Sandy Koufax: My Boyhood Baseball Dream Comes True

As a young teenager growing up in The Bronx, I was a devout Yankees fan.

Then along came the New York Metropolitans and an opportunity to witness National Leaguers on the main stage.

Sandy Koufax became my idol. He and I have the same heritage. My dad had a color photo of Sandy laminated on wood, which hung in my room until I left home for good after college. Though we had never met, I thought of him as Sandy.

On May 30, 1962, my dad took me to the Polo Grounds to see the Dodgers play a doubleheader against the Mets. It was a warm Memorial Day. The Polo Grounds capacity was listed as 55,000. We did not have tickets. The attendance that day was 55,704. My dad and I were part of the 704 who stood. Sandy Koufax pitched a complete game in the opener. I, however, did not complete the game. At the age of 13, I became dehydrated from standing and headed home with my dad before Koufax finished what was for him a lackluster effort against a hapless Mets team (10 strikeouts and a victory but six earned runs allowed over nine innings, the most runs he surrendered in a game all season).

About 13 years ago I received a notification from SABR that Martin Abramowitz was seeking assistance in having the BioProject compile life stories of all the Jewish players. When I realized that no one had signed up to write about Sandy Koufax, I quickly volunteered.

I contacted the Baseball Hall of Fame Research Library and requested, at my expense, all the clippings in their Sandy Koufax player file. A week or two later the boxes arrived.

One of the clippings was a copy of an uncashed check signed by Koufax for $5 made out to Vic Lapiner, with a note from the pitcher stating that this was a bet he was glad to lose. Lapiner was a minor-league pitcher who later threw batting practice for the Dodgers. It was in that role that Lapiner became friends with Koufax. They shared the same Jewish heritage. I contacted Vic, who explained that over lunch, Vic bet Sandy that he would go into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

 

A foolish bet. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

 

A question arose when I wrote my bio of Sandy Koufax. I spoke with Vic about the issue. He gave me Sandy’s cellphone number. My reaction was “Are you kidding me?” Vic said Sandy owed him a favor. Well, I nervously called and received a generic voicemail greeting. I left a message stating that I wanted to verify some info in connection with the bio. I did not expect to hear anything back, not even knowing if I had the right number. That evening there was a voice message on my office phone from Sandy. His message said to write whatever I wanted, whether the truth or not, as everyone else does. I thought that this was closure. But the very next day another voice message arrived from Sandy. I immediately called him back. It remains a most memorable personal conversation. One that I treasure, like the picture in my room–wherever it may have gone. Sandy’s first message is the only saved message I maintain.

In this book you will read of Koufax’s pitching performances, his four no-hitters, strikeout records, World Series games, his early career struggles and successes, his rivalries, retirement decisions, life after baseball, the importance of his Jewish faith, and what his career might have been with modern medical technology and procedures.

So sit back, let the magic begin and read everything that is Koufax!

This book represents the collaborative work of 47 members of the Society for American Baseball Research.

MARC Z. AARON is a lifelong Yankees fan, having grown up in the Bronx. Despite this fact, he idolized Sandy Koufax and had the thrill of speaking with Sandy in connection with the SABR biography of Koufax he authored. Marc has been to games in Dodger Stadium and has contributed numerous bios to the SABR BioProject. He now resides in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where he does not play golf but continues to play competitive tournament tennis.