I have always had a bit of an issue with Koufax, as well as Gibson, because the first five/ six years with the Dodgers he was an under .500 pitchers, very wild and frankly unreliable. His first good/ great year was '61 which coninsides with both league raising the mound 3" plus inches giving tall pitchers more leverage while shortening the distence from the rubber to the plate. An advantage for Koufax that can not be denided. This condition remained untill 1968 with culminated with seven pitchers achieving an ERA of less than 2.00.

one other thing...that no hitter at chavez ravine in 65 was a perfect game and it was also the highest number of strikeouts pithced in any perfect game and again this was pitched by a guy who had recently shut out the greatest baseball hitters in history in a world series on the yankee line up....anybody who even thinks that guys like clemens and maddux are even remotely in the same league as koufax shouldn't be allowed to be a second string bat boy for the local girls softball team untill he at least learns the basics of the game....

Bill James rates Koufax as the 10th best pitcher of all time.  An interesting stat.  In five years at the pitcher friendly confines of Dodger Stadium, Koufax was 57-15 with an ERA of 1.37.   On the road during those same years he was 54-19 with an era of 2.57.  

As the other seamheads here can verify, Koufax was unhittable for four years- but his lack of a long career loses one star. . .

Had a superlative four year run, but, accorinding to James and others, not as good as four year runs by Grove, Walter Johnson, Clemens, Maddux, or Pedro. He pitched in pitcher-friendly confines. Awesome, but not the best ever; perhaps not even the greatest of his era.

Stop! Koufax was the best. I used to watch him pitch at Chavez Ravine and before that at the Collsium and I have never seen someone throw that fast before. Saw him against all the greats. Mays, Mantle, Banks, McCovey, Maris, Stargell. And to top it off, I met him in a market in the town that I live in one day, and even though he has aged, he still looks like he could bring it. Tall, lean and soft spoken, just a true hero. The baseball world is a sad place without him not out there anymore.

For several years he was as close to perfection as a pitcher can get. Fast tough and smart, he was so far ahead of the competition it made your teeth hurt.

First of all,few pitchers should be on this list as they are mostly a position player and only encompass a facet of the game.Only those delivering feats beyond their contemporaries should be on this list.Sandy is one of these players.The only stats that are relevant concerning pitching is strikeouts,walks,home runs allowed and innings.Wins,e.r.a.,and losses are irrelevant.Technically no one has thrown a perfect game,in context of pitching that would be 27 strikeouts in a row.A pitcher's success relies on other players(catching flyballs,throwing out runners,scoring runs,etc...)A pitcher could strikeout no one and still have wins,a low e.r.a. and no losses and all be the result of other player contributions.So what we are left with is their domination of the hitter at the plate.Kofax dominated for the early/mid sixties but other pitchers rank higher and for longer therefore deserve a higher rating.

My only regret is not seeing him pitch in person. I became a fan in 1968, 2 years after he retired. You only have to hear the comments of the hall of fame hitters that he faced to know he was the greatest pitcher who ever lived. If you had to pick one pitcher to win one game for you it would have to be him. In today's age of players compiling stats and playing past their prime, their lifetime stats may dwarf his overall career numbers, but they could never diminish the greatness and sheer dominence he enjoyed for that 5 year stretch. The image of his pitching motion with his arched back, long stride and angle of his arm is a thing of beauty which to this day has never been emulated and is arguably the single most awe-inspiring image in baseball history. The fact that he left at the peak of his game solidifies his place in baseball lore. He also was an inspiration to all people of the Jewish faith. Sandy, you were the best.

From 1962 to 1966, in the relative context of different baseball eras, he was the most dominating pitcher ever. Interesting fact: Koufax was a Nuke LaRoosh type early in his career (i.e., poor command and control). Koufax, who was Jewish, was taught he finer points of command (e.g., take a little off the fastball to get it into the strike zone) from fellow Jewish player -- catcher Larry Sherry. Koufax sitting out Game 1 of the 1966 World Series because of Yom Kippur is well known. Don Drysdale pitched in his placed and got shelled by the Baltimore Orioles. After the game, manager Walter Alston quipped, "I wish Drysdale was Jewish too." I once came up with the first stanza of a great Country-Western song. It goes like this: "I haven't met any good Jewboys since Jesus But Sandy Koufax sure could pitch." One day I've got to finish the song.

