June 22, 1959: Sandy Koufax sets a night-game strikeout record and meets Saint Benny

Sandy Koufax was a 23-year-old hurler in his fifth season as a Dodger, and was off to an abysmal start: “My own start in 1959 had to be seen to be believed.”1 He feared receiving a one-way ticket to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Spokane from Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi.2

Expectations of Koufax were high since he signed with Brooklyn at 18 in 1954. His inconsistent flashes of brilliance frustrated the Dodgers and Koufax. He once told the media he “wasn’t sure whether he was a shlemiel or a shlemazel.”3

Koufax failed to survive the fourth inning in his first four starts in 1959. Nonetheless, Dodgers manager Walter Alston was convinced Koufax had promise. Koufax doubted his sincerity.4 After losing to the San Francisco Giants on May 26, Koufax won three starts.5 “The “$20,000 bonus baby looked like he was finally coming of age,” a Dodger beat writer commented.6

On Monday evening, June 22, 1959, Koufax was starting against the cellar-dwelling Philadelphia Phillies at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the first of a four-game series. Facing Koufax was 25-year-old righty Jim Owens.7 The Coliseum was so huge that “in the far reaches of the vast arena … the game resembled a pantomime.”8 It seated 92,500 for baseball.9 Not this night. Only 10,290 attended.10

Koufax dominated the top of the first, striking out the side. The Dodgers grabbed the lead in the home half. Jim Gilliam beat out a grounder to second for a single. Owens walked Charlie Neal on a 3-and-2 count. Wally Moon loaded the bases with a single to left.11 Owens prevented an onslaught, allowing one tally. Gil Hodges made the first out with a well-hit sacrifice fly to right to drive in Gilliam, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Owens stranded the two baserunners when Don Demeter stared at a third strike and John Roseboro hit a tapper back to Owens.

Harry Anderson tied the contest in the Phillies’ second with his eighth home run of the season.12 Unfazed, Koufax struck out two in the second inning and one in third. After four innings, Koufax had eight strikeouts.

The Phillies took a 2-1 advantage in the fifth. Leading off, Joe Koppe beat out a slow grounder to third. Richie Ashburn dropped a popup into center for his third consecutive single. With runners on first and third, Roseboro let Koufax’s first pitch to Dave Philley skip by him for a passed ball and Koppe scored an unearned run. Koufax walked Philley but struck out Wally Post and Anderson, giving him 10 K’s. Gene Freese flied out to end the inning.

“Owens’ compass went blooey” in the Dodgers’ fifth.13 He walked the bases loaded to start the frame. Hodges drove in Gilliam and Neal with a sizzling single to left.14 With runners at first and second, Demeter attempted to sacrifice the runners. Rising from his catcher’s stance, Valmy Thomas noticed Moon wandering off second and chased him down for an out.15 Demeter flied out. With two outs, Roseboro “lobbed” an Owens delivery for a bloop single scoring Hodges from second.16 Roseboro was thrown out trying to steal second. The Dodgers led 4-2.

In the sixth, Koufax allowed a walk but struck out each Philly looking. With 13 strikeouts, Koufax had tied the National League 1959 season high.17 Owens continued to dole out walks at a dizzying pace, enabling the Dodgers to extend their lead in the seventh. Gilliam walked and was sacrificed to second by Neal. Moon earned another free pass on four pitches. With Hodges batting, Moon and Gilliam pulled off a successful double steal. Hodges struck out swinging for the first out. Demeter was up again with another chance to drive in runs. “The rangy Oklahoman” was successful with a two-run single, taking second on Ashburn’s throw home.18 Roseboro grounded to first to end the inning. The Dodgers had a reassuring 6-2 lead.

