By Jonah Sharf
On September 9, 1965, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax pitched the fourth and final no-hitter of his legendary career, which happened to be a perfect game as well. It was the eighth perfect game in MLB history, and is one of only 23 perfect games pitched over the 140 years of the MLB’s existence. The Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 in the game, only putting up one hit on the night, but it proved enough to back the outstanding effort by Koufax. He also set the record for the most strikeouts in a perfect game with 14, which has only been matched by Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants in 2012. Despite having to retire at just 30 years old due to arthritis in his pitching elbow, Koufax is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and his six-year period of dominance is thought by many to be the best six seasons by any pitcher. Koufax won one MVP award, three Cy Young awards, four World Series (one in which he was on the roster but did not make an appearance), and two World Series MVPs. Koufax was the youngest player ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at just 36 years old.