Ask any Dodgers fan – or any baseball fan for that matter – who the greatest pitcher in Dodgers franchise history is, the answer will almost unanimously be Dodgers Hall of Fame left-hander Sandy Koufax. I say almost because Dodgers fans born after 1972, the year Koufax was enshrined in the sacred Halls of Cooperstown, might say this honor belongs to future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. But when you look at the accomplishments of these two very similar southpaws, it’s hard to argue that Koufax is not more deserving of this title.

During his 12 Major League seasons – all with the Dodgers – Koufax:

• was a MLB MVP
• won three Cy Young Awards
• was a three-time Triple Crown winner
• was a seven-time All-Star
• was a three-time World Series Champion
• was a two-time World Series MVP
• won five ERA titles
• was a two-time MLB Player of the Year

Koufax was forced to retire following the 1966 season for what was then called arthritis in his left elbow; a condition which, today, can be corrected with Tommy John surgery. (Can you even imagine if it had been called Sandy Koufax surgery?).

Through his (thus far) 13 Major League seasons – all with the Dodgers – Kershaw:

• has been a MLB MVP
• has won three Cy Young awards
• has won one Triple Crown
• is an eight-time All-Star
• is a 2020 World Series Champion
• has won one Gold Glove
• has won five ERA titles
• has won one MLB Player of the Year title

Although the similarities of these two very close friends are incredible, again, it’s hard to argue that Koufax is not more deserving of this title.

On Monday afternoon, the Dodgers announced that Koufax will finally have his statue unveiled in his honor.

“I am very proud to announce that the unveiling of the Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium will take place on Saturday, June 18,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “The statue will be located at our main entrance in the Centerfield Plaza, right next to Jackie Robinson’s statue, and fans entering those gates will be ‘greeted’ by Jackie and Sandy. Not only are both of these Hall of Famers part of our rich Dodger history, they are also continuously inspiring sports fans everywhere.”

In addition to the Koufax statue unveiling, the first 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance at the June 18 game against the Cleveland Guardians will receive a replica of the statue.

The Koufax statue was originally scheduled to be unveiled during the summer of 2020, but then that little pandemic thing showed up. As such, it is both unreasonable and unfair to be critical of the Dodgers for the delay.

As for that Kershaw fellow, you can bet that his statue is already on the drawing board.

Play Ball!

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