Try explaining to someone under age 40 about the miracle that was Sandy Koufax and you'll likely wind up at a loss for words. He was, for a generation of Baby Boomers, the greatest pitcher they ever saw, a hurler whose dominance from, say, 1962 to the premature end of his career following the 1966 season, would be used as the yardstick for measuring every dominant pitcher since then. His 111-34 record over that span has not been matched since, made even more incredible by the realization that in two of those seasons (1962 and 1964) injuries kept him on the sideline for significant periods, barely preventing him from achieving five consecutive 20-win seasons. He instead had to settle for chronological win totals of 25, 26 and 27, five consecutive ERA titles and three Cy Young Awards at a time when there was only one winner for MLB each season. It's probably just a coincidence that MLB started giving the award to American League and National League winners in 1967, the first year after Koufax retired. Yeah, right...
1965, Sandy’s penultimate campaign, was not supposed to be a banner year for him. He was beginning to experience some arm problems and it was recommended that he limit his starts to one every seven days. Unfortunately for his opponents, Sandy did not heed this advice. Instead Koufax had one of the greatest single seasons ever for a pitcher. He led the League in ERA, wins and strikeouts performing what equates to a Triple Crown for pitchers. In fact, his 382 strikeouts and 21 games with 10 strikeouts or more, both set records. He even pitched his fourth no-hitter, also a record at the time. He led the Dodgers into the World Series and capped off this phenomenal season with a shutout victory over the Twins in the seventh game clincher. This remarkable, museum-quality treasure is a fitting tribute to Sandy's perfect season, with captivating Dodger Blue felt script on the front and Koufax's legendary No. 32 on the back. Just as vivid is the red felt numbers on the jersey front; the completely original, unaltered shirt shows ideal game use but is in problem-free condition, save for a small hole on the right shoulder. The blue Spalding tag appears on the front-left tail directly above embroidered Dodger blue stitched "Koufax 65." A blazing black Sharpie Koufax autograph graces the front of the shirt. All things considered this jersey ranks among the finest baseball garments of its era.
Includes a LOA from MEARS (Graded A9.5) and a Letter of Provenance from the Newport Sports Museum Collection.
Pre-certified by PSA/DNA (auto.).