Sport: A Third for Sandy

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The Dodgers were in the doldrums. All spring long, Los Angeles' world champions had been mired deep in the second division. Their fielding was sloppy, their hitting spotty. The biggest disappointment of all was Pitcher Sandy Koufax, 28, whose golden left arm accounted for 25 victories in 1963. Sandy was having arm trouble. He had won only five games, while losing four, and Manager Walter Alston even demoted him briefly to the bullpen.

Last week, against the league-leading Philadelphia Phillies, Sandy roared back to demonstrate that the scorer's K still stands for Koufax. In nine innings, he faced only 27 men—the absolute minimum. Twelve Phillies struck out, and the only one who reached base at all was Richie Allen, who walked in the fourth inning, was thrown out trying to steal second. With the Dodgers leading 3-0 and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Sandy faced Phillies Shortstop Bobby Wine. The first pitch was a ball, and Wine fouled the second off the leg of Plate Umpire Ed Vargo. Wincing with pain, Vargo called time out—and the tension mounted. "Play ball!" he finally called. Wine whiffed at a second strike. Then, Sandy wound up, kicked his right leg high into the air—and burned a fastball straight across the heart of the plate. Koufax walked off the mound, the fourth player in history to pitch three no-hit games.