Sandy Koufax Pitching in 1984 Cracker Jack Old Timers Classic

Sandy pitching to Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Vernon, Brooks Robinson, Andy Etchebarren, Chuck Hinton, & Jerry Coleman.

[@spcooper94]

Sandy Koufax 1965 Game 7 World Series Highlights kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5eQZph_atWMpsU

[@d_evolution8269]

MLB should bring these back this is so freaking cool!

[@billysikes1374]

Agree 100%, big Harmon, took Sandy deep

[@clarenceworleez1433]

why so they could run around and fan each other with towels and do interviews during the game

[@monkeyb1820]

they should. There are many fans like me that are sick of the politics that has infested mlb/nba/nfl. Something normal and wholesome like this would be good for the game.

[@fatsmagoo63]

"Politics" LOL

[@jodymicheallee]

@@fatsmagoo63 you find it funny? Ballplayers are entertainers. You want to kneel, walk out, or protest? Do it on your time.

[@amberpaigejames9054]

The best part is seeing their smiles, seeing them having fun. No egos, no worries, just fun.

[@matsalvatore9074]

Those were incredible home runs nevermind from old timers. Holy shit. No wonder they are legends.

[@SSNESS]

Willie Mays homeruns with the Mets

[@zagfan44]

That high legkick of Koufax' is so etched in my mind. Unmistakably his...and that calm, articulate voice in his interviews. Koufax in his prime was the definition of a hall of famer. This coming from a diehard Yankee fan in my youth.

[@georgethomas1006]

Sandy koufax the best pitcher i have ever seen !

[@ottohesslein3230]

I wish I could watch that whole game. Seeing Hank Aaron catch a fly ball was a thrill.

[@johnfarr2738]

Search KZbin you can find the full game

[@ottohesslein3230]

@@johnfarr2738 I did find the entire game a little while after I posted that. What a great era of baseball heroes.

[@zetasong]

great observation!

[@Gio_Vanni6143]

Sandy was my dad's classmate in high school. He always admired Koufax.

[@spcooper94]

Is it true that Sandy did not pitch in high school or play baseball most years? Thats really cool though!

[@Gio_Vanni6143]

@@spcooper94 Yes, I believe that's true. He started out on the basketball team and played first base. I think he started pitching on an outside league. Unfortunately, my dad is no longer alive to gather any information or stories from him.

[@paulbrion2227]

I'd rather watch these guys rather than what we have now

[@grandprix782]

The way Koufax still tips his hat after he pitches, just like he used to 20 years prior He's so damn cool

[@JackieDaytona1776]

Probably using sticky stuff

[@grandprix782]

@@JackieDaytona1776 LMAO imagine someone using sticky stuff at an Old Timers game tbh it's baseball, I 100% could see it, haha

[@bonnerwf]

Sandy is one of the great sport figure of all time .

[@MrManfly]

Love that swing from Harmon Killibrew ! You can tell he's older and heavier and kinda walks and runs like a heavier older man, but that swing was still awesome, like he was still in the majors !!

[@alvinwagner6085]

@@MrManfly I was thinking the same thing. That profile shot of his swing makes it easy to see why he hit almost 600 homers.

[@miro11912]

Him and Peyton Manning

[@JoeyM007]

... Thank you for helping be able to see; Brooks Robinson flying out to Hank Aaron, with Sandy Koufax putching! just simply AWESOME 🍻✅👍🏻❤️💰👊🏼

[@steveresa2342]

What a pleasure to watch. Sandy on the hill, Killebrew takes him deep. Hammerin' Hank in left. I'd like to see this resurrected, though no oldtimers could have the appeal of those of my childhood.

[@thomasdombroski1982]

They had the hall of fame classic about a month ago

[@chrischeshire6528]

Sandy Koufax, my favorite Dodger and saw him pitch in 1966.

[@chriswells506]

Koufax pitching to Brooks who flies out to Aaron. Freaking awesome!

[@LaserRanger15]

How cool is this...was a big Killabrew fan when i was a kid. Koufax just a little before my time. Beautiful throwing motion.

[@John-ct9zs]

That horrible feeling you get when you realize you now reached the age Sandy Koufax was in 1984 (about 47-49) in the "old timer classic". I was in elementary school when this aired, and I thought Koufax must have played with Babe Ruth or something, I legit thought he was that old.

[@dalethelander3781]

Lookit that smile on Sandy's face. He was enjoying every pitch and was glad for the batters who clobbered homers. This brought back the 1800s spirit of Baseball as a gentleman's game.

[@loyaldude10]

He was that modest despite the incredible talent he possessed

[@haroldsteinblatt2567]

The people who played baseball in the 1800s were often about as far removed from gentlemen as can be. It’s similar to the fiction that “back in the good old days, players played for love of the game. Now it’s all about money.” People who were pros always played for love of the game but more so for money. Just like today. Back in the good old days were the 1919 White Sox. Their love of the game was so intense that they took money to blow the World Series. They didn’t earn much? Entirely because the owners owned them. Now they don’t, so they have to pay people who bring in millions and millions dollars in revenue their fair share of those millions. The guys of the past would have done the exact same thing. Shoeless Joe Jackson couldn’t sign his own name. He played great but still took the gamblers’ money. Ty Cobb was a notorious non- gentleman. Babe Ruth too. And they were the greatest.

[@dalethelander3781]

@@haroldsteinblatt2567 Look up people who play by 1860s rules. You'll find videos here on KZbin. No overhand pitching. No gloves. No leagues, baseball was played on the local level. And no owners.

[@Massangler1856]

Obviously Koufax was just having fun and not trying to pitch seriously, but god damn is his throwing motion beautiful

[@turtle19dad]

The ephus!!!!😂

[@internetperson9121]

@@turtle19dad That was beautiful - perfect

[@newyorkgiantsfan5440]

When America was America. Miss these days.

[@Kickingit06]

I think Sandy grooved that so that Harmon could have one last great moment with the fans.

[@alanfoster6589]

Sandy would do that.

[@deansapp4635]

I could watch this stuff all day

[@briangarcia1190]

I am here July 2024!

[@bigdaddyj452]

I was 14 years old and never got a chance to see Koufax pitch but this was the next best thing.

[@SSNESS]

Where was this?

[@bigdaddyj452]

@@SSNESSI’m pretty sure this was at RFK stadium. The old home of the senators. They had the games there for a handful of years.

[@alvinwagner6085]

You just know Eitchy told his grandkids he hit one off Koufax without giving away the details 😄

[@LyleGoldberg]

Etchebarren was the last batter Koufax faced in his MLB career. He hit into an inning ending double play in game 2 of the ‘66 World Series. Koufax was betrayed by his outfield in that game - Tommy Davis committed three errors in one inning, and then he and Ron Fairly let a routine fly ball drop for a weird Frank Robinson triple. The Orioles completed their sweep before Koufax had a chance to pitch again.

[@joebarr725]

When I'm asked how Koufax would do if he pitched today, I say he would be a slightly better than average pitcher. But he is 86 years old.

[@RWildekrav66]

And go at least 7 full innings

[@tommyfu9271]

get your own material that joke is older than Koufax.

[@mike-0451]

@@RWildekrav66There are more factors that go into starters pitching less innings than you think.

[@felixmadison5736]

God bless Sandy Koufax. I consider myself blessed to have seen Sandy in his prime. The greatest pitcher I've ever seen and I'll never forget when he and the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the 1963 World Series. Sandy set the World Series record at that time with 15ks in one game.

[@terrancethomas9792]

I remember this writer writing. Younger players: thick hair and thin bellies. Older players: the opposite.

[@joebarr725]

After that game Mantle said, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five".

