now.
I was blessed to see almost all of the great MLB players of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s play in person, but the one I will tell my grandchildren about is Sandy Koufax.
That is so true.
Vin's radio call of Sandy's perfect game is classic. I still webcast / broadcast occasional HS sports, and every now and then I remember something Vin said during a broadcast that no one else remembers, and I apply it to my own call of the game. Case in point: 2 yrs. ago I was the color commentator during a football game of St. John Bosco in So. Calif vs. Central Cath. of No. Calif. Bosco was the number one team in the nation, and the opponents were shutout by them by over 40 pts. in the 3d qtr. I remembered one night Vin commented on Dodger 3d baseman Mickey Hatcher having a terrible time that night in handling ground balls, so much so, Mickey started laughing and shaking his head. Vin described that and said "Mickey seems to think on a bad night all he can do is shake his head and say "what a guy you do.?' " I told about that incident and then said : "when you're Central Cath. and you're losing to the top team in the nation by over 40 pts. in the 3d qtr., all the Raiders can do is shake their collective heads and say "what can a team do ?' "
Listened to Vin announce many games when I was a kid in LA.
Koufax threw more complete games in one year, then all the National League pitchers throw combined last year
Simply the greatest
Man, how i wish i could have seen Sandy pitch. Used to like baseball a lot. Haven't watched a game in years. Not the same.
As a 12 year old boy, I attended my first Major League baseball game. Sandy Koufax pitched.
The very first Dodger game I ever went to, Bill Singer was the pitcher.
The G.O.A.T.
The reason Koufax was better than them all was that his fastball and curve had so much movement...the fastball would rise at the plate and the curve would drop several feet at the plate. I was impressed by Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson in my time on this earth.
Gibson was beyond intimidating...
@E W Pete Rose said when Koufax was on he was un-hittable.
@@AmericasChoice Yes, I agree with you...so my all time lefty is Koufax and my righty is Gibson. How about that?
@@johnnypastrana6727 Agreed 1000%
Nolen Ryan is the greatest pitcher of all time 4 decades of base ball 7 no hitters 5714 strikeouts and countless 1 hitters im 74 yrs l saw Kofax pitch and Ryan pitch and one other thing Nolen did all this as a right hander and thats hard to do.
About Koufax, Willie Mays said he had two pitches and he couldn't hit either one.
I am 76 and have been to Ebbett's Field 3 tmes, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium as well. I was Brooklyn Dodger fan and whenever he pitched I always felt that they would win. The fastball set up the curve and you would have the feeling that batters at times gave up!!
I had the great honor to see the perfecto against the Cubs in 1965. Double no hitter through six and Bob Hendley pitched the game of his life. Imagine throwing a one hitter and the only run you surrender was without benefit of a hit ?!?!? I’ve heard that O’Malley was secretly wishing for the double. May have been the greatest game ever pitched in MLB history. I think Hendley beat koufax the following week. I cannot remember.
Koufax struck out the last 6 hitters with a rising fastball. Interesting trivia - Harvey Kuenn made the final out that night as well as making the final out in Koufax’s no hitter against the Giants in 1963.
Robb Schwartz, you are correct. Five days after the September 9 game the two pitchers faced off again.
This time Hendley beat Koufax 2-1.
I saw him pitch at the Coliseum in LA. He appeared to me to be a machine.
In my 20's in the 60's I was playing in a slow pitch league and my cousin and I went to a local batting cage. The machines had big league pitcher names. I first hit the Warren Spann machine and hit it pretty good. Then like a dope I went to the Koufax machine and the place had put this one set on very high! About the only thing I could do is bunt. After that I had a tough time hitting slow pitch for a few games! Should have stayed on the Harvey Haddex one.
That cage was in Glendale, CA.
It was so fast.
@@karlcopley8730 The one we went to was in Thousand Oaks CA! I think if it had Koufax's name on it it was cranked up no matter what town it was in!!
Koufax had the pinpoint control of Greg Maddox but delivered it at 95mph!!!
Had Sandy Koufax not ruptured his left elbow on August 16,1964, reaching out to touch Second Base on a pickoff move by The St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, Koufax might have pitched until 1969.
I saw Koufax on TV. He had a great fastball and a devastating curve. He was almost impossible to hit.
Both The Big O and Sandy Koufax went to university of Cincinnati, cats producing the best
In his late 50s he was throwing batting practice in spring training for the Dodgers. The radar gun had him at 85mph.
@E W Ten years after Sparky Lyle retired from NY he was also throwing bp and the hitters finally said no more. Literally every ball he threw had MLB level movement on it. He couldn't throw a straight ball.
@E W Jimmy Morris from the movie The Rookie had an experience like that. Had major shoulder surgery, retired to teach chemistry at the highschool in Regan County Tx. Started throwing bp for his baseball team there and found there was no pain and the rehab was so complete that he was hitting mid 90s a decade after quitting.
When THAT curve was working. FORGET IT!! I mean FORGET IT!! He had you leaning and YOU were in trouble. Very good fastball and a curve that just fell off the table. GOODNIGHT!! Hit THAT!!
