Sandy Koufax is an American professional baseball pitcher who retired from the position because of elbow arthritis.
Sanford Koufax aka Sandy was born on December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. During his school days, he was an excellent basketball player. At the age of 15, he joined a local baseball league, Ice Cream League where he played as a left-handed catcher.
Sandy’s professional career started when Los Angeles Dodgers signed him with a signing bonus of $14000 and a $6000 salary in 1955. His major breakthrough came in the year 1961 when he changed his pitching technique. He became an All-Star for six consecutive seasons bagging the title of the most valuable player in the National League in 1963.
Considered one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball, Koufax is the youngest player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is three times the winner of the Cy Young Award and National League Triple Crown. He has a win-to-loss record of 165-87 in his career in Major League Baseball with 2,396 strikeouts.
The Jewish athlete made headlines when he refused to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series which fell on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.
Koufax had to retire after he suffered arthritis in his left elbow. He pitched in the 1965-1966 World Series although it was causing him pain. Later he announced his retirement on November 18, 1966, at the age of 30.
No, Sandy Koufax Is Not Gay
People started questioning the sexuality of the baseball pitcher Koufax after New York Post ran a blind item about him.
The column claimed that he is secretly gay but later they apologized to the player for spreading false rumors. Hence, Sandy Koufax is straight.
The Hall of Fame player decided to cut the 20-year-long ties with the Dodgers as the newspaper was owned by the team’s parent company.
In 2013, he teamed up with Dodgers again to work as a special advisor along with the pitchers. He has been honored with his statue next to Jackie’s at the Dodger Stadium.
Sandy Koufax Wife Pic and Family Life
The birth name of the baseball player was Sanford Braun. He got his last name Koufax after his parents separated and his mother tied the knots with Irving Koufax.
The fantastic Jewish pitcher was married to the daughter of filmmaker and actor Richard Widmark, Anne Widmark in 1969. They separated in 1982 and he married his personal trainer Kimberly Francis in 1985.
His second marriage with Kimberly lasted for about 13 years and they divorced.
The left-handed baseball pitcher married for the third time Jane Dee Purucker Clarke who is the ex-wife of the artist John Clem Clarke.