[ORIGINALLY POSTED- JULY 11, 2011 - additional video added, Sept. 13, 2013]
See link for unbelievably detailed scorecard, Game 7! Sandy Koufax (born "Sanford Braun") at the Met, Oct. 14, 1965 at Sports Junkie Score Card
The first video below was mined from a Korean site. It dishes a batter-by-batter capsule review of The Great Koufax' memorable 1-0 shutout win to clinch the series for L.A. The creator evidently wished to highlight every out recorded as a result of Koufax' strikeouts or fielders' putouts. The second, which is a fairly recent inclusion on MLB's You Tube Channel, is the full deal - with pregame, play-by-play, and post game interviews. Wild, wild stuff that's on the big time video site these days!
[NOTE: video can be a slow download].
Scroll to two minute mark, see behind home plate view of Koufax-Earl Battey confrontation. Being both obsessive AND compulsive, I hit the stop/pause buttons countless times to get a visual of standing in against Koufax. The impression? Lefty was a dominating, fast worker, great control, who would keep you off balance with a mere two pitches. He'd just embarrass batters by dispatching them quickly. Classic pitching.
Other Notable Things To Watch For:
* Koufax adjusting his hat after seemingly every pitch - must be a Jewish thing
* Watch how he wasn't accurately controlling his curve ball in the early going - abandons it in favor of fastball almost exclusively later (after 1-1:30 video mark)* None of that "working the count," jazz in 1960's baseball, waiting for mistake pitches, getting walks - batters were up there to swing. Of course, pitchers like Steve Carlton, Pedro Martinez, Koufax hand you your ass if you try that (my apologies to Sister Catherine, my Grade 3 teacher at St. Wenceslaus School. I know it is very crass grammar, in addition to lazy verb-noun association. Expecting to be stuck on chalkboard eraser cleanup, post-haste)
* Putouts at first, first basemen turns to sling the ball to the catcher, backing up first - doesn't happen today - believe that all started with Joe Mauer's bilateral leg weakness
* Tony Oliva's bat throwing - he does it at least two times during the game
* On closeups of Koufax using the behind the plate camera, you can see how he hides the ball, and how difficult it could be to pick up his motion. Advantageous, especially the way he attacked hitters
No, you don't see the possible game-turning Zoilo Versalles smash that 3B Jim Gilliam converted into a force out of Frank Quilici in the 5th. Nor do you see Harmon Killebrew's ground single bashed to left in the 9th. So, it's not perfectly complete. But you do get an idea of the quick pace and economy with which "The Left Arm of God" (see SI 1999 story) worked on that Thursday afternoon, October 14, 1965 (box score), even with the film edits. BONUS: you also get to hear broadcast greats Vin Scully (Dodgers) and Ray Scott (Twins) give the play-by-play for NBC (more You Tube audio of the two broadcasting greats from that day).
As our very own Herb Carneal would say "...and the count rides along." - TT
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