Sandy Koufax
⭐ Hall of Fame 1972
Born: 12/30/1935 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1955-06-24 | Final Game: 1966-10-02
Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 210 lbs
Full name: Sanford Koufax
Biography
Sandy Koufax, born in 1935, was a legendary pitcher whose career spanned from 1955 to 1966. He played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. Koufax finished his career with a remarkable record of 165-87 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.76. He struck out a staggering 2,396 batters, showcasing his exceptional ability to overpower hitters. Though he recorded only nine saves, his primary role as a starting pitcher allowed him to leave a lasting impact on the game during his era.
Koufax's accolades include three Cy Young Awards and two World Series MVP awards, underscoring his excellence in high-pressure situations. He was selected to the All-Star game seven times, a testament to his consistent performance and popularity among fans and peers alike. His induction into the Hall of Fame in 1972 solidified his status as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Koufax's career coincided with a transformative period in baseball, and his remarkable skills and competitive spirit made him a symbol of the sport's golden age.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165 | 87 | 397 | 314 | 137 | 40 | 9 | 2324.3 | 1754 | 713 | 204 | 817 | 2396 | 2.76 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | NL | 2 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41.7 | 33 | 14 | 28 | 30 | 3.02 | 376.7 |
| 1956 | BRO | NL | 2 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58.7 | 66 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 4.91 | -1605.6 |
| 1957 | BRO | NL | 5 | 4 | 34 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 104.3 | 83 | 45 | 51 | 122 | 3.88 | 1191.6 |
| 1958 | LAD | NL | 11 | 11 | 40 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 158.7 | 132 | 79 | 105 | 131 | 4.48 | - |
| 1959 | LAD | NL | 8 | 6 | 35 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 153.3 | 136 | 69 | 92 | 173 | 4.05 | - |
| 1960 | LAD | NL | 8 | 13 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 175.0 | 133 | 76 | 100 | 197 | 3.91 | - |
| 1961 | LAD | NL | 18 | 13 | 42 | 35 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 255.7 | 212 | 100 | 96 | 269 | 3.52 | - |
| 1962 | LAD | NL | 14 | 7 | 28 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 184.3 | 134 | 52 | 57 | 216 | 2.54 | - |
| 1963 | LAD | NL | 25 | 5 | 40 | 40 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 311.0 | 214 | 65 | 58 | 306 | 1.88 | - |
| 1964 | LAD | NL | 19 | 5 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 223.0 | 154 | 43 | 53 | 223 | 1.74 | - |
| 1965 | LAD | NL | 26 | 8 | 43 | 41 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 335.7 | 216 | 76 | 71 | 382 | 2.04 | - |
| 1966 | LAD | NL | 27 | 9 | 41 | 41 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 323.0 | 241 | 62 | 77 | 317 | 1.73 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | 776 | 26 | 75 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 43 | 386 | 0.097 | 0.145 | 0.116 | 0.261 | -7296.6 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | NL | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1956 | BRO | NL | 16 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.118 | 0.0 |
| 1957 | BRO | NL | 34 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | LAD | NL | 40 | 49 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 0.122 | -508.4 |
| 1959 | LAD | NL | 35 | 54 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 0.111 | -526.1 |
| 1960 | LAD | NL | 37 | 57 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0.123 | -563.8 |
| 1961 | LAD | NL | 42 | 77 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 35 | 0.065 | -905.9 |
| 1962 | LAD | NL | 28 | 69 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 0.087 | -765.5 |
| 1963 | LAD | NL | 40 | 110 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 51 | 0.064 | -1263.3 |
| 1964 | LAD | NL | 29 | 74 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 0.095 | -774.8 |
| 1965 | LAD | NL | 43 | 113 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 44 | 0.177 | -649.7 |
| 1966 | LAD | NL | 41 | 118 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 57 | 0.076 | -1339.1 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0.053 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | WS | LAN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1965 | WS | LAN | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.111 |
| 1963 | WS | LAN | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1959 | WS | LAN | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 57.0 | 36 | 6 | 11 | 61 | 0.95 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | WS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.50 |
| 1965 | WS | LAN | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 29 | 0.38 |
| 1963 | WS | LAN | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 1.50 |
| 1959 | WS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 397 | 314 | 64 | 228 | 14 | 13 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | P | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | BRO | P | 16 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | BRO | P | 34 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | LAN | P | 40 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| 1959 | LAN | P | 35 | 23 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960 | LAN | P | 37 | 26 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | LAN | P | 42 | 35 | 7 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1962 | LAN | P | 28 | 26 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963 | LAN | P | 40 | 40 | 4 | 34 | 3 | 1 |
| 1964 | LAN | P | 29 | 28 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| 1965 | LAN | P | 43 | 41 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| 1966 | LAN | P | 41 | 41 | 7 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 397 |
Awards & Honors
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati | OH | 1954 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Cy Young Award | ML | 1st | 20.0 | 20 | 20 |
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 208.0 | 280 | 9 |
| 1965 | Cy Young Award | ML | 1st | 20.0 | 20 | 20 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 177.0 | 280 | 6 |
| 1964 | Cy Young Award | ML | 3rd | 1.0 | 20 | 1 |
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 7.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Cy Young Award | ML | 1st | 20.0 | 20 | 20 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 237.0 | 280 | 14 |
| 1962 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 3.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 5.0 | 224 | 0 |