Yes this is very true about the curveball I heard Pete Rose talk about it. Pete of course was a great hitter. But I heard him say that koufax's curveball went from 12 to 6 very fast. He said it was impossible to hit even if he knew it was coming.
Rip Vin
His delivery smooth as butter in the American league Jim palmer
One other huge difference. Koufax was even more amazing and elevated his game in the post season, which was phenomenal because he was already at the top level. Kershaw on the other hand, was horrible and a huge choker in the playoffs. In fact he messed up for 8 straight post seasons but management kept giving him chances and he finally had one decent (not great) year. But look at his playoff stats and this boy has disappointment me over and over and over and over when I was a huge Dodger fan in the early 2000's.
Koufax has a 0.95 ERA in post season as a starting pitcher. Legendary!!!
I believe Pete Rose said he was the best as well. That a pretty knowledgeable opinion.
Pete Rose only had a .175 batting average against Koufax.
Koufax, at his peak, the goat. Gibson and McLain reached his level BUT only for 1-2 years; Pedro and Randy Johnson were ALMOST as good- but there is a difference between a pitcher walking to mound and knowing it could be a shutout vs a no hitter. NB too Koufax NEVER had a decent offensive team to support him, and never had big leads to play with hitters. Gibson McLain and Pedro played with much better offensive support, and Johnson had decent teams behind him most years, and strong teams some years. Steve Carlton ALSO never had support, and had more pitches than Koufax, and is often overlooked as perhaps second best pitcher of the post 1960 era.
Randy Johnson is not even in the same galaxy..no one talks about him.. people still talk about Gibson, Drysdale, Pedro, Clemens, Smoltz, Maddux.. Randy Johnson, no one...but none rise to the utter brilliance and mythology of Koufax.. Scully is correct: once every couple hundred years a meteor showers the sky..Bo Jackson was another..maybe prime Jordan.. that's about it
Willi stargell said trying to hit Koufax was like drinking coffee with a fork
Way late here, but Yep. I saw T. Williams at Fenway v. Yanks..... one player from any era to join your World Series team, I take Koufax.
The greatest of all time.
Casey Stengel - who saw a lot of pitchers in his life - once said. "Forget Mathewson and the rest of them, none of them was as good as the Jewish kid".
Pedro was the best I ever saw, but Koufax, Gibson, Feller, and Johnson were probably just as good. God decides if you can throw gas, but the best had crazy off-speed stuff, and God had to take a back seat in the greatest conversation. The big guy could only root and smile.
One correction to Scully's memory: the first half of Koufax's career was no more than mediocre. The second half was sublime.
If Koufax had been as great starting out in Brooklyn like he did later on in L.A., he would have been greater than Nolan Ryan, not that Sandy was a slouch pitcher. He definitely would have been a 300 winner had it not been for his early retirement due to an arthritic pitching arm.
100%.
Why was Koufax's arm so sore at 31? Maybe it was games like the one vs Milwaukee where he threw 209 pitches. There were no pitch counts back then. If you started you were expected to finish. Perhaps there should have been. In today's game he might have gone until 40.
Cowherd was forced at gunpoint to have to talk about baseball. He'd rather discuss, in July, which team in the NBA should be playing on Christmas Day.
in the beginning KOUFAX was dangerously wild, he could not find the plate to save his life......BUT BUT BUT ! ONCE HE DID, HE WAS THE GREATEST !
He had a traumatic arthritic condition in his left elbow which tendered to flare up under repeated stress. They say thats why he retired early.
go back to ebbets field imagine if dodgers stays in Brooklyn
Koufax was the best lefty , and Marichal was the best right ✋ .
In the 60'.
Marichal was great but I would go with Gibson. I never forgave him for hitting Johnny Roseboro over his head with a bat. Marichal said he buzzed his ear when Johnny threw back to the mound...mebbe so.
Jose Pinela Tom Seaver?
In terms of wins Juan's record is amazing (197) to Gibson's (164) in the 1960s. You make a strong argument Jose...all the best.
GOAT
I played some baseball in HS. I'm pretty sure I could have taken Koufax deep in his prime....
I hope that`s supposed to be funny
Wait.... Didn't think Cowherd even knew baseball was being played! All you ever hear on his show is the NFL & the NBA, and some college football. Boring!!!
Well, he’s right
Well, for me Koufax has got to share that number 1 classification with Marichal and Gibson. I cannot put him head and shoulders over those two pitchers.
I think that's true, although certainly the best lefty of that era.
If Sandy had gotten Tommy John surgery he would have pitched a few more years. But then, it would have been named Sandy Koufax surgery.
Cowchip... His show is for 11 & 12 year old kids...
Koufax and the Dodgers beat my team, the Twins in 7 games. 2-0 game by Koufax in game 7.
Koufax is the greatest player in the history of the game
As a Yankee fan from Brooklyn, I HATED all Dodgers who left Brooklyn. We were deserted. That goes for all Dodgers, including Koufax.
