Sandy Koufax is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball. Born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Sandy began his Hall of Fame career for his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers as a fresh-faced 19-year-old in 1955. Ten years later he was in the midst of perhaps the greatest stretch of dominance any Major League pitcher had ever enjoyed. With three World Series titles to his name already, the universally recognized greatest pitcher at that time was at the top of his game, ready to pitch his team to another championship win in game 1 of the 1965 World Series.

Except he didn’t—not because he didn’t pitch well enough or long enough, but because he didn’t pitch at all. He wasn’t injured or sick. He had no issues with his team. So why did he refuse to pitch in what might have been the biggest game of his life?

Bigger Than Baseball

Game 1 was scheduled for October 6. If you know anything about Jewish culture, you’ll recognize that as a busy time of year on the Hebrew calendar. Sure enough, in 1965, October 6 marked Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most sacred day of the year for the Jewish people. God established this day to “be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lᴏʀᴅ. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lᴏʀᴅ your God” (Leviticus 23:27–28). 

Jewish people strive to obey this command on Yom Kippur. They trade in a regular work day for a day of prayer to the Lord, seeking forgiveness for their sins, in addition to fasting and acts of charity. But Major League Baseball isn’t an ordinary job. Even in the ‘60s, players were paid relatively elite salaries and received national recognition, perhaps none more than Koufax. It would be hard to imagine such a superstar would skip a World Series game for religious reasons.

A Championship at Risk

But skip it he did. And his team suffered without him. His replacement, Don Drysdale, an all-time great pitcher in his own right, was hammered by the Minnesota Twins’ offense. They racked up seven runs against him in less than three innings, cruising to a blowout win. Drysdale’s performance led him to quip to his manager, “I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too.”

“I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too.”

Koufax’s decision began to loom large. He was already known as a phenomenal performer on the big stage, and he was enjoying the best year of his impressive career. Surely he would have shut down the Twins and taken the series advantage! He did indeed pitch impressively the very next day in an effort that should have produced a win. But the Dodgers scored only one run and found themselves stuck with an ugly 2–0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. 

The pressure mounted. But Koufax was undeterred. He went back out to the mound twice more and pitched two of the best games in World Series history, winning both by pitching complete-game shutouts, the second of which earned the Dodgers the championship in a decisive 2–0 game 7 victory.

Taking Your Faith Seriously

One of the most interesting aspects of Koufax’s decision was his motivation. He was a secular Jew, not strictly holding to religious Jewish customs. Yet he felt compelled to refuse to pitch that day. His decision caused those with a similar background to feel they could embrace Jewish culture and American culture simultaneously. It also signaled that Yom Kippur was not for the Orthodox alone but for all the Jewish people.

But his reverence for Yom Kippur might provide spiritual motivation for us as well. If Koufax, Jewish by heritage but not by religious practice, was willing to give up a chance for glory on the world’s biggest stage, how much more should we who love God be willing to give up our comfort for Him? 

If Koufax, Jewish by heritage but not by religious practice, was willing to give up a chance for glory on the world’s biggest stage, how much more should we who love God be willing to give up our comfort for Him?

The world offers a lifetime worth of distractions, and we all feel their pull. It’s difficult to be in the world but not of it. Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). We might desire to come after Him and follow Him, but we might not be so good at denying ourselves and taking up our cross. 

We need to discipline ourselves to choose to love the Lord in word, thought, and deed in a sacrificial way. God should be worth more to us than anything we consider valuable on Earth, for nothing is greater than Him. If we have to miss a special event to go to church, or if we have to refuse things the world takes pleasure in to remain faithful to Him, we should consider it our joy. It’s just as the apostle Paul said: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

This Yom Kippur, keep Koufax’s remembrance in mind as you consider how seriously you treat your own relationship with the Lord. It might just revolutionize how you walk with Him!

(Photo Credit: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons)

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Israel’s entire history is the story of an underdog. So often attacked by larger enemies, the tiny country has endured countless battles from biblical times to the present. Yet God has fought for His people and saved them from extinction time and time again when all hope seemed lost.

It turns out their story as a nation mirrored their story on the baseball field. In 2017, nations all over the world gathered to play in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international tournament showcasing baseball talent from nations like the U.S., Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Then along came little Israel. Without much hoopla or famous MLB players, their entrance into the tournament was unassuming. 

In the previous WBC in 2013, Israel failed to qualify for the main tournament, as its best players were unavailable because of the tournament’s coinciding with the MLB season. Though the tournament was changed to start before the season in 2017, not much was expected of Team Israel. Many thought history would repeat itself, and Israel wouldn’t qualify for the tournament. But they did qualify, winning three straight games against Great Britain and Brazil to gain a spot in the tournament.

Before travelling to South Korea for their first WBC game, many U.S. players on Team Israel visited Israel on a life-changing trip that not only brought publicity to baseball in Israel but also stirred up love for their country. Players visited the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, and Tel Aviv, according to The Jewish News of Northern California. This made the tournament about more than winning. It was about their people, their nation, their heritage.

Team Israel looked truly inspired. They took on the top dogs right away: South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands, ranked third, fourth, and ninth in the world, respectively. For a team ranked 41st in the world, the lowest among any team in the tournament, this was a true David and Goliath matchup. But they showed no fear.

In their first game, Israel was neck and neck with South Korea in a 1-1 tie for much of the game. Ultimately a clutch hit by the last hitter in Israel’s lineup drove in the game-winning run in extra innings, leading them to a stunning victory. 

Their success continued against Chinese Taipei. Instead of a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, Israel ambushed their high ranked opponents with four runs in the first inning. They scored six runs before Chinese Taipei managed to score, ultimately winning in blowout fashion with a 15-7 victory.

Their third game looked like it could be their toughest yet. Team Netherlands featured a lineup full of MLB stars expected to pounce on Israel’s pitching. But Israel again shocked their opponents with three first-inning runs. Things looked grim when one of the Netherlands’ top hitters came to the plate with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, down by two runs, but Israel worked its magic yet again by forcing a double-play to end the inning, leading to their 4-2 win.

Defeating these three giants advanced Israel to the second round to face Cuba, ranked fifth in the world. With the game scheduled for Purim, the team read the book of Esther in the dugout to prepare themselves. This was more than just a game; this was for their history, for the honor of their people. After falling behind early, Israel rallied again for their fourth straight win, toppling another giant with a final score of 4-1.

Though their miraculous run came to an end with consecutive losses against the Netherlands and Japan, the two-time WBC championship-winning team, Israel’s play caught global attention and inspired the Jewish people. Ranked 41st yet finishing sixth in the world, Team Israel showed that they were driven by a heritage greater than baseball. 

God’s Chosen nation has endured multiple attempts at genocide, enemy attacks from every side, and anti-Semitism around the globe. Through the game of baseball, the Jewish people gave a glimpse at the resiliency that drives them with their unlikely success that captivated the world.

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