Koufax

Author:

By Edward Gruver

Format:

Hardback

Availability:

In print, limited availability. Try our second hand search facility.

Price:

£15.99

Tagged with:

Baseball, Biography, Los Angeles (Brooklyn) Dodgers

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Further Details

• Published: 30th Apr 2000
• ISBN: 0878331573
• Pages: 288

From Word of Sport:

The life of one of America's truly great pitchers, Sandy Koufax, a man who not only eclipsed the records of sporting excellence with 382 strikeouts but rose to take on cult status as an icon for the Jewish community, refusing to play on holy days.

From the Publisher:

In the late fifties and early sixties, Sandy Koufax was one of the most brilliant pitchers in the game, wowing fans nationwide as a hard-throwing left-hander for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In Koufax, Edward Gruver tells the life story of the man many consider to be the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time. For proof, Koufax's supporters point to a five-year stretch, 1962-1966, when he dominated the game as no pitcher had before or has since. In the 1963 season alone, he went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, struck out a Major League record 15 Yankees in a Game One win over New York in the World Series, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Series.

For all his brilliance, however, Koufax held the national spotlight for a relatively short time. His stellar career was marred by arthritis in his throwing arm. A shy and private man, he prevented the national media from getting close to him. In 1966, Koufax retired at the young age of thirty while still at the height of his game. After a brief stint as a national broadcaster, he went into self-imposed exile from the national media and has lived in relative seclusion.

Koufax includes extensive interviews with the player's childhood friends, Brooklyn Dodger teammates, opponents, front office personnel, and sports journalists who covered his career. Gruver illuminates Koufax's relationship with teammates Don Drysdale and John Roseboro and his fight against his debilitating arm injury. Koufax will reacquaint generations of fans with a legendary player from their youth and introduce a new generation to one of baseball's greatest pitchers.