Remembering the day Sandy Koufax made history via the memorabilia
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Yom Kippur, one of the most sacred holidays in the Jewish faith, brings back memories of 1965 World Series game one. This game is etched in history because of Sandy Koufax's decision not to pitch. One of the first, and still most prominent Jewish athletes, Koufax held true to his convictions and sat the day the World Series began. In the Jewish faith, those following do not work during Yom Kippur.
"There was never any decision to make, because there was never any possibility that I would pitch. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish religion. The club knows I don't work that day.”Sandy Koufax
The Twins won the game 8-2, but the Dodgers ultimately won the series in seven games.
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Among other relics, the game lives on in the collector's world through graded ticket stubs. In recent years the popularity of graded sports tickets, particularly from significant events, has grown. Tickets from events like the game Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut, sold for $480,000 to a ticket from the first Masters golf tournament in 1934, which went for $600,000.
Trading cards are still produced, and the rarity comes from the amount printed by the producers. But it's a different story with tickets. With the advancement of technology, rarely do you get a physical ticket. You get a bar code on your phone that you flash to a gatekeeper, hardly a collectible. Being limited in supply, the forecast for the graded ticket market shouldn't turn too quick, with the lack of new pieces being printed.
Following the 1965 World Series, Koufax would pitch one more season in Los Angeles before hanging up his cleats because of elbow problems. He's one of the most decorated pitchers in baseball history. He won three Cy Young awards, three Triple Crown awards, two World Series MVPs, and was a seven-time All-star. Since he retired at the age of 30, he was eligible for the Hall of Fame at a young age, and made it on the first ballot when he was 36 years old, the youngest person ever to be inducted.
Even today he continues to be an asset to the game. He's present at multiple spring training complexes in the spring and can be seen frequently talking to young pitchers about the craft of throwing a baseball.
And on this day we remember what Sandy Koufax did and the memorabilia that can connect us to those moments.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz