Vin Scully Calling the 9th Inning of Koufax's Perfect Game

[redsmetz]

Over on the ORG in the Vin Scully thread, I mentioned reading the transcript of Scully play by play of Koufax's perfect game in 1965. Here's a link to the transcript, "pure literature" as the writer notes:

http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/10/12/scully_koufax/

[Always Red]

That is amazing to read that, and to realize that Vin Scully made all of that up, off the top of his head, and verbalized it in a period of minutes.

Most of us would have to write, rewrite, edit, get help, and then finally do the final version before coming up with anything half that good. And that's on paper! And those words just poured out of his mouth, totally in the moment.

That's why Vin Scully is the best; no argument. Just ask Marty B- he agrees!

[NJReds]

The thing that struck me was at the end <38 seconds of cheering> ... I don't think there's an announcer today that would allow for that much time on the air without talking. Brilliant.

[pedro]

Thanks for posting that. That's really a great piece of announcing. Most guys couldn't write it any better after the fact and Scully is lyrical enough to just pop it off the top of his head. True genious.

[RedsBaron]

Thanks for that post.:thumbup:
The only person who did a better job that night than Scully was Koufax. That was a game the Dodgers really needed in the midst of a pennant race and Koufax was perfect.

[redsmetz]

An interesting aside, seven players later managed in the major leagues (in bold), although Tracewksi only managed two games in June of 1979.


Los Angeles Dodgers 1, Chicago Cubs 0
DayGame Played on Thursday, September 9, 1965 (N) at Dodger Stadium

CHI N 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 1
LA N 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 x - 1 1 0

BATTING
Chicago Cubs AB R H RBI BB SO PO A
Young cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0
Beckert 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
Williams rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Santo 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
Banks 1b 3 0 0 0 0 3 12 0
Browne lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Krug c 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
Kessinger ss 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Amalfitano ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Hendley p 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 5
Kuenn ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals 27 0 0 0 0 14 24 10
FIELDING -
E: Krug (5).
Los Angeles Dodgers AB R H RBI BB SO PO A
Wills ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Gilliam 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Kennedy 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W. Davis cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Johnson lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 0
Fairly rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Lefebvre 2b 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
Tracewski 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Parker 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Torborg c 3 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Koufax p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals 24 1 1 0 1 3 27 3
BATTING -
2B: Johnson (19,off Hendley).
SH: Fairly (13,off Hendley).
Team LOB: 1.
BASERUNNING -
SB: Johnson (11,3rd base off Hendley/Krug).
PITCHINGChicago Cubs IP H R ER BB SO HR
Hendley L(2-3) 8 1 1 0 1 3 0
Los Angeles Dodgers IP H R ER BB SO HR
Koufax W(22-7) 9 0 0 0 0 14 0
Umpires: Ed Vargo, Chris Pelekoudas, Bill Jackowski, Paul Pryor

I just now noticed that Bob Hendley only gave up one hit and one walk - probably the game of his career!

[pedro]

None very successfully IIRC.

[redsmetz]

None very successfully IIRC.

The managers? No, not really. Torborg had a couple of decent years with the Chisox, winning Manager of the Year in 1990. Harvey Kueen took the Brewers to the World Series in 1982 after replacing Buck Rodgers. The rest were not notable, particular Maury Wills.

Dick Tracewski was 2-0 in his only official managerial stint with the Tigers until Sparky took over. He also, apparently, filled in when Sparky took a leave because of exhaustion, but that record apparently accrues to Anderson.

[cumberlandreds]

This game was detailed in a biography about Sandy Koufax that was written a few years ago. I can't remember the authors name. It has to be one of the greatest games ever pitched.

[RedsBaron]

This game was detailed in a biography about Sandy Koufax that was written a few years ago. I can't remember the authors name. It has to be one of the greatest games ever pitched.
The book is Jane Leavy's "Sandy Koufax:A Lefty's Legacy." She used Koufax's perfect game as the centerpiece of her biography of Koufax. A few years earlier Ed Gruver wrote "Koufax," centering his book around Koufax's shutout on two days rest to defeat the Twins in game seven of the 1965 World Series. I enjoyed both books, but Leavy's is the better book of the two. Her book offers more insight into Koufax the person.

[marcshoe]

The book is Jane Leavy's "Sandy Koufax:A Lefty's Legacy." She used Koufax's perfect game as the centerpiece of her biography of Koufax. A few years earlier Ed Gruver wrote "Koufax," centering his book around Koufax's shutout on two days rest to defeat the Twins in game seven of the 1965 World Series. I enjoyed both books, but Leavy's is the better book of the two. Her book offers more insight into Koufax the person.

I listened to that on tape a few months ago. A guy at work bought it on clearance and loaned it to me. Charley Steiner read it.

[Heath]

I like Leavy's book better from the part of the historical context that Los Angeles was dealing with in the mid-60's. This happened during the Watts Riots and there were curfews and other things as such going on.