Tomasik: On Curt Flood’s dominance against Sandy Koufax
From SABR member Mark Tomasik at RetroSimba on May 1, 2013:
Curt Flood, a career .293 hitter but never known for his power, slugged two home runs against Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax. Both were historic.
The first was a leadoff shot that sparked a rare feat. The second was significant because it was the last home run hit against Koufax.
On April 26, 2013, Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran, the first two batters in the Cardinals’ order, hit consecutive home runs in the first inning against the Pirates’ Jonathan Sanchez. Boxscore
They are the first pair to lead off a game for the Cardinals with home runs since Tony Womack and Reggie Sanders did it against the Rockies’ Denny Stark in April 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Boxscore
Before that, the last pair of Cardinals who led off with back-to-back home runs in the first inning were Flood and Gene Freese — against Koufax.
Read the full article here: http://retrosimba.com/2013/05/01/sandy-koufax-i-still-dont-know-how-to-pitch-to-curt-flood/
Originally published: May 2, 2013. Last Updated: May 2, 2013.