A model of this story first ran in January 2022.
In 1972, Sandy Koufax was formally voted into the Corridor of Fame, alongside Yogi Berra and Early Wynn. He was solely 36 years outdated, an indication each of how dominant he was at his greatest and the untimely finish to his profession.
Almost 300 pitchers in AL/NL historical past have began extra video games than Koufax. Almost 200 have racked up extra wins. Eighty-one have accrued extra wins above substitute (WAR), as a pitcher, per Baseball-Reference.
However few have crafted a legacy as revered and enduring because the Dodgers left-hander, particularly in so brief a time.
Koufax solely pitched within the Majors for 12 seasons and didn’t really discover his kind till the final six of these. He suited up for the final time earlier than his thirty first birthday. But Koufax’s peak efficiency was so breathtaking — and his type so indelible — that greater than a half-century after elbow woes compelled an early retirement, his identify nonetheless conjures ideas of greatness and glory.
Such nice heights: An all-time peak
Koufax’s profession may be conveniently cut up into two halves, one earlier than he harnessed his stuff and one after.
1955-60: 4.10 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 22.5% Ok-rate, 13.4% BB-rate, 6.7 WAR
1961-66: 2.19 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 26.5% Ok-rate, 6.4% BB-rate, 46.4 WAR
How overwhelming was Koufax in these final six seasons? Throughout that point, he made the All-Star crew yearly and led the Nationwide League within the following classes: innings (twice), full video games (twice), shutouts (thrice), wins (thrice), ERA (5 occasions), ERA+ (twice), FIP (six occasions), WHIP (4 occasions), strikeouts (4 occasions), Ok-rate (5 occasions), hits-per-nine-innings (5 occasions), Ok-to-BB ratio (thrice) and pitching WAR (twice). Koufax had a virtually 8-WAR lead over some other pitcher throughout that span and is certainly one of simply 9 pitchers within the Stay Ball Period (since 1920) with a number of 10-WAR campaigns.
Going out on prime: 36 WAR in his final 4 years
What’s maybe most superb concerning the second half of Koufax’s profession is that he was steadily in agony throughout that point, after creating extreme arthritis in his left elbow. Koufax tried all kinds of therapies, however drugs was hardly as superior as it’s at this time, and there was little he might do to flee the ache. Regardless of that, Koufax threw almost 1,200 regular-season innings over his final 4 years and piled up 36.3 pitching WAR. The one pitchers within the Stay Ball Period to do higher over any four-season span are Lefty Grove (1929-32 and ’30-’33), Randy Johnson (1999-2002) and Pedro Martinez (1997-2000). No one has come remotely near Koufax over their ultimate 4 seasons.
Most pitching WAR in ultimate 4 seasons
1920-2023, per Baseball-Reference
1) Sandy Koufax (1963-66): 36.3
2) Cliff Lee (2011-14): 20.2
3) Brandon Webb (2006-09): 18.8
4) Roger Clemens (2004-07): 18.2
5) Don Wilson (1971-74): 18.0
Better of his ERA: 5 NL titles
In every of his ultimate 5 seasons, Koufax led the NL in ERA, making him the one pitcher in historical past to complete first in his league (AL or NL) in that class so a few years in a row. (He additionally led in FIP in every of these 5, not that anybody knew what FIP was on the time). Koufax’s whole ERA over these 5 seasons was 1.95, and he’s the one pitcher within the Stay Ball Period to publish an ERA underneath 1.90 in three totally different qualifying seasons. Regardless of his gradual begin, Koufax’s 2.76 profession ERA ranks fourth within the Stay Ball Period amongst these with a minimum of 2,000 innings.
The king: Three MLB Triple Crowns
The Triple Crown is most well-known with regard to hitters (batting common, residence runs, RBIs), however there’s one for pitchers, too (wins, ERA, strikeouts). Koufax not solely gained three NL pitching Triple Crowns (1963, ’65, ’66), he truly led all of MLB within the three classes in every of these seasons. In response to the Elias Sports activities Bureau, Koufax is the one pitcher to complete first within the Majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts in the identical season three totally different occasions since earned runs turned an official stat in each leagues in 1913. Since Koufax’s trifecta, all pitchers mixed have completed the feat simply thrice (Dwight Gooden in 1985, Johan Santana in 2006 and Shane Bieber in a shortened season in 2020).
Ok is for Koufax: 382 in a season
Together with his blazing fastball and plummeting curveball, Koufax was a nightmare for hitters, particularly on this period earlier than the mound was lowered in 1969. He completed within the prime 10 within the NL in strikeouts in every of his final 10 seasons (1957-66) and within the prime three seven occasions. Koufax led the Majors in 1961 (269), ’63 (306), ’65 (382) and ’66 (317), with Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Nolan Ryan the one different pitchers within the Trendy Period (since 1900) to achieve the 300 mark thrice. That whole of 382 in 1965 set a contemporary single-season document, since surpassed solely by Ryan (383 in 73).
