--- description: The Dodgers pitcher refused to play on the Jewish holy day, which begins on Sept. 22 this year title: Yom Kippur History: 50 Years Since Sandy Koufax Sat Out image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ef91be4026743ad/698864460b72e3682b6e5e3a/koufax1.jpeg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [faith](/tag/faith/) ## faith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # It's Been 50 Years Since Sandy Koufax Refused to Pitch on Yom Kippur  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Sep 22, 2015 2:30 PM CUT  Pitcher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct. 14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis. Pitcher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct. 14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis.Focus On Sport / Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Sep 22, 2015 2:30 PM CUT He was the best pitcher in baseball, the only player in the game that Minnesota Twins manager Sam Mele said he’d “pay to see warm up.” Yet in the first game of the 1965 World Series pitting Koufax’s Los Angeles Dodgers against those Twins, he refused to take the mound. Due to what TIME then [called](http://time.com/vault/issue/1965-10-08/page/70/ "undefined") “a quirk in the schedule,” the Oct. 6 game fell on Yom Kippur, considered the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. (This year it begins on the evening of Sept. 22.) There’s reason to believe Koufax didn’t think the decision was particularly significant, as biographer Jane Leavy [told](http://www.janeleavy.com/112 "undefined") _Sports Illustrated_ in 2002\. After all, Don Drysdale, the Dodgers pitcher who took Koufax’s place, was also a star. But Koufax’s decision instantly transformed him into an icon for Jewish sports fans. Even now, a half-century later and despite the fact that he wasn’t actually too observant, Koufax remains one of the American athletes most closely associated with his faith. It worked out well for the team, too. The Dodgers won the series and Koufax was named MVP. As TIME described in a profile following the Dodgers’ victory, the Brooklyn-born southpaw may not have had a taste for fame, but he earned it nonetheless: --- > “” --- **_Read more about Sandy Koufax from 1965, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Mr. Cool & the Pros](http://time.com/vault/issue/1965-10-22/page/111/ "undefined") ### See Photos of Pete Rose Becoming Baseball’s All-Time Hits Leader  Outfielder Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds salutes the crowd after surpassing Ty Cobb with his 4,192th hit that came against San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show on Sept. 11, 1985, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Focus On Sport—Getty Images  Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds follows through with the hit against the San Diego Padres during a game on Sept. 11, 1985 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rich Pilling—MLB Photos/Getty Images  Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose (14) in action, rounding first base after setting hitting record with No. 4,192 career hit during game vs San Diego Padres. Tony Tomsic—Sports Illustrated/Getty Images  View of the scoreboard saying as Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds made his 4,192th hit. Rich Pilling—MLB Photos/Getty Images  Outfielder Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds is surrounded by teammates and lifted in the air by Tony Perez #24, after surpassing Ty Cobb with his 4,192th hit. Focus On Sport—Getty Images  Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds stands with an announcer in victory on his 4,192th hit. Rich Pilling—MLB Photos/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4036885/sandy-koufax-yom-kippur/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4036885/sandy-koufax-yom-kippur/"},"headline":"It's Been 50 Years Since Sandy Koufax Refused to Pitch on Yom Kippur","datePublished":"2015-09-22T14:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:38.985Z","description":"The Dodgers star rebuffed the World Series for the Jewish holy day, which begins on Sept. 22 this year","url":"https://time.com/4036885/sandy-koufax-yom-kippur/","keywords":["faith","Sports topic","Baseball"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ef91be4026743ad/698864460b72e3682b6e5e3a/koufax1.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ef91be4026743ad/698864460b72e3682b6e5e3a/koufax1.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"World Series:Los Angeles Dodgers v Minnesota Twins, October 14, 1965","caption":"World Series:Los Angeles Dodgers v Minnesota Twins, October 14, 1965","creditText":"Focus On Sport / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4036885/sandy-koufax-yom-kippur/","name":"It's Been 50 Years Since Sandy Koufax Refused to Pitch on Yom Kippur"}}]}] ```