| Sandy Koufax Monument | |
| Italic Title: | no |
| Artist: | Branly Cadet |
| Medium: | Bronze sculpture |
| Subject: | Sandy Koufax |
| Metric Unit: | cm |
| Imperial Unit: | in |
| City: | Dodger Stadium Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Mapframe: | no |
The Sandy Koufax Monument was unveiled outside the centerfield plaze entrance of Dodger Stadium on June 18, 2022. The bronze statue, created by sculptor Branly Cadet, commemorates Dodgers and baseball great Sandy Koufax.
A Hall of Fame pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966, Koufax is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all-time and as well as the greatest pitcher in Dodgers franchise history.[1]
In 2019, as part of renovation plans, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they would unveil a statue of Sandy Koufax in the centerfield plaza of Dodger Stadium. It was the second statue dedicated by the Dodgers after the statue of Jackie Robinson was unveiled in 2017.[2]
Dodgers' president Stan Kasten stated that the newly renovated centerfield plaza would have an entrance gate and the plan was that Robinson statue (moved from its original location to the centerfield plaze) and the Koufax statue were to be on opposite sides of the entrance, to "greet" fans as they entered the stadium.[3]
The statue was initially meant to be unveiled in 2020 but the plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
The ceremony of the statue unveiling was led by Dodgers broadcaster Charley Steiner with three other people speaking about Koufax: former Dodgers manager and close friend Joe Torre, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter. Koufax himself gave a speech in which he thanked numerous former teammates, coaches, team personnel, and friends.[4]
The sculpture was created by artist Branly Cadet who had also created the statue of Jackie Robinson for the Dodgers in 2017.
It depicts Koufax's signature leg kick as he prepares to throw and also shows Koufax determined and a picture of calm as he goes into his windup. Cadet stated, "I think for me more than anything I wanted to capture his strength, his focus and integrity. Although he's a very quiet and absolute gentleman, there's a part of him that's just a fierce competitor."[5]
Koufax picked the inspiration image for the statue and also gripped a baseball for a photograph of his left hand in order to depict it as accurately as possible.
The quote on the base of the statue, by Koufax, says: "As teammates, we were bound together by a single interest and common goal. To win. Nothing else mattered and nothing else would do."[6]