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NYT-Bestseller Jane Leavy on Baseball Great Sandy Koufax

Episode length: 55m

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In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Pioneer Senior Fellow Charlie Chieppo speak with NYT-bestselling author Jane Leavy about Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. She traces his journey from a Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn to becoming one of baseball’s most dominant players and one of the 20th century’s most principled public figures. Leavy discusses Koufax’s brief collegiate career, his raw but electric pitching style, and his leap to the Brooklyn Dodgers with no minor league experience. She explores his early inconsistency and control issues, and his transformation into a power pitcher who led the National League in strikeouts by 1961. She highlights his legendary peak from 1962–1966, including multiple Cy Young Awards, four no-hitters, and World Series brilliance. Leavy also revisits his iconic decision to sit out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur, his forced retirement due to arthritis at age 30, and his enduring legacy as a symbol of excellence, integrity, and cultural identity in American sports history itself. In closing, she reads a passage from Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy.