Center Field Plaza will have a new permanent resident

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers announced today that the team would be honoring the legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax with a statue in the newly refurbished center field plaza at Dodger Stadium. It will be the second player statue to be installed by the club, following the Jackie Robinson statue, which was dedicated on April 15, 2017. The new stature will the work of artist Branly Cadet, who also created the Robinson statue.  

On June 18, the statue will be officially unveiled with a ceremony prior to the Dodgers’ game with the newly renamed Cleveland Guardians. The first 40,000 fans in through the turnstiles will receive a replica of the new statue. 

“I am very proud to announce that the unveiling of the Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium will finally take place on Sunday, June 18,” said Dodger President and CEO, Stan Kasten. “The statue will be located at our main entrance in the Centerfield Plaza, right next to Jackie Robinson’s statue, and fans entering those gates will be ‘greeted’ by Jackie and Sandy. Not only are both of these Hall of Famers part of our rich Dodger history, they are also continuously inspiring sports fans everywhere.”  

Koufax was a little before my time, so I never got a chance to witness his artistry on the mound, but his stats speak for themselves. Though his amazing career was shortened by injury, he still had plenty of bona fides when it came time to put him into Cooperstown. In his 12 seasons in Dodger blue, he had a career record of 165-87, a 2.76 ERA, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games and 40 shutouts. He was also the first MLB player to pitch four no-hitters, including a perfect game.

So circle the date on the calendar, Dodger fans. It should be a fitting tribute to one of the classiest guys every to put on a Dodger uniform.