MLB Playoffs: The Yom Kippur dilemma
By Andy Pollin
It is the most significant act by a Jewish athlete, ever. More significant than Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics, more significant than Sid Luckman quarterbacking the Chicago Bears to NFL championships, even more significant than Hank Greenberg chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record before finishing with 58. On October 6, 1965, Sandy Koufax, arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time, didn’t even pick up a baseball. In fact he didn’t pick up a fork either. Koufax fasted in observance of the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, and chose not to pitch in the opening game of the MLB World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Koufax, who guarded his privacy as closely as his religious beliefs, didn’t want to risk gawkers at a synagogue and spent the entire day in his Minneapolis hotel room.
If he’d have sat out in the age of Twitter, it would have exploded. You have to realize this was years before the first Super Bowl. Baseball was still the nation’s favorite sport and the World Series was the biggest event on the sporting calendar. Koufax wasn’t just the best pitcher on the Dodgers, he was the best pitcher in baseball – Clayton Kershaw and maybe a little bit more. Missing the opening game would likely mean he’d likely only get two chances to pitch in the series, not three in a possible seven game series. This would be more significant than say, LeBron James missing the first game of the NBA Finals. At least LeBron would still have a chance to contribute to six in a possible seven game series.
On top of that, Koufax wasn’t particularly observant, but felt it was important to be seen as an example for other Jews.
With Koufax out, Don Drysdale got the start in the opener and failed. As the story goes, getting rocked in the third inning, Drysdale was removed by Manager Walter Alston. Handing the ball to Alston, Drysdale said, “I guess Skip, right about now you’re wishing I was Jewish.”
It wouldn’t happen today with star pitcher’s arms treated like fine china, but Koufax wound up pitching three games in the series anyway. He started game seven on two days rest and won. A year later, he retired at the age of 30 because of chronic elbow trouble. Koufax still threw 27 complete games that year and for his last six years, compiled a record of 129-47 with a 2.19 ERA. Yet, among Jews he’s even more revered for not getting on the mound on Yom Kippur than for anything he ever did while on the mound, including a perfect game.
The name Sandy Koufax is being referenced in the Washington, D.C. area quite a bit these days. The city will be hosting postseason baseball for the only the second time since 1933 and the Yom Kippur dilemma is in play. Not for the players, but for the numerous Jewish fans of the Nationals, including owners Ted and Mark Lerner. Since Yom Kippur runs from sundown to sundown, it means two days really matter. And this year those days happen to fall on October third and fourth – the days that the Nats are scheduled to host the first two games of the divisional playoffs.
Jewish Nats fans are conflicted on this. It comes down for some, a choice between religion and religious devotion to their favorite baseball team as it begins it’s quest for Washington’s first World Series championship in 90 years. There’s even a joke making the rounds:
Man asks rabbi what to do about postseason baseball on Yom Kippur. Rabbi: “DVR it.” Man: “You can DVR Yom Kippur?”
As a middle-aged Jew old enough to remember the courage of Koufax, and a Nats fan, I will make a personal decision. As tough as that might be, it will pale in comparison to the heroic one made by Koufax nearly half a century ago.
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