Sandy Koufax got a call and couldn’t wait to help Wagner who just came to the Mets from the Nats in the off season. Koufax was a personal favorite of mine from childhood.
There was no one finer than Koufax. The lefty had a winning percentage of .655. He struck-out 2,396. His career ERA was 2.76.
At the age of 36 he was the youngest player ever elected to the Hall of Fame.
He was a minor league pitching coach for Dodgers organization from 1979 until 1990 but quit. Some said it had to do with a poor relationship with manager Tommy Lasorda. Ironically Lasorda was sent down to Montreal of the International league to make room on the Dodger roster for Koufax in 1955.
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Koufax was formerly married to Anne Widmark daughter of the renowned actor Richard Widmark whose family just today announced his passing. Their marriage ended in divorce.
Wagner admitted he was a little in awe of the Dodgers great.“It’s hard. You’re trying to work on stuff and listen to what he says,” he said. “But in the back of your head you’re thinking, ‘This is Sandy Koufax. This guy was great.’ So it took a lot of willpower not to get caught up in wanting to talk about him and what he had accomplished and let him work with me.” *
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5 months ago
My grandfather, Rube Walker, had the honor of being Sandy Koufax's catcher in 1958, the first season that the Dodgers called Los Angeles their home. That 1958 season ended up being my grandfather's final season as a Major League Baseball player.
Sandy Koufax is one of the most underrated pitchers of all time!!! His lack of appreciation stems from his shortened career. In 1966, Koufax was still pitching in his prime when he was struck down with a series of bizarre injuries in the offseason after the World Series that year. His four no-hitters places Koufax second on the all-time list next to Nolan Ryan. More impressively, it took Nolan Ryan 19 seasons from his first no-hitter to his seventh. On the other hand, it took Koufax less than 7 seasons from hurling his first no-hitter to his fourth!!!
5 months ago
For those who don't know your father did a great job with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, et.al during the fabled 1969 season. You are descended from baseball royalty!
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