Greatest pitcher I ever saw !

After conquering control problems, Koufax conquered the baseball world. In the span of five years from 1962-1966, the soft spoken southpaw won five ERA crowns, three strikeout titles, and three unanimous Cy Young awards while throwing four no-hitters.

To say Sandy Koufax doesn't rank amongst the top 5 greatest pitchers of all-time is ludicrous (as Bob Costas STUPIDLY opined on Sportscentury). But despite the ignorance of a few so-called sports experts, can anyone even say (with a straight-face) he is not amongst the greats. If longevity is key to a person's greatness, maybe these experts have a point. But Koufax played for most of the first half of the 1960s. Furthermore, Koufax pitched three no-hitters and one perfect game. A strikout artist with a power delivery at the mound, Koufax was a terror for batters. And Koufax was a winner in World Series games. Unfortunately, Arthritis ended Koufax's reign of terror for batters. Yes, maybe he isn't the greatest. But it would be of total ignorance not to put Koufax amongst the top 5 greatest hurlers of all-time. He certainly deserves this.

Good player.

After Sandy Koufax finally tamed his blazing fastball, he enjoyed a five-year stretch as perhaps the most dominating pitcher in the games history. He won 25 games three times, won 5 straight ERA titles, and set a new standard with 382 strikeouts in 1965. His fastball and devastating curve enabled him to pitch no-hitters in four consecutive seasons, culminating with a perfect game in 1965. He posted a .095 ERA in four career World Series, helping the Dodgers to three Championships. Sandy Koufax was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Koufax had control problems in the 50's but then he conquered the control problems in 1962 - 1966. The soft spoken southpaw won 5 ERA crowns, three strikeout titles, and three unanimous Cy Young Awards while throwing four no-hitters. He has had the best five years of any pitcher in the modern era. His peaks included 27 wins, and a 1.73 ERA in 1966, his last season. Koufax's career numbers are 397 games played, 314 games started, 165 wins, 87 looses, 2.76 era, 2324.1 innings pitched, 817 walks, and 2396 strikeouts.

Too bad he had arm trouble or would have won over 300 games and been the one to break Walter Johnson's SO record.. we would have to wait another 18 years.

A great but not top 10

I lost the first bet I ever made on the '63 Yankees and against Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series.The kid I bet said,You can't hit what you can't see. He was right.

greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history. retired at the top of his game.

Losing record his first 6 (combined) or so seasons. Not great maybe good. 6 seasons do not make a Hall of Famer.

Probably the best pitcher ever, but played for a short amount of time due to artritis. He had 300+ strikouts in a time when pitchers really didn't have very high strikout totals. Numbers that make Clemens look like a girl, 4 no hitters and one perfect game.

A metoer who burned out too shortly.Just shame his first six years were wasted.He to me is like Gale Sayers a great talent who we didn't see play as long as we all would like and one we will never see again.

Great pitcher. Great person. While you may not agree with his beliefs, Sandy Koufax is an Orthodox Jew. He didn't pitch from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Still led the NL in wins 3 times and strikeouts 4 times. He came up as a raw pitcher, great arm, no location. He tried to overpower everyone, but couldn't get the ball near the plate. Walter Alston told him that he had a great team behind him - get the ball over the plate and see where they hit it. So Sandy Koufax started throwing that curve for strikes. All I can say is if you never saw Sandy Koufax throw that breaking ball, you missed something. He could start the pitch out behind a lefty's head, and watch it break across his knees on the outside corner! Most difficult pitch to hit in major league history. Remember, when he won his 3 Cy Youngs, they only gave out 1 for the major leagues, not 1 per league. His autobiography written with Dick Schaap is out of print, but it's great reading. If you run across it, make sure to pick it up.

A wizard with the pitch. Retired at the raw age of 30.

Led league in wins three times, ERA five times(consecutively!) & K's 4 times. Cy Young winner in 1963,'65 & '66.

Best lefty ever... if not the best picther ever!!

the best left-handed pitcher in history. His combination of power and control made him unhittable. Had the best 7 year stretch of any pitcher ever

Best lefty I ever saw!

The article on Sandy Koufax in Sports Illustrated during the summer of 99 was illuminating. What an amazing talent and great humble guy...

He knew when to quit and so he went out on top, and will always be remembered that way