Coffey: How Sandy Koufax unleashed Dave Stewart’s stare on the baseball world
From Alex Coffey at The Athletic on May 13, 2020:
Dave Stewart says that even on his worst days, he could win because he was feared; he could win before he even stepped on the mound. It wasn’t always this way, especially not at the very beginning. He showed up to Dodgertown in 1976 raw and nervous, a 19-year-old kid with his cap raised high, a pitcher who had the stuff to turn big leaguers into little leaguers but couldn’t find the strike zone.
There was no shortage of franchise legends milling about Dodgertown at that time. It was not uncommon to see Don Drysdale in the cafeteria, or Roy Campanella in the backfields. They were as much of a resource to him as a bullpen session or fielding practice.
But there was one who was more than a resource, a man who laid a foundation. Stewart remembers the first time they met. He was a quiet man, but with a warm smile and kind eyes, the type of face that could welcome you in without saying anything at all. He was Sandy Koufax.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1808367/2020/05/13/how-sandy-koufax-unleashed-dave-stewarts-stare-on-the-baseball-world/
Originally published: May 13, 2020. Last Updated: May 13, 2020.