Legendary pitcher to get statue at Dodger Stadium
Sandy Koufax to be honored by L.A. franchise
LOS ANGELES – The first arm immortalized in a Dodger Stadium statue will be the one once known as “The Left Arm of God.”
Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax will be honored with the second statue at the stadium. The statue is expected to be unveiled next year, in what the team is calling a new entertainment plaza beyond center field. The Dodgers plan to move the Jackie Robinson statue, installed two years ago on the reserve level, to the entertainment plaza, flanking the Koufax statue.
The news was tweeted by Alanna Rizzo, the Dodgers host/reporter for Sports Net LA and confirmed by a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity. An official announcement will come later Tuesday at a news conference at Dodger Stadium.
Koufax, 83, dazzled Los Angeles and all the major leagues with five of the most electric seasons ever recorded. He led the National League in earned-run average every year from 1962-66. He won three Cy Young awards – all unanimously – and the 1963 most valuable player award.
He pitched four no-hitters, making them an annual event from 1962-65. The 1965 game was a perfect game, immortalized in what often is regarded as the most magnificent call in Vin Scully’s career.
The Dodgers won the World Series in 1963 and 1965; Koufax was the World Series MVP in each series. In 1965, he started three games and completed them all, including the clincher on two days rest.
However, he gained his greatest fame in that series when he decided against pitching in Game 1 of the World Series so he could observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. In the wider American culture, that quiet act transformed Koufax from an excellent pitcher into a Jewish icon.