Greatest Six Year Pitching Stretch Ever?

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

Did you actually know that there was a player so dominant, so consistent, and on such a streak that he could conduct his post game interviews before the game actually took place?

Arguably, the greatest six year stretch in pitching history allowed Sandy Koufax to do just this. 

From 1961 through 1966, Koufax went 129-47 ….pitching four no hitters including a perfect game and setting a season record with 382 strikeouts in 1965. He won 5 ERA titles in that time and led the league in wins 3 times, also throwing 11 shutouts in 1963!!! 

During this time, he was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award unanimously, first to win the award multiple times when only one was awarded for all of major league baseball. Koufax also won the award in his last season, 1966.

Based on his desire for privacy, wanting to be a good teammate and his phenomenal results, Koufax did post game interviews with Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully before the game! He was so masterful, consistent and confident in his pitches that he would generically describe how his curve ball was “working good today”, and how he was able to “locate his fastball”, along with thanking his teammates for great defense. This allowed him to be able to dress with teammates and leave the park in private while Vin Scully just played the tape over the radio as if it was a live interview.

Based on his 115 complete games through those last 6 seasons (in 211 starts), the Dodger relievers often took advantage of the night before Koufax would start since their chance of getting in the next day’s game was very remote. Unfortunately, one afternoon Koufax did indeed struggle prompting manager Walter Alston to have two relievers begin to warm up. Upon visiting Koufax on the mound, Walter asked how Sandy was feeling to which he replied, “a lot better than those two guys you have warming up”. Alston returned to the dugout and let Koufax complete the game.

Despite this incredible pitching performance, Koufax did have his certain troubles. Bob Uecker, arguably the worst hitter ever with a lifetime .200 batting average, was a huge thorn in Koufax’s side. The most dominant pitcher of that era, Sandy yielded a lifetime average to Uecker of .429 in over 50 at bats!  

Koufax himself often claimed fellow pitcher Lew Burdette was the toughest hitter he faced…probably because Burdette was also 5-0 pitching against Koufax and hit .308 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI and 1 BB.

So the next time you are tucked under the covers, listening to your favorite broadcaster deliver the post game interview, stop and think if that player had the performance worthy of pre-recording his answers!

"I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five."

Yogi Berra, in 1963