Sandy Koufax Was Not To Be Messed With (2024)

FAQs

How fast could Sandy Koufax throw a fastball? ›

Koufax was an American baseball legend. He possessed a 100-mph fastball and what announcer Vin Scully called “a twelve-to-six curveball” that started at 12 o'clock then dropped to 6 o'clock. From 1963–1966, he had the best four-year span of any pitcher in baseball history.

It was severe arthritis in the once-in-a-generation left arm of Sandy Koufax that led to the demise of his career. In fact, in April of 1966 Koufax was told that he couldn't go another season, but he did just that – winning a career high 27 games with a career-best 1.73 ERA.

Born Sanford Braun, he was given his stepfather's surname when his mother remarried. The young Koufax first excelled in basketball, which earned him a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.

The statistic highlights the exceptional performance of Bob Gibson during the 1968 World Series in a segment called Prime 9. It specifically focuses on his incredible ability to throw a pitch at an impressive speed of 103 miles per hour, which was considered one of the fastest pitches of that era.

How fast was Bob Gibson's Fastball? Bob Gibson's 4-seam fastball “sat” between 92-95 mph in the sample I considered. It's likely he actively varied his grip or intended velocity, producing a high velocity range, measured at 87-95, with numerous indications that he regularly exceeded 95 mph.

On April 24, Koufax tied his own record of 18 strikeouts in a 10–2 win over the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. On June 13, against the Braves at Milwaukee County Stadium, he hit his first career home run off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, providing the winning margin in a 2–1 victory.

Sandy Koufax was 6 ft 2 inches, 210 lb (188 cm, 95 kg).

On November 18, 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball despite being just 30 years old. Koufax was coming off the best season of his career, but sailed off into the sunset due to chronic arthritis.

Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. He has been married three times and has no biological children.

It was Koufax's fourth career no-hitter, and is the franchise record for no-hitters by one pitcher. At the time, Koufax's four no-hitters was the major league record for any pitcher, but has since been surpassed in 1981 by Nolan Ryan who ended his career with seven.

How many one hitters did Sandy Koufax throw? ›

Koufax threw twice as many no-hitters as one-hitters. His two one-hitters came in 1960 against the Pirates and 1965 against the Mets.

At his best, Seaver — whose compact delivery inevitably produced a signature dirt smear on the right knee of his uniform — threw a 98 mph fastball, and while he was often referred to as having a four-pitch arsenal that included his slider, curve, and changeup, he claimed to have numerous variants.

For Carlton, the trade meant a bigger paycheck, of course, but equally important, it freed him from a dictum St. Louis decreed: not to throw a slider. Carlton had a fastball in the 95 mph range, and a big, slow-breaking curveball.

In 1974, Nolan Ryan became the first Major League Baseball pitcher to be tracked by a radar during a game. His fastball topped out at 100.8 miles per hour., earning him the nickname "The Ryan Express".

A similar retroactive calculation exercise has also been done for Feller, widely accepted as the hardest thrower in the 1930s and 1940s. Feller had pitches tracked by equipment used by the Army to measure the velocity of ordnances, and one was measured at 98.6 MPH at home plate.