Editing Sandy Koufax (section)

===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>