A summer night in Los Angeles turned electric as a young left-hander climbed into rare company and flirted with something even bigger.
On June 22, 1959, Sandy Koufax struck out 16 Phillies, the most by a Dodger since Nap Rucker’s 1909 feat and a new major league record for a night game. The old mark of 14 had stood for years, shared by some of the era’s hardest throwers. Koufax finished just two shy of Bob Feller’s overall record, but for one dazzling evening he owned the spotlight. It was the kind of performance that hinted at the legend still to come.
🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:
Fans roared for history in a strikeout-less ninth
The four aces whose record Koufax erased
A whistle-blowing fan’s bold 8th-inning mound visit
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