Dwelling candy residence: Dominant at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium didn’t open till 1962, and it’s not a whole coincidence that Koufax’s profession took off at about that time. The brand new ballpark was heaven for pitchers in these days, and Koufax was untouchable there. Listed below are his seasonal ERAs at Dodger Stadium, every of which got here in additional than 100 innings: 1.75, 1.38, 0.85, 1.38 and 1.52. That 0.85 mark is a Stay Ball Period document at any ballpark (minimal 100 innings), and all 5 seasons rank within the prime 100. Postseason included, Koufax made 88 profession begins at Dodger Stadium and allowed greater than three earned runs in simply 4 of them (4.5%).
Lowest profession ERA at any ballpark
Min. 500 IP, 1920-2023
1) Sandy Koufax: 1.37 (Dodger Stadium)
2) Jacob deGrom: 2.12 (Citi Subject)
3-T) Don Drysdale: 2.19 (Dodger Stadium)
3-T) Clayton Kershaw: 2.19 (Dodger Stadium)
5) Dean Probability: 2.24 (Dodger Stadium)
Cy collector: Three awards in 4 years
Koufax is certainly one of 11 pitchers in Main League historical past to declare a minimum of three Cy Younger Awards, and he’s the one one of many 10 to take action within the period when there was only one award (1956-66), as an alternative of separate awards for the AL and NL. All three got here in a four-season span and stay three of the most spectacular Cy-winning campaigns of all time. Koufax gained unanimously in 1963 (when he was additionally the NL MVP), ’65 and ’66 and completed third in ’64 (the Angels’ Dean Probability was first). He was the primary pitcher to win in back-to-back years, a membership that has now grown to 11. And Koufax is the one pitcher in MLB historical past to win a Cy in his ultimate season.
Mr. Zero: 4 no-hitters
The indestructible Ryan is the all-time document holder with seven no-hitters, the final of which got here when he was 44 — 14 years older than Koufax was in his ultimate recreation. However in addition to Ryan, no pitcher can match Koufax’s 4 no-hitters, which amazingly all got here in a span of barely greater than three years, between June 30, 1962, and Sept. 9, 1965. Koufax is the one pitcher to throw one in 4 consecutive seasons, with three of these performances together with a minimum of a dozen strikeouts. The lefty joins Cy Younger himself as the one hurlers to incorporate an ideal recreation amongst a bunch of a minimum of three no-nos. The perfecto got here towards the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965, when Koufax struck out 14, which is tied for probably the most in such a efficiency. Koufax’s 101 Sport Rating that day is tied for the fourth-highest on document in an outing of not more than 9 innings.
Proudly owning October: 0.95 postseason ERA
Koufax nonetheless boasts one of the vital spectacular postseason résumés in Main League historical past. He made eight profession playoff appearances, together with seven begins (all within the World Sequence, which again then was the one spherical), and threw 57 innings with a 0.95 ERA. That is still the bottom in historical past for a pitcher with a minimum of 5 postseason begins and the second lowest for a pitcher with 40-plus innings, trailing solely legendary nearer Mariano Rivera (0.70). Koufax dominated. He struck out 61 batters in these 57 innings, threw 4 full video games and two shutouts, and allowed a mere .180/.223/.240 batting line (.463 OPS).
A Fall Traditional Favourite: Two-time World Sequence MVP
The Dodgers gained three of the 4 World Sequence through which Koufax pitched (1959, ’63, ’65), and he had lots to do with that. Within the latter two of these collection, Koufax was named the World Sequence MVP, making him certainly one of 4 multiple-time winners, together with fellow Corridor of Famers Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson, in addition to Corey Seager, who joined the membership in 2023.
Towards the Yankees in 1963, Koufax set a postseason document — since equaled or bettered by six others — with 15 strikeouts in Sport 2 earlier than coming again on three days’ relaxation to complete off the sweep with a Sport 4 full recreation. Towards the Twins in ’65, when Koufax famously sat out Sport 1 in observance of Yom Kippur, he took a tough-luck loss in Sport 2 however then got here roaring again with shutouts in Sport 5 (three days’ relaxation) and Sport 7 (two days’ relaxation). Koufax stays the newest of 5 pitchers to throw a number of shutouts in the identical World Sequence, and he’s the one one to twirl two begins with a Sport Rating of 88 or higher in any single postseason collection.
Howdy, Corridor: Inducted at 36
Koufax’s peak was so spectacular that although he hung up his spikes at age 30, there was little doubt that he was Corridor of Fame-worthy. When Koufax first got here on the poll in 1972, he cruised previous the 75% threshold, netting 86.9% of the vote. For the sake of comparability, that’s a better proportion than fellow lefty Warren Spahn bought on his first poll a 12 months later (83.2%) or than one other southpaw, Whitey Ford, bought on his second poll in ’74 (77.8%). Koufax was solely 36 on the time, which makes him the youngest inductee in Corridor historical past, and he’s now been enshrined in Cooperstown for greater than 50 years.