The Phillies were still swinging at shadows in the eighth, failing to score. With one out, Freese singled. Jim Bolger, batting for Sparky Anderson, walked.19 Thomas went down swinging. Pinch-hitting for Owens, Bob Bowman was the 16th victim and third out as “Koufax cooled him with a fast ball on a full count.”20 Koufax’s strikeout tally was one behind the National League record held by Dizzy Dean and two from matching Bob Feller’s major-league record of 18.21 Koufax also “establish[ed] a new arclight record” for strikeouts.22 Koufax tied the Dodgers record set by Nap Rucker in 1909, and tied the record for most whiffs by a left-hander.23

Relieving Owens in the Dodgers’ eighth, Humberto Robinson gave up a leadoff single to Carl Furillo, who was forced out by a Maury Wills grounder.24 Wills tried to steal second and was thrown out in a double play as Koufax struck out looking. With Owens’ seven punchouts and Koufax’s 16 whiffs to go along with one from Robinson, the teams tied the major-league record for most strikeouts in a game, set at 24 on May 19, 1956, by the Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians.25 With Koufax pitching, the Dodgers had been involved in four of the five games that tied the previous NL record of 23.26 “I did it on purpose. I was tired of tying [that] record and wanted to break it,” Koufax said about his whiff.27

As the ninth approached, the sparse crowd evolved into “an echo chamber of cheers.”28 The fans knew that Dean’s record and perhaps Feller’s were in Koufax’s grasp. Koufax “didn’t realize he was making horsehide history” until, he said, “I heard somebody in the stands yell something about it.”29

The ninth was the one inning in which Koufax did not register a strikeout despite having chances. Koufax had two strikes on each batter he faced. The home crowd booed Demeter when he caught the fly balls hit by Koppe and Ashburn for the first two outs. The fans “yell[ed] for [Demeter] to drop the two fly balls hit to him, hoping against hope.”30 Koufax delivered a fastball on a 2-and-2 count to Philley, who hit a single toward Demeter. Philley attempted “to obtain extra mileage on a single,” but Demeter threw him out at second.31 A cacophony of fan anger descended, convinced Philley had intentionally run into the out to prevent Koufax from setting any records. On deck was Post, who had already struck out four times in the game. Later, Koufax said, “[W]hen I didn’t fan their lead-off, Joe Koppe, I felt I wouldn’t get any more.”32

The Dodgers at 37-33, winner of five of seven games, leapfrogged by Pittsburgh into third place, three games behind first-place Milwaukee.33 Philadelphia at 25-39 was mired in last place, where they remained. With his fourth straight win, Koufax was 4-1 with two straight complete-game victories and 64 strikeouts in 61 innings. Pitching coach Joe Becker said Koufax threw 147 pitches, of which 103 were fastballs, 42 were curves, and 2 were changeups.34 “I got the majority of the third strikes on a fast ball,” Koufax said.35 Koufax himself sat down on strikes three times.

Afterward, “sweat matting his coal-black hair,” Koufax listened to Demeter apologize.36 “I’m sorry I threw that guy out.”37 Koufax assuaged Demeter: “No. No. I didn’t want to pitch to Post. I wanted it to end right there.”38

“Sure I’d like to have had the record, but as bad as I was going early in the year, … I’m glad to be pitching here instead of Spokane,” Koufax said.39 It was not his best game: “I think my best one was my first complete game against Cincinnati in 1955 when I struck out 14.”40 Why was he pitching better? “Throwing strikes.”41

Adding to the heightened excitement of the game had been the sudden appearance of Benny Stone in the top of the eighth. Short, balding, and kindhearted, Stone was intent on winning a bet. The “self-styled philanthropist” for the Casa de Cuna Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, climbed over the third-base railing onto the field, blowing a whistle to halt action.42 Ambling to the mound, he chatted with Koufax, who “shook his head” no.43 “He said something about having a $500 bet–but when I heard that word ‘bet,’ I wanted no part of him,” Koufax said.44

Stone offered his business card to Koufax, who refused it. Roseboro snatched it forcefully from Stone “to get rid of the guy.”45 Walking to the first-base bag, Stone blew his whistle to start play again. A policeman grabbed him but Stone managed to escape his clutches. Magically, Stone appeared in the press room after the game, holding court. “Saint Benny” pulled out a cache of clippings praising his charitable work.46 Stone had gone on the field to meet Koufax to win a bet he made with vendors and planned to donate the proceeds to the orphanage.

