Sandy Koufax, baseball player, 1955-1966

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

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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

Career ERA 2.76 vs. league average 3.77 across their career seasons — 26.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 BRO NL 2 2 12 5 2 2 0 41.7 33 14 28 30 3.02 4.00 (+24%) 376.7
1956 BRO NL 2 4 16 10 0 0 0 58.7 66 32 29 30 4.91 3.96 (-24%) -1605.6
1957 BRO NL 5 4 34 13 2 0 0 104.3 83 45 51 122 3.88 3.83 (-1%) 1191.6
1958 LAD NL 11 11 40 26 5 0 1 158.7 132 79 105 131 4.48 3.86 (-16%) -
1959 LAD NL 8 6 35 23 6 1 2 153.3 136 69 92 173 4.05 3.90 (-4%) -
1960 LAD NL 8 13 37 26 7 2 1 175.0 133 76 100 197 3.91 3.82 (-2%) -
1961 LAD NL 18 13 42 35 15 2 1 255.7 212 100 96 269 3.52 4.03 (+13%) -
1962 LAD NL 14 7 28 26 11 2 1 184.3 134 52 57 216 2.54 3.96 (+36%) -
1963 LAD NL 25 5 40 40 20 11 0 311.0 214 65 58 306 1.88 3.46 (+46%) -
1964 LAD NL 19 5 29 28 15 7 1 223.0 154 43 53 223 1.74 3.58 (+52%) -
1965 LAD NL 26 8 43 41 27 8 2 335.7 216 76 71 382 2.04 3.50 (+42%) -
1966 LAD NL 27 9 41 41 27 5 0 323.0 241 62 77 317 1.73 3.52 (+51%) -

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

Career AVG .097 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 61.9% below league average.

Career OBP .145 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 54.9% below league average.

Career SLG .116 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 70.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.261 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — 63.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS 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 .256 (-57%) .323 (-56%) .392 (-57%) .715 (-57%) -526.1
1960 LAD NL 37 57 1 7 0 0 0 1 0 3 28 0.123 .255 (-52%) .323 (-49%) .387 (-68%) .711 (-59%) -563.8
1961 LAD NL 42 77 3 5 0 0 0 2 0 9 35 0.065 .258 (-75%) .328 (-50%) .399 (-84%) .727 (-69%) -905.9
1962 LAD NL 28 69 1 6 0 0 1 4 0 2 42 0.087 .257 (-66%) .326 (-65%) .393 (-67%) .719 (-66%) -765.5
1963 LAD NL 40 110 3 7 0 0 1 7 0 6 51 0.064 .246 (-74%) .308 (-64%) .371 (-76%) .680 (-70%) -1263.3
1964 LAD NL 29 74 3 7 0 0 0 1 0 3 32 0.095 .250 (-62%) .312 (-55%) .377 (-75%) .690 (-66%) -774.8
1965 LAD NL 43 113 4 20 2 0 0 7 0 10 44 0.177 .245 (-28%) .310 (-22%) .371 (-48%) .682 (-36%) -649.7
1966 LAD NL 41 118 5 9 3 0 0 5 0 5 57 0.076 .248 (-69%) .309 (-64%) .376 (-73%) .685 (-69%) -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

Year Award Notes
1966 Cy Young Award
1966 Hutch Award
1966 Pitching Triple Crown
1966 TSN All-Star P
1966 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1965 Babe Ruth Award P
1965 Cy Young Award
1965 Pitching Triple Crown
1965 TSN All-Star P
1965 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1965 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1965 World Series MVP
1964 TSN All-Star P
1964 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1963 Babe Ruth Award P
1963 Cy Young Award
1963 Most Valuable Player
1963 Pitching Triple Crown
1963 TSN All-Star P
1963 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1963 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1963 World Series MVP

Featured In Rankings

#12
Top 25 Starting Pitchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 12 of 25
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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