Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy

“The incomparable and mysterious Sandy Koufax is revealed…. This is an absorbing book, beautifully written.” —Wall Street Journal

“Leavy has hit it out of the park…A lot more than a biography. It’s a consideration of how we create our heroes, and how this hero’s self perception distinguishes him from nearly every other great athlete in living memory… a remarkably rich portrait.” — Time

The instant New York Times bestseller, a definitive sports biography about the baseball legend and famously reclusive Dodgers’ pitcher Sandy Koufax, from award-winning former Washington Post sportswriter Jane Leavy. Sandy Koufax reveals, for the first time, what drove the iconic Jewish athlete and three-time Cy Young award winner to the pinnacle of baseball and then—just as quickly—into self-imposed exile.

This deeply researched biography reveals the man behind the myth:

• A Lefty’s Legacy: A fascinating breakdown of the physics behind his legendary curveball and the biomechanics that made his fastball unstoppable.
• Brooklyn Dodgers History: A vivid portrait of 1950s Brooklyn, the sandlot culture that shaped a generation, and the Dodgers team that defined a borough.
• A Question of Faith: The inside story of his historic decision not to pitch the 1965 World Series opener on Yom Kippur, and how it cemented his place as a hero in the American Jewish community.
• An Abrupt Retirement: An unflinching look at the traumatic arthritis that ended his career at its absolute peak, forcing a famously private man into a self-imposed exile that created a legend.

No immortal in the history of baseball retired so young, so well, or so completely as Sandy Koufax. After compiling a remarkable record from 1962 to 1966 that saw him lead the National League in ERA all five years, win three Cy Young awards, and pitch four no-hitters including a perfect game, Koufax essentially disappeared. Save for his induction into the Hall of Fame and occasional appearances at the Dodgers training camp, Koufax has remained unavailable, unassailable, and unsullied, in the process becoming much more than just the best pitcher of his generation. He is the Jewish boy from Brooklyn, who refused to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur, defining himself as a man who placed faith over fame. This act made him the standard to which Jewish parents still hold their children. Except for his autobiography (published in 1966), Koufax has resolutely avoided talking about himself. But through sheer doggedness that even Koufax came to marvel at, Jane Leavy was able to gain his trust to the point where they talked regularly over the three years Leavy reported her book. With Koufax′s blessing, Leavy interviewed nearly every one of his former teammates, opponents, and friends, and emerged with a portrait of the artist that is as thorough and stylish as was his command on the pitching mound.

“Leavy has hit it out of the park…A lot more than a biography. It’s a consideration of how we create our heroes, and how this hero’s self perception distinguishes him from nearly every other great athlete in living memory…a remarkably rich portrait.” - Daniel Okrent, Time magazine

“Ms. Leavy has done a dizzying amount of reporting—more than 400 interviews—and Koufax doesn’t just survive the scrutiny, he emerges from it larger than ever. . . Ms. Leavy humanizes her subject even as she demythologizes him. The incomparable and mysterious Sandy Koufax is revealed…This is an absorbing book, beautifully written.” - Jonathan Mahler, Wall Street Journal

“A perfect game of a book…Jane Leavy scatters the clouds of mythology to show us, after all these years, the man Koufax.” - The Sporting News

“A baseball classic; the first in-depth reporting on the life and career of the Dodger icon…a must read.” - New York Daily News

“An exhaustively researched study that paints an intriguing portrait of the famously reclusive Dodger pitcher.” - Sports Illustrated

“A lot more than a biography. It’s a consideration of how we create our heroes, and how this hero’s self perception distinguishes him from nearly every other great athlete in living memory…a remarkably rich portrait.” - Daniel Okrent, Time magazine