Koufax said he was amused watching Stone standing at first base blowing his whistle. Koufax also said it might not have been uproarious “if it had some crackpot with a gun.”47 The police tracked down Stone. Saint Benny spent the night with the law.

Sources and acknowledgments

Many thanks to the Black Lion Cafe in Travilah, Maryland where I researched, conceived, and wrote several iterations of this article.

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the Baseball Hall of Fame Giamatti Research Center, Baseball-Reference.com, retrosheet.org, the Spokane Public Library, YouTube.com, the Library of Congress, and mlb.com.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195906220.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B06220LAN1959.htm

NOTES

1 Sandy Koufax with Ed Linn, Koufax (New York: Viking Press, 1966), 133. Koufax didn’t win his first game until May 31, and had an ERA over 12.00 on May 15.

2 Spokane was a member of the Pacific Coast League. Built upon its namesake river in eastern Washington, Spokane was the birthplace of Father’s Day and where Bing Crosby was raised.

3 Jane Leavy, Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002), 92. Americans of a certain age may recall the catchy theme song that opened the 1976 to 1983 ABC television show Laverne & Shirley, in which the lyric “shlemiel and shlemazel (or shlimazel)” was featured. The two words are Yiddish terms normally used in a comical tone with a twinge of sardonic humor. Merriam-Webster defines shlemiel as an Yiddish word meaning a bungler or chump or an inept clumsy person. Shlemazel is a habitually unlucky person. There is a Yiddish saying that places the similar-sounding words in context: “A shlemiel is somebody who often spills his soup and a shlemazel is the person it lands on.”

4 Koufax, 134.

5 In addition, Koufax came in a relief for a game and picked up a save.

6 Dave Siddon, “Lefty Fans 16 Phils; McDevitt Hurls Tonight,” Valley Times (North Hollywood, California), June 23, 1959: 8.

7 Jim Owens’ 1959 season was by far his best major-league season, with an ERA of 3.21 and a 12-12 record for a last-place team, with 11 complete games and 135 strikeouts in 221⅓ innings of work.

8 Al Wolf, “Players Complain but Fans Happy,” Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1958: Part II, 1.

9 In 1959 the dimensions at the Coliseum were 250 feet to left, 420 feet to straightaway center, 330 feet to the spot where the fence met the wall, and 300 feet to right.

10 The game was the smallest Coliseum crowd of the season until the 10,201 who attended the Dodgers 4-3 victory over the Phillies on August 2, 1959. See: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195908020.shtml.

11 Moon hit in his 15th straight game. It was the Dodgers’ longest hitting streak since and matching Gil Hodges 15-game streak in 1957. The single kept Moon in the National League top 10 in hitting with his .333 average.

12 Harry Anderson’s home run was the only extra-base hit of the contest.

13 Frank Finch, “Koufax Fans 16, L.A. Wins,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 1959: Part IV, 3.

14 Hodges drove in three runs in the game and extended his hitting streak to seven games.

15 In 1957 Valmy Thomas became the first major leaguer from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

16 Allen Lewis “Lefty Sets Night Mark, Just Misses NL Record,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 23, 1959: 35.

17 Koufax’s teammate Don Drysdale struck out 13 Milwaukee Braves to set the National League season high a few days earlier on June 15, 1959. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195906150.shtml. Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees held the 1959 major-league high at the time with 15 achieved on April 22, 1959, against the Washington Senators. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1195904220.shtml.

18 Finch.

19 George Anderson, the Phillies’ starting second baseman, is better known as the Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson of the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. The 1959 campaign was Anderson’s only season in the majors as a player.