[@felixmadison5736]

I believe it was Yogi Berra who made that comment about Koufax. What Mantle said, after Koufax fanned him, was: "Yeah, like anybody can hit that shit."@@joebarr725

[@victorblock3421]

@@joebarr725 I think Yogi said that but maybe I'm wrong.

[@OnePost909]

@@victorblock3421 It was in fact Yogi who said it.

[@brucetowell3432]

Yea , when did these old timer games stop??..cannot believe they did away with them!!!..these are so entertaining for the fans!!

[@tommayrant2279]

If Koufax had played as long as Ryan, he could've pitched against Gooden in the majors in 1984. That would've been wild.

[@SSNESS]

Every sport needs to do this more often

[@antoniodelrio1292]

That was great! Thanks for posting. S. Koufax one of my all time favorites!

[@johnschanzle3593]

It was Kool when Killebrew was fifth on all time home run list . What a great time for baseball

[@gabeh7923]

Golly! Sandy still had a silky smooth delivery here. Very cool!

[@detective29]

There was a story posted in sports illustrated around this same year, Koufax was at spring training and they convinced him to pitch batting practice. They told him not to hold anything back. He went down, warmed up, and took the mound. He struck out the side on 9 pitches and walked back into the dugout.... What a legend.

[@Paul-lm5gv]

Koufax apparently was about to turn 49 years old then! Born December 30, 1935.

[@herbiesnerd]

So sweet to watch this. A couple years before this I had 3rd baseline seats right next to the Dodger bullpen looking down. There he was as big as life, pitching coach Sandy Koufax. Dusty was in left field that game. Seeing Koufax was by far the highlight for me that day.

[@haroldsteinblatt2567]

I envy you.

[@johnharrington1800]

So great to see Sandy pitch.

[@tgurlamber5874]

I love watching the old timers play. They have smiles on thier faces and look like little boys once again. Baseball was a fun game. 😊

[@mattsbaseballcardbreaks5952]

Bring these back, MLB!!!

[@victorblock3421]

Incredible to see Koufax like this.

[@barrymorrow3319]

Surely one of the greatest of all time

[@streetcar6080]

Sandy Koufax is 86 years old this...still going strong

[@h0gwartz]

that beautiful windup was still there in 1984

[@1982nsu]

What a joy baseball... WAS. I'm glad I got to see all these players in their prime.

[@bdickinson6751]

👍

[@michaelward9880]

Me too!

[@ohger1]

"Was" is correct. The game is virtually unwatchable these days.

[@TWTexasA1]

What a great bunch of names here…some of my childhood idols 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@oriolesfan7807]

1:57 - Brooks and Koufax last faced each other in the 1966 World Series which the Orioles swept the Dodgers. Koufax retired later in 66.

[@groofoot]

..... and Koufax and Killebrew faced each other in the 1965 World Series ....

[@ElectricScooterMan]

Sandy STILL GOT IT. If it wasn’t for his injuries, he could have played another 10 years

[@spcooper94]

@@ElectricScooterMan those pitching mechanics still looked beautiful

[@internetperson9121]

It's insane that Killebrew could still hit the ball that far in old age

[@bmorebob6624]

My father took me to this game in Washington D.C. I still have the pennant

[@jamestripp239]

wonderful to watch loved seeing the Killer hit one out

[@danshowlund]

I went to one of these at RFK stadium at DC when I was a kid, such a great memory. I don’t know why they stopped doing them.

[@danshowlund]

Actually it was this exact game, lol.

[@davebetts9843]

I don't know how old HK was in 1984, but that was a SWEET SWING! Great video!

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Harmon Killebrew was the definition of "Power Hitter" in his prime.

[@vewaddell]

He was born June 29, 1936 so he was 48 or 49.

[@TheMt45]

I've seen some other older guys mash in these games - I think the wrist speed is one of the last things to go.

[@janetannerevans2320]

Sandy Koufax a gorgeous man.

