Baseball Book Review – Sandy Koufax, A Lefty’s Legacy by Jane Leavy

This past January, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY announced that three new members will be inducted in the Summer of 2025. The three members (Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner) were voted into the Hall of Fame by members of the Baseball Writers Association of American. Each member received the required 75% votes (BBWAA members cast votes and then the totals are tallied) to gain induction and will join peers and past players in the famous baseball building in a ceremony this Summer. Ichiro and Sabathia gained induction (enough BBWAA votes) on their first year of eligibility, while Billy Wagner labored a few years of under 75% threshold before finally getting the required number of votes for induction this year. Congrats to all the players, including those voted in by the Veterans Committee (Dick Allen, Dave Parker) who will now find a spot on those beautiful walls in Cooperstown.

Another first time Hall of Fame inductee was Sandy Koufax. Koufax was elected by nearly 87% of the BBWAA votes on his first year of eligibility at the ripe old age of 36. I wonder if any of those writers who didn’t vote for Koufax want to go back and change their votes. And if not, I have the perfect book for you to read that will definitely change your mind. A book I just finished, written by an outstanding historical and sports writer, subtitled a Lefty’s Legacy. The author Jane Leavy. The book’s subject – Sandy Koufax.

Sandy Koufax pitched his first professional baseball game at the age of 19. Koufax pitched his last game at the age of 30. He played for one team (Dodgers), in two cities (Brooklyn, Los Angeles). Koufax started his professional baseball career in Brooklyn, at Ebbets Field, not terribly far from where he grew up in Brooklyn. Koufax finished his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a bullpen in Baltimore hoping his Dodgers could force a Game 5, his next slotted start. Koufax won 165 games, lost 87. His stats (by most accounts somewhat medium to good standard wise on the surface) do not in any way describe or begin to illustrate the type of pitcher he was, nor why he is widely considered the greatest Left Handed Pitcher of all time. This book, however, accomplishes that feat almost as perfectly as Koufax’s windup and blazing fastball.

I’m not going to lie. It was a challenging read. Jane Leavy is just so brilliant and talented as a writer, researcher, and storyteller. Her 5 dollar words sprinkled into her storytelling made it a bit tougher to “power through” this book, because I had to pause and think ‘what does that word mean? Oh yeah, hmmmmm, I get it now.’ And intertwining the history of Koufax’s life outside baseball, the history of the Dodgers, the history of baseball, the history of the United States at any given point in the story was really impressive. Weaving the social tenor of the day, the politics, where Koufax was pitching or residing, and having it all make sense is why Jane Leavy is on pedestal high above the average sportswriter, myself included. If you simply like reading great writers, regardless of your baseball knowledge, you can pick up this book and just enjoy it for the writing.

Sandy Koufax’s stats are available via Baseball Reference, and they are astonishing. His regular season total from 1961 to 1966, including playoffs and World Series appearances, are downright sensational. 129 wins, 47 losses, multiple seasons striking out over 300 batters, 115 complete games, 5 times leading the NL in E.R.A (1.73, 1.74, 1.88, are you kidding me???). The stats go on and on leading to one conclusion to me – Sandy Koufax’s 6 year run from 1961 to his retirement year of 1966 are, in my opinion, the best stretch of pitching – EVER!!! What a joy it was to read details of games, pre and post game conditioning routines, his unbelievable respect from other players and teammates. And an added bonus was the inning by inning account of Koufax’s 4th no-hitter, which so happened to be a perfect game. I thought I knew the baseball story of Sandy Koufax. Boy, was I wrong.

Pick up this book, grab a dictionary if you need one, and just immerse yourself in all things Sandy Koufax through the expert writing and research of Jane Leavy. “Sandy Koufax, A Lefty’s Legacy” was a challenging read but so worth it when I finished it. The book includes several black and white photos taken throughout Koufax’s baseball and personal journey in life. Although I had to take breaks from chapter to chapter, I am so glad I “powered through” it and feel so much better for it. As for Koufax, there is no doubt in my mind after reading this book, that he is the greatest Left Handed Pitcher of all time.