Editing Sandy Koufax (section)

==Career overall==
===Statistics and achievements===
In his 12-season major league career, Koufax had a 165–87 record with a 2.76 earned run average, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games, and 40 shutouts.<ref name="bbref-skoufax"/> He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched (6.79) and to strike out more than nine batters (9.28) per nine innings pitched, retiring with more career strikeouts than innings pitched.<ref>{{cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Hits per 9 IP |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hits_per_nine_career.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Strikeouts per 9 IP |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/strikeouts_per_nine_career.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> For the 1960s, he had the lowest ERA (2.36) and lowest WHIP (1.005) of any pitcher with at least 1,200 innings pitched and the third-most strikeouts in the decade (1,910) despite not pitching after 1966.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sandy Koufax: First Among Equals |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/sandy-koufax-first-among-equals/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |quote=The highest winning percentage (.695), lowest ERA (2.36), and lowest WHIP (1.005) of any pitcher who hurled 1,200 innings or more in the 1960s (as 66 did) belonged to Koufax, an over-the-top flamethrowing southpaw.}}</ref>

Koufax was the first pitcher to win three [[Cy Young Award]]s, an especially impressive feat as it was during the era when only one was given out for both major leagues. He was also the first pitcher to win the award by a unanimous vote, a distinction which he received twice more.<ref name="cyyoungaward"/>

He became the first pitcher in baseball history to have [[List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders|two games with 18 or more strikeouts]], and the first to have eight games with at least 15 strikeouts (now fourth-most all-time). He also set a then-record of 97 games with at least 10 strikeouts (now sixth-most all-time).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask?q=most+games+with+10+or+more+strikeouts+by+a+pitcher+all-time |title=Most Games with 10 or more Strikeouts, All-time |website=StatMuse.com}}</ref> In his last ten seasons, from 1957 to 1966, batters hit .203 against him, with a .271 [[on-base percentage]] and a .315 [[slugging percentage|slugging average]].<ref name="bbref-skoufax"/> His run of five consecutive [[List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders|ERA titles]] is a Major League record.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yearly League Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/earned_run_avg_leagues.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> He also led the majors in [[Walks plus hits per inning pitched|WHIP]] four consecutive times and [[Fielding independent pitching|FIP]] six consecutive times, both also records.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yearly League Leaders & Records for Walks & Hits per IP |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/whip_leagues.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yearly League Leaders & Records for Fielding Independent Pitching |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/fip_leagues.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

Since the start of the [[live-ball era]], Koufax is one of only nine pitchers to record multiple 10+ [[Wins above replacement|WAR]] seasons. He is also the only one to record an [[Earned run average|ERA]] under 1.90 in three different qualifying seasons. In each of his last ten seasons, from 1957 to 1966, Koufax finished top ten in [[strikeouts]], including top three finishes in seven; this was despite him being a part-time starter in three of those seasons and suffering a season-shortening injury in two. From 1961 to 1966, he recorded six consecutive 200-strikeout seasons.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simon |first1=Andrew |title=11 stats that show why Koufax is a legend |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/sandy-koufax-s-best-stats-and-accomplishments |website=[[MLB.com]] |date=December 30, 2022}}</ref>

Koufax is considered one of the greatest big game pitchers in baseball history. Sabermetrician [[Bill James]] described Koufax as having a bigger impact on pennant races than any other pitcher in the 20th and 21st centuries,<ref>{{cite book |last1=James |first1=Bill |title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |date=2003 |publisher=Free Press |url=https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist0000jame_p1y9/page/976/mode/2up |isbn=978-0743227223 |pages=977–978 |url-access=registration}}</ref> and though his [[Win–loss record (pitching)|record]] across four World Series is 4–3, his 0.95 ERA and two [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP Awards]] testify to how well he actually pitched.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/WS_pitching.shtml |title=All-time and Single-Season World Series Pitching Leaders|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/postmvp.shtml|title=MLB Postseason Willie Mays World Series MVP Awards|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> In his three losses, Koufax only gave up one earned run in each; the Dodgers scored only one run in support across the three games, getting shut out twice.<ref name="bbref-skoufax"/> His 22 consecutive World Series [[Scoreless innings streak#Postseason|scoreless innings streak]] is the fourth-longest in World Series history and ninth-longest in postseason history.<ref>{{cite web |title=MLB Consecutive Scoreless Innings Pitched Records |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/consecutive_scoreless_innings_pitched.shtml |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>