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

I remember watching those and they were great. I read about one in which Bob Gibson faced Reggie Jackson. Jackson had hit a HR, I believe, in an All Star game off of Gibson so when he came up to face for the first time since that game in an Old Timers game, Gibson threw him a brush back just to let Reggie know he wasn’t going to do that again off of him. They both laughed about it.

[@soonerwhirle]

Heck, Gibson hit his former roommate who was traded to another team in the first appearance between the two. Gibson was telling him "we aren't roommates anymore"

[@alanfoster6589]

Koufax would watch the Dodgers in spring training all the time. One day long after his retirement, he was asked if he'd pitch to some players. Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker. He struck out Garvey, then Baker, then Cey. Then did it again. Garvey asked for a curve ball. Koufax complied. The ball dropped two feet and Garvey just looked at it. Couldn't even swing. A coach ran out to Koufax and asked him to stop. Said he was hurting the players' confidence. True story. I forget the year, though. Someone here will know.

[@kimmergonzales9792]

Sandy Koufax was probably the best pitcher in M.L.B. His stats are unbelievable!!

[@wilrobles5392]

Sandy. An all time great.

[@jasonarpy]

He worked quickly, no messing around between pitches.

[@davidweigel2238]

Wow, what sweet memories I have of watching these guy’s play in their prime. These guys could PLAY; pitchers hit and usually pitched into the 8th inning, many time pitch the whole game. No showmanship on or off the field by many position players either. They were very good role models.

[@ronleight9341]

Its great to see all these guys, but it also sad to see what father time can do with even the best of them!

[@aunch3]

You mean WILL do

[@StuMarston]

Awesome stuff. Absolute legends out there.

[@ben2972]

Koufax, 50 years old here, a couple years older than I am now, still throwing harder than I ever could when I was 25 😂😂😂😂

[@larrybrown3910]

Greater than great to see Koufax #32 on the mound again.

[@jameshoran8]

It took going to an old-timers game before we discovered that Sandy actually had an Ephus pitch that he never had to use.

[@DrRussPhd]

Fun stuff . . . Killebrew looks like a beer keg on legs.

[@aunch3]

😂

[@KneeDeep2231]

Great footage 👍

[@acousticshadow4032]

What fun!!! Koufax looked like he could suit up in The Bigs then & there.

[@Rockhound6165]

Killebrew hitting that bomb at his age. Wow!

[@matsalvatore9074]

Dude u could see so much power in killabrews swing.

[@sdurham1662]

Incredible swing by Harmon Killebrew with all that extra weight

[@Moose46316]

These guys are legends

[@gordonklassen3182]

The Killer. Nasty home run cut.

[@mylittlepitbull3143]

This is awesome

[@tomv4408]

This is great - and Jack Brickhouse in the booth!

[@jameslandolt5835]

Went to the one on July 18, 1983 - I just took out the scorebook to take a look - wow - Don Drysdale pitched that year. The left field fence was only about 250 feet because the Senators had been gone since 1971 and they cemented the stands into the football configuration (so they could not remove them for baseball as they used to. Just can't get over who was there - Hank Aaron, Stan Musial!

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

It's nice to be nostalgic about the players, but notice the vintage ESPN logo. Remember when we could just watch sports without all the BS?

[@edwardfestor8726]

Other than gray hair and throwing a lot slower, Koufax looked about like he did during his playing career.

[@TN-we3zt]

He threw BP for the Dodgers in the '81 Series and had to be told to slow it down as his pitches were in the mid-80s.

[@jayclarke5466]

U should read the acct bout Koufax throwin real batting practice to Dodgers before Game 1 of 77 WS. They said they had to get him out of there cause Dodger hitters weren’t hittin jack!

[@timmellin2815]

Yes....even in this game, when he did throw a "fast" ball, look how it still exploded forward, just before reaching the plate.

[@redmustangredmustang]

It's a miracle that he lasted the last two years in his career with that arthritis and his arm swelling up like a grapefruit. All the pain shots, ice, heat, and pills that got him through. I am shocked that he didn't lose function in his arm permanently after what he went through.

[@CapAnson12345]

Still had that great pitching form. I wonder how his arm was feeling in the game.. considering how he left. Tommy John had the first UCL surgery when Koufax was 38 in 1974. If Koufax had had the surgery at the same time he could have been ready for the 1976 season at age 40! Fun fact.. Etchebarren was the last hitter to bat against Koufax in the 1966 world series. Here he decides not to repeat the distinction by hitting a home run.

[@spcooper94]

Koufax was diagnosed with Traumatic Arthritis as you probably know when he retired. It's just a theory that TJ Surgery might've helped him but it's never been proven that he tore his UCL in later studies.

[@OnePost909]

@@spcooper94 Right. Highly unlikely TJ would have done him any good.

[@falcon5467]

I was there for this game. RFK stadium in D.C.

[@samludu5916]

If you were a Dodger fan in the sixties, Sandy Koufax was God.

[@Zero_Point_Energy1]

That homer was a tribute to guys with dad bods everywhere.

[@makofett7404]

All class on this fields MLB take notice

[@Geotubest]

I had the good fortune of meeting Jack Brickhouse once. Sweet man.

[@marlonelliot8943]

Back, back, back...... Hey! Hey!

[@gabeh7923]

Weeeee!

[@tolopo99]

Better than any pitcher today

[@jamesnorton7601]

We should do this every year. Griffey, Bonds, Clemmons.....all the great ones. I'd buy a ticket

[@dkowens98]

I remember watching this live and thinking how bad ass it was that he went yard at his age!!!

[@johnfarr2738]

Harmon Killebrew never played at RFK stadium with the Senators. The Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season, DC Stadium/RFK didn’t open until 1961.

[@cmdesantis]

Nice. I was at this game!

[@fredmar6436]

Boy that was great!!

[@georgecass8529]

I wish there was a old timer baseball and basketball teams . Playing professional games

[@willshad]

Sandy still looks in playing shape here. I remember reading there was talks of the Yankees asking to him to come out of retirement around this time to pitch for them.

[@victorblock3421]

He worked at it. Running/jogging a few miles a day all these years.

[@shaystern2453]

back when pitchers pitched

[@boomerpo]

WOW THIS IS GREAT STUFF THANK YOU

[@liveinthepresent219]

This is a bit amazing. Didn't know Sandy pitched in any exhibitions after he retired in 1966.

[@beatlejim64]

Koufax was working for the Dodgers...1977 WS against the Yankees. They ask Sandy to throw some BP before the game...he trots out to the mound...they can't hit him...they can't get the ball out of the batting cage!!! He's striking out the Dodgers! Someone from the Dodgers goes out to the mound and gets him off the field! They're having a batting slump against a guy who hadn't pitched since the 1966 WS!!! I will take a PRIME Koufax...(1961-1966) over anyone!!!

[@jnolette1030]

@@beatlejim64 Steve Sax mentioned having trouble against him in the batting cage this would have been maybe 1980?

[@joemckim1183]

@@jnolette1030 Sax didn't debut until 1981. But I guess its possible that he faced Koufax in Spring Training in '80 while he was a minor leaguer. Either that or you're slightly off on the year it took place.

[@jayclarke5466]

@@beatlejim64 that is a very true story! Also Koufax was always at Dodgertown in Vero Beach in Spring…I saw him uniform once when I went there He was an incredible pitcher, the Count Dracula of pitching

[@fredmar6436]

@@jnolette1030 Yeah, he was wrong. It was 1981.

[@mikedarrah6945]

Kofax graduated from my alma mater, University of Cincinnati.

[@joelmathiason6070]

They need to bring this back. And now they have to ability to mic up the players, the bases, the pitching mound and the plate. Can you imagine the conversations that took place during this game!!

[@AJKeim]

Hammerin' Harmon got him on the first pitch, love it!

[@brianmoore5498]

left arm of god

[@siddaviscomedy]

This is so cool

[@smonk4473]

How have I not seen this yet?