Deserted? As a Yankee fan why would you care?
Why not ask willie mays who was the best, mays face him .....
GOAT Check out the Fastball and the Curveball that drops out of sight.... th-cam.com/video/_Pv3kPVSGpU/w-d-xo.html
Cowherd 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡
Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax,the list gets pretty short pretty fast. If I had to choose one man for one start to save my life? Bob Gibson. Saw them both at their height.
Yeah, both were great...Gibson was a real competitor...
Gibson understood positional privileges unlike anyone else but Koufax is the 🐐
What people said about Koufax in the 60s is said about Max Scherzer nowadays
Zigor Campos McGregor are you crazy max scherzer isn’t even a top 30 pitcher all time
Max Scherzer may be a really good pitcher, but he's no Sandy Koufax. Not even close. Heck, I'd take Clayton Kershaw over Scherzer.
Scherzer is a great pitcher - kind of a real throwback - but until he goes 9 innings he will never be in Koufax's league. Scherzer has the stuff to win 25 games a year but with that bullpen, he will only get 15 because he only goes 7 innings, like just about everyone today.
Zigor Campos McGregor Schertzer has 10 complete games in his life. That's less than half a season for Koufax.
Ok. Everybody got me wrong here 😂 I’m totally aware Scherzer and Koufax are completely different levels. I was just saying that some of the things Scully said I’ve heard about Scherzer. Come on people no one is stupid enough to compare those two
Number 100 comment. Oh yeah!
Man, soy has aged little Colin badly.
Walter johnson bob gibson sandy Koufax were the best ever
Koufax, it seemed, always beat Gibson 1-0 when they went head-to-head.
Koufax 4 count em 4 of the greatest seasons ever and 2 good seasons that does not make a hof career, what a joke!
If you had seen him you would know the truth. Even his peers almost universally acknowledged Koufax as the greatest in their era. Remember, he was pitching to Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Banks, Rose, Allen, & so many other great players. Yes, he bloomed late, but he bloomed best. Imagine a star pitcher today carrying that kind of workload. 41 COMPLETE GAMES in two years! Also, youngest player ever voted into the Hall of Fame. Hundreds of ex-players & sportswriters weren't wrong. P.S.: Gale Sayers only played seven years yet is in the Hall of Fame, also as the youngest player ever . Coincidence, I think not.
YOU ARE PROBABLY A ZZZZZ GENERATION OR MILLINNEL. YOU TALK OUT OF YOUR HAT.THE PLAYERS TODAY ARE CRYBABIES,CURSE,POUND THERE CHEST,A PITCH CLOSE TO THE BATTER AND THEY GO NUTS.THEY DESTROYED THE GAME.50S,60S AND 70S ANDSOME 80S BEST OF THE BEST. NOW EVERY PLAYER THAT FACE SANDY WISH THEY WERE SICK THAT DAY BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE A10YR.OLD AT BAT.THEY SAID,AM I A BIG LEAGER?????***ALL GREAT BBPLAYERS BACK THEN,AND TODAY COULDN'T SHINE HIS SHOES.MAYS,AARON,ROSE,MANTLE ETC WAS PLAIN OUT SCARED OF HIM.OH I KNOW.THE GREAT PITCHER TODAY PITCHES 5 INNINGS STIKES OUT 5 AND THE CALL HIM GREAT.JOKE TIME!!! BRING IN THE RELIEF PITCHER SO THE BATTER DON'T HAVE 4 TO 5 BATS WHERE THEY COULD CLOCK THE TODAYS PITCHER. NOT THE G. O A.T.-K. O. U. F. A. X
Give me a break he had 3 great seasons out of 12 that is not special big deal
Love Vin Scully I think he's the greatest announcer probably of all time! He's also a Dodger fan so I would say he's got to be a little bias! I believe Pete Rose said Gibson was the toughest he ever faced but I could be wrong the 60s was a long time ago !but if its a Lefty I would have to take Randy Johnson talking about greatest pitchers of all time I would definitely have to take Nolan Ryan also ahead of him and 6 years is an awful short period of time! I would definitely take Prime Bob Gibson over Koufax! Noticed some people stating age I'm 65 and I've lived and died baseball, football, basketball, and boxing! Just my opinion because it's all opinions!
Rose said Koufax was the toughest pitcher he ever faced. 10-58, .172 BA. Rose said he hit over .300 vs. Gibson.
@@richstex4736 Were you see that the La news ive seen 3 specials bout Pete he finished 2nd to Gibson for Mvp 67 or 8 1 of the 2hr special he said Gibson!!
@@richstex4736 your were right on Koufax and Rose! A tip of the hat! That special on Rose ive got recorded ! Something like 60 minutes!
@@richstex4736 ld still take Bob 1.12 and Mvp 17 ks World series WSMVP
That was a great year for Gibson. He was my favorite after Koufax retired.@@davidwilliamson2341
six years doesnt qualify as the greatest of anything
One of the greatest just like Gail Sayers unfortunately the careers were ended short from injuries