Total domination
By Larry Schwartz
Special to ESPN.com
"Sandy would strike me out two or three times a game. And I knew every pitch he was going to throw -- fastball, breaking ball or whatever. Actually, he would let you look at it. And you still couldn't hit it," says Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays about Sandy Koufax on ESPN's SportsCentury show which aired Friday, April 2.

Koufax, who won three Cy Young Awards in his last four seasons before retiring at age 30, was voted No. 42 among North American athletes of the 20th century by SportsCentury's distinguished 48-person panel.

SIGNATURE GAME

Oct. 14, 1965 -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston had this decision to make concerning his seventh-game starter in the World Series: Use Sandy Koufax on just two days rest or Don Drysdale on three days rest.

 Roy Campanella
Sandy Koufax won three pitching Triple Crowns.

Alston chose Koufax, and the left-hander didn't let him or the Dodgers down. Koufax, who had blanked Minnesota on four hits in Game 5, shut down the power-loaded Twins again. He allowed only three hits and struck out 10 again as the Dodgers won the World Series with a 2-0 victory.

And Koufax did it basically with just one pitch. Because he had difficulty getting his curve over the plate early, Koufax stuck with only his fastball. "It can't be done unless you are exceptional," said catcher John Roseboro, "and Sandy is the most exceptional pitcher in the game today."

Koufax walked three, two in the first inning. But he found his rhythm in the middle innings and dominated the Twins. He ended the game with a flourish, fanning Earl Battey and Bobby Allison to become the first pitcher to record three double-digit strikeout games in Series play.

Despite his arthritic left elbow, Koufax struck out 411 in 361 2/3 innings and went 28-9 this year, including the Series.

ODDS AND ENDS

  • In his early days, Koufax was so wild that one Dodger said, "Taking batting practice against him is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets. You don't give yourself much of a chance."

     
    FIVE-YEAR TEAR
      Here's how Koufax's final five seasons stack up against the best five consecutive years of other premier pitchers:
      Record Win pct.
      Sandy Koufax
    1962-1966    		 111-34 .766
      Walter Johnson
    1911-1915    		 149-63 .703
      C. Mathewson
    1904-1908    		 147-56 .724
      Lefty Grove
    1928-1932    		 128-33 .795
      Greg Maddux
    1993-1997    		 89-33 .730
      ERA ERA titles
      Sandy Koufax
    1962-1966    		 2.02 5
      Walter Johnson
    1911-1915    		 1.54 2
      C. Mathewson
    1904-1908    		 1.93 2
      Lefty Grove
    1928-1932    		 2.56 4
      Greg Maddux
    1993-1997    		 2.13 3
      Strikeouts IP
      Sandy Koufax 1,444 1,377
      1962-1966 9.4 strikeouts per 9 inn.
      Walter Johnson
    		1,181 1,746 2/3
      1911-1915 6.1 strikeouts per 9 inn.
      C. Mathewson
    		983 1,640
      1904-1908 5.4 strikeouts per 9 inn.
      Lefty Grove
    		925 1,408 1/3
      1928-1932 5.9 strikeouts per 9 inn.
      Greg Maddux
    		883 1,156 1/3
      1993-1997 6.9 strikeouts per 9 inn.

  • Before Koufax established himself as a star, he tied Bob Feller's major league record of striking out 18 in a nine-inning game on Aug. 31, 1959. He whiffed 15 of the last 17 San Francisco Giants he faced before a crowd of 82,074 at the L.A. Coliseum.

  • Koufax struck out 18 again (Cubs, this time) on April 24, 1962 at Wrigley Field.

  • His National League record four no-hitters were against the Mets on June 30, 1962; the Giants on May 11, 1963; the Phillies on June 4, 1964; and the Cubs (a perfect game) on Sept. 9, 1965.

  • Koufax was selected the Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year in 1963 and 1965.

  • His 11 shutouts in 1963 are the most by a left-hander this century.

  • In 1965, he was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

  • After the 1965 season, Koufax and Don Drysdale held out together, asking for a total of $1 million for three seasons. They signed one-year contracts late in spring training; Koufax received $125,000 (a raise of $40,000) and Drysdale $110,000 (a raise of $30,000). They were the highest paid pitchers in the game and only Willie Mays earned more.

  • Koufax won three pitching Triple Crowns in his Cy Young seasons, leading the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts in 1963, 1965 and 1966.

  • While Koufax had a 0.95 ERA in eight World Series games, his record was only 4-3 because of a lack of offensive support. He struck out 61, walked 11 and allowed just 36 hits in 57 innings. He was named Series MVP twice (1963 and 1965).