Preview
  • Sandy Koufax

  • A Lefty's Legacy
  • By: Jane Leavy
  • Narrated by: Charley Steiner
  • Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (208 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Sandy Koufax

By: Jane Leavy
Narrated by: Charley Steiner
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.49

Buy for $22.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

No immortal in the history of baseball retired so young, so well, or so completely as Sandy Koufax. After compiling a remarkable record from 1962 to 1966 that saw him lead the National League in ERA all five years, win three Cy Young awards, and pitch four no-hitters including a perfect game, Koufax essentially disappeared. Save for his induction into the Hall of Fame and occasional appearances at the Dodgers training camp, Koufax has remained unavailable, unassailable, and unsullied, in the process becoming much more than just the best pitcher of his generation.

He is the Jewish boy from Brooklyn, who refused to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur, defining himself as a man who placed faith over fame. This act made him the standard to which Jewish parents still hold their children. Except for his autobiography (published in 1966), Koufax has resolutely avoided talking about himself. But through sheer doggedness that even Koufax came to marvel at, Jane Leavy was able to gain his trust to the point where they talked regularly over the three years Leavy reported her book. With Koufax's blessing, Leavy interviewed nearly every one of his former teammates, opponents, and friends, and emerged with a portrait of the artist that is as thorough and stylish as was his command on the pitching mound.

©2002 Jane Leavy (P)2003 HarperCollins
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The Best Baseball Audiobooks of All Time


Ask any baseball fan and they'll tell you: some of their favorite sounds can only be heard at the ballpark—the smooth, satisfying pop of a catcher’s glove as a pitch hits its mark; the crack of a bat as it tears into a fastball, explosive and hopeful, drawing the crowd to their feet. Our list, a roundup of outstanding baseball audiobooks, offers a glimmer of that same ballpark magic with just a few of the greatest stories from our national pastime.

What listeners say about Sandy Koufax

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    134
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    125
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    121
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Baseball Favorite

Great story about a great man...Exceptionally written, Koufax's life story being told while woven between the innings of the perfect game he threw...It is refreshing being able to read about a boyhood hero that wasn't a fall down drunk or an egotistical psycho...Can't wait for your next book...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

What did you love best about Sandy Koufax?

The book is easy to listen to and parallels a lot of idolizing of Mr. Koufax. The writing is wonderful. Having Charlie Steiner narrate the book is pure genius. Charlie is great talking about sports. Getting to listen to him for an extended period is great. I know, overuse of the word

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Portrait of a facinating man in a bygone era

Would you listen to Sandy Koufax again? Why?

This was a great read. The author paints a wonderful protrait of great figure and simultaneously brings the reader back in time to a era when baseball was a different game,

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sandy Koufax?

I especially enjoyed the stories about ways that Sandy Koufax was often misunderstood by the media and the public.

What about Charley Steiner’s performance did you like?

Charley Steiner's passion for the subject was apparent in every sentence.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

FANTASTIC

I listen to 40 audible books a year..This is one of the best..A Great Story and narrator

A PERFECT LISTEN

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

anti-jew or ultimate jew

what is the bigoted cartoon image of a jew ?
loud, abrasive, short, fat, ugly, physically inept
greedy, dishonest, egotistical, mean-spirited

what if you are a jew and are none of those ?
would you make american jews look at themselves differently ?
would you become a yardstick of achievement/assimilation ?

he's a hard man to write about as he relentlessly avoids the spotlight
what we get is the image of his admirers in the mirror of his career
but the list of his admirers is as impressive as it is long

the modern athletic soap opera seems pale in comparison
his character was greater than his ability and his ability was immense
i only hope jane leavy decides to call rachel robinson some day about a book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Loved this book laughed and learned a lot about Koufax. Looking forward to reading his autobiography book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sandy Koufax the Goat

Go Dodgers book was great and I felt like I was in Dodgers stadium as Charlie read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Greatest Lefty I've Ever seen

What did you like about this audiobook?

This audiobook kept my interest from beginning to end. I think the audiobook is equal to the print version. I have also read the print version & loved it.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

It gave me the chance to re-live my youth and remember watching the best pitcher in baseball during the '60's.The Boys of Summer is another of the audiobooks I enjoyed that compares to Sandy Koufax because like Koufax, I kept my attention until the end. The Greatest Game Ever Pitched is the book I'm reading now (& I wish it was available in audiobook) because I was among the fans that witnessed the game at the "Stick" that night.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Yes she does. although I've never met Jane Leavy, I believe this book brings a very personal warmth & humor in the way it's written. I like that.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Absolutely nothing!

Do you have any additional comments?

Is "Sandy Koufax, A Lefty's Legacy" available in enhanced form? If not, why not?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best biography on Koufax

After reading the book when it first came out I thought I would give the audio version a listen. I was not disappointed. Jane Leavy has done a tremendous job with this book. If you love Koufax this book is a must!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books ever!

I wish I could go back in time to witness the greatness of Koufax. Very well written by Jane Leavy and Charley Steiner did a great job narrating this treasure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!