Los Angeles Dodgers Mount Rushmore
By David Hill
Sandy Koufax (1955-1966)
It took some time for Sandy Koufax to establish himself. Once he did, the Los Angeles Dodgers lefty became a star.
Koufax began his career with the Dodgers at 19 years old, a “bonus baby” who was required to remain on the major league roster for two seasons before he could be sent to the minors. He showed an impressive fastball, but lacked control, walking over five batters per nine innings in his first six seasons. He seemed destined to be unable to harness his potential until Norm Sherry convinced him to ease up on his delivery.
That proved to be the key to unlocking his ability. From that point, Koufax went on an impressive run of dominance, becoming the top pitching in the National League. He was a six time All Star, and won the Cy Young award three times, winning the Pitching Triple Crown each time. Koufax led the NL in strikeouts four times, and lead in ERA for five consecutive years. Koufax also held the record with four no hitters, including a perfect game, until he was surpassed by Nolan Ryan.
Unfortunately, right when Koufax was at his dominant peak, his career was over. He retired at 30 years old due to crippling arthritis in his pitching arm, making his performance all the more impressive. Overall, the Dodgers legend had a 165-87 record, along with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.106 WHiP. In his 2324.1 innings, Koufax notched 2396 strikeouts with only 817 walks.
Sandy Koufax was one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball history. Had his arm held up, his legendary performance could have been even more spectacular.