He was selected as an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] for six consecutive seasons and made seven out of eight possible All-Star Game appearances those seasons.{{efn|Major League Baseball held two All-Star Games for the years from 1959 to 1962.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/sports/baseball/15sandomir.html?ref=sports |title=When Midsummer Had Two Classics |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 15, 2008}}</ref>}} Koufax pitched six innings across four All-Star games; he was the winning pitcher in the [[1965 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1965 All-Star Game]], and was the starting pitcher in the [[1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1966 All-Star Game]], throwing three innings of one-run ball on two days' rest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sandy Koufax All-Star Stats |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/playerpost.php?p=koufasa01&ps=asg |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>
{{clear}}
{|class="wikitable"  style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! Category !! {{Abbr|W|Wins}} !! {{Abbr|L|Losses}} !! {{Abbr|ERA|Earned run average}} !! {{Abbr|G|Games played}} !! {{Abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{Abbr|CG|Complete games}} !! {{Abbr|SHO|Shutouts}} !! {{Abbr|SV|Saves}} !! {{Abbr|IP|Innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|H|Hits allowed}} !! {{Abbr|R|Runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|ER|Earned runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|HR|Home runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|BB|Base on balls}} !! {{Abbr|IBB|Intentional base on balls}} !! {{Abbr|SO|Strikeouts}} !! {{Abbr|HBP|Hit batsman}} !! {{Abbr|ERA+|Adjusted ERA}} !! {{Abbr|FIP|Fielding independent pitching}} !! {{Abbr|WHIP|Walks plus hits per inning pitched}} !! {{Abbr|H/9|Hits allowed per nine innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|SO/9|Strikeouts per nine innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| Total || 165 || 87 || 2.76 || 397 || 314 || 137 || 40 || 9 || 2,324.1 || 1,754 || 806 || 713 || 204 || 817 || 48 || 2,396 || 18 || 131 || 2.69 || 1.106 || 6.8 || 9.3 || <ref name="bbref-skoufax"/>
|}

===Pitching style and repertoire===
[[File:Sandy Koufax Pitching Motion 1964.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Koufax striding towards home plate|alt=a baseball pitcher on the mound and in full-stride, throwing towards home plate]]

Koufax was a [[power pitcher]] and threw with a pronounced straight-over-the-top arm action. Most of his velocity came from his strong legs and back, combined with a high leg kick during his wind-up and long forward extension on his release point toward home plate. His unusually large hands also allowed him to put [[spin rate|heavy spin]] on his pitches and control the direction in which they would break.<ref>[[#Leavy|Leavy]], pp. 9, 11–14.</ref>

Reserved and shy by nature, Koufax was a fierce competitor on the mound. He once pushed back on his "gentle competitor" image, saying: "It sure as hell isn't 'gentle', especially playing the game."<ref>[[#Leahy|Leahy]], p. 223.</ref> Though not a headhunter like teammate [[Don Drysdale]], contrary to belief, he did not hesitate to pitch inside or brush back an opponent, once remarking: "The art of pitching is instilling fear."<ref>[[#Leavy|Leavy]], p. 180.</ref>

Throughout his career, Koufax relied heavily on two pitches.<ref>[[#JamesNeyer|Neyer and James]], pp. 270–271.</ref> His [[four-seam fastball]] gave batters the impression of rising as it approached them, due to heavy backspin he created by pulling on the seams.<ref>[[#Leavy|Leavy]], pp. 7–8, 79.</ref> His overhand [[curveball]], spun with the middle finger, dropped vertically 12 to 24&nbsp;inches due to his arm action; it is considered by many as being the best curve of all time.<ref>[[#JamesNeyer|Neyer and James]], p. 34.</ref>

Though he had a [[changeup]], Koufax almost never threw it, eventually replacing it with a [[forkball]] which he used more regularly as a third pitch.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tim McCarver's Diamond Gems: Favorite Baseball Stories from the Legends of the Game  |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/timmccarversdiam0000unse/page/224/mode/2up |pages=224–225 |isbn=978-0071545945 |first1=McCarver |last1=Tim |first2=Jim |last2=Moskovitz}}</ref> Shortstop [[Roy McMillan]] described its movement as being not unlike that of a [[spitball#Legal spits|spitball]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Donnelly |first1=Joe |title=Sandy Worth His Wait in Cold |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-koufax-donnelly/114566218/ |work=[[Newsday]] |date=July 15, 1966}}</ref> In his final seasons, Koufax also began throwing a [[cut fastball|cutter]] to compensate for lost velocity.<ref>[[#Leavy|Leavy]], p. 227.</ref>