20 Charlie Park, “Sandy Sets Night Mark by Whiffing 16 Phillies,” Los Angeles Evening Mirror News, June 23, 1959: Part III, 4.

21 Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals struck out 17 Chicago Cubs on July 30, 1933. The Cleveland Indians’ Bob Feller fanned 18 Detroit Tigers on October 2, 1938.

22 “16 Phils Fan, Dodgers Win,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 23, 1959: 1. Koufax broke the record of most strikeouts for a night game previously held by Johnny Vander Meer, Sam Jones, Bob Feller, and with 14. See Finch and also George Lederer, “Big ‘K’ Night for “Ko Koofoo’ Koufax!,” Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California), June 23, 1959: 17.

23 The record was held jointly at the time by Noodles Hahn, Rube Waddell, Nap Rucker, Jack Harshman, and Herb Score. See Lederer.

24 Owens pitched seven innings, allowing six runs, all earned, with seven strikeouts and the damaging seven walks.

25 Lederer. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE195605190.shtml.

26 Most recently against St. Louis on May 31, 1959. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195905310.shtml.

27 Lederer.

28 Lederer.

29 Al Wolf, “Didn’t Press in Last Inning, Just Tired, Explains Sandy,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 1959: Part IV, 3. Charles Maher (Associated Press), “Dodgers Fans Yell for Fielders to Drop ’Em,” Rock Island (Illinois) Argus, June 23, 1959: 14.

30 Siddon.

31 Finch.

32 Wolf.

33 After they tied for first place with records of 86-68, Los Angeles swept Milwaukee, 2 games to none, in a best-of-three tiebreaker playoff series to decide the winner of the National League pennant. The Dodgers proceeded to defeat the Chicago White Sox in six games to win the City of Los Angeles’ first World Series championship.

34 “Koufax Simply Glad He Beat Phils,” Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 23, 1959: 10. Baseball Reference indicates that Koufax threw 158 pitches. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195906220.shtml.

35 Park, “Sandy Sets Night Mark by Whiffing 16 Phillies.”

36 Park, “16 Whiffs Set League Night Mark,” Los Angeles Evening Mirror News, June 23, 1959: Part III,1.

37 Park, “Sandy Sets Night Mark by Whiffing 16 Phillies.”

38 Park, “Sandy Sets Night Mark by Whiffing 16 Phillies.”

39 Park, “16 Whiffs Set League Night Mark.”

40 “Koufax Simply Glad He Beat Phils.” Post played for the Reds in the game. He did not strike out against Koufax. The 14 strikeouts were Koufax’s career high until he achieved 16. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO195508270.shtml.

41 Park, “Sandy Sets Night Mark by Whiffing 16 Phillies.” On August 31, 1959, Koufax struck out 18 San Francisco Giants batters at home, setting a new National League record and tying the major-league record for the most strikeouts in a game. See https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195908310.shtml.

42 Associated Press, “Fan Approaches Koufax on the Hill,” Daily News-Post (Monrovia, California), June 23, 1959: 6.

43 Charlie Park, “Koufax Not Annoyed at Whistler’s Intrusion,” Los Angeles Evening Mirror News, June 23, 1959: Part III, 3.

44 Wolf. Other accounts indicated it was a $200.00 wager. See George Lederer, “Fan Visits Koufax ‘Wins’ $200 Bet,” Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California), June 23, 1959: 7.

45 Park, “Koufax Not Annoyed at Whistler’s Intrusion.” Buzzie Bavasi marveled at John Roseboro’s steadiness and leadership calling him the Dodgers’ “Rock of Gibraltar.” See Ken Lazabnik, Buzzie & The Bull (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2020): 90

46 Paul V. Coates, “Confidential File: Saint Benny and the Sad People,” Los Angeles Evening Mirror News, August 29, 1956: Part I, 2. The Mirror News tagged him as “Saint Benny.”

47 Park, “Koufax Not Annoyed at Whistler’s Intrusion.”