Sandy Koufax

“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.