This Day In Dodgers History: Sandy Koufax Breaks Strikeouts Record; Mike Piazza & Tommy Lasorda Achieve Milestones

"This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw Sandy Koufax break the National League record for strikeouts in a season on Sept. 27, 1961. The left-hander surpassed Christy Mathewson, who held the previous mark with 267 during the 1903 campaign. Koufax struck out seven batters over eight innings pitched in a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the Hall of Famer's final start of the 1961 season, finishing with a then-record 269 strikeouts."

"Koufax recorded 2,396 strikeouts across his 12 MLB seasons with the Dodgers. His most in a single campaign was 382, which came during the 1965 season. That stood as the MLB record until Nolan Ryan of the California Angels recorded 383 strikeouts during the 1973 season. Koufax finished with 2,396 strikeouts in his illustrious Dodgers career. The franchise celebrated him in June 2022 with a Sandy Koufax statue in the center field plaza at Dodger Stadium."

Sandy Koufax broke the National League single-season strikeout record on Sept. 27, 1961, surpassing Christy Mathewson's 1903 mark by finishing that season with 269 strikeouts. Koufax totaled 2,396 strikeouts over 12 MLB seasons with the Dodgers, with a single-season high of 382 in 1965, a mark later surpassed by Nolan Ryan's 383 in 1973. The Dodgers honored Koufax with a statue in the center field plaza at Dodger Stadium in June 2022. On Sept. 27, 1993, Mike Piazza set the Dodgers rookie home run record with 33, finishing 1993 with 35 homers. On Sept. 27, 2000, Tommy Lasorda managed Team USA to Olympic gold over Cuba, a 4-0 win.

Read at Dodger Blue