My article, “Sandy in Minny: Honoring Him for That,” appears in the latest edition of SABR’s The National Pastime, which was devoted to baseball in the North Star State.
Koufax, the Dodger’s Hall of Famer, famously declined to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
The title of the piece was borrowed from “Come Yom Kippur,” a poem by Edgar Guest about Hank Greenberg, baseball’s first Jewish superstar, who sat out a crucial game during the Detroit Tigers pennant chase in 1934.
We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat
But he’s true to his religion — and I honor him for that!
Unlike Greenberg, Koufax was not raised in an observant household. But he felt the need to be a role model for Jewish youth, which he certainly was.
The Dodgers lost that first game, with Don Drysdale giving up seven runs (only three earned) in 2.2 innings. He supposedly said to manager Walt Alston when the skipper came to pull him, “I bet you wish I was Jewish right about now.”
Koufax went on to win three games, including Game Seven on short rest. He was named Series MVP for his efforts.
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