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Yogi Berra, Koufax and Wynn become Hall of Famers in 1972

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Yogi Berra, who has never faced Sandy Koufax at plate except in spring training, meet at Americana.Frank Hurley

Yogi Berra, who has never faced Sandy Koufax at plate except in spring training, meet at Americana.

(Originally published by the Daily News on Jan. 20, 1972. This story was written by Joe Trimble.)

Like Ado Annie, the hostess in “Oklahoma,” the baseball writers couldn’t say no to three of the game’s former greats, enshrining Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Early Wynn in the Hall of Fame. Nobody made it last year.

They did turn back Ralph Kiner again – a bitter disappointment to the great home run hitter who broadcasts the Mets’ game. Ralph finished fourth in the vote announced yesterday, so chances are he will make it next year.

Koufax made it in his first year of eligibility, being named on 344 of the 396 ballots. Yogi, former Yankee catcher and now Met coach, had 339 and Wynn, Washington, Cleveland and Chicago pitcher just barely made it with 301. The minimum for election was 297 votes, or 75% of those cast.

SANDY KOUFAX: FIVE AMAZING MOMENTS IN THE PITCHER’S CAREER

Kiner in Cleanup Spot

Kiner, who hit 369 homers for Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cleveland, finished fourth with 235 votes followed by Gil Hodges with 161, Ex-Card, Yank and Giant slugger Johnny Mize was sixth with 157.

Koufax became only the fifth man to be elected first time around. The others were Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson and Stan Musial.

The Dodger lefthander lasted but 12 years before an arthritic elbow forced his retirement. At 36, he is the youngest man ever to be selected.

Asked about this signal honor, Koofoo laughed: “Well, that’s only because I had to retire at 31. I had six good years (the last six, 1961-66), the last four being the best.”

Not Sandy’s Biggest Thrill

Koufax said it was not his biggest thrill. “The biggest thrill has to be the things you did on the field. That is, game performance,” he said.

Sandy said the toughest hitter he has ever faced is Henry Aaron, Braves’ outfielder who has 639 lifetime homers, seven fewer than Willie Mays.

Berra, asked to identify the pitcher who gave him the most trouble, answered quickly: “Alex Kellner, the left-handed pitcher with the Athletics.”

Wynn, who lives in Nokomis, Fla., wasn’t able to attend the festivity here. By phone, burly Early said that he didn’t think that being one of baseball’s all-time 300-game winners got him the honor. “Others who didn’t win 300 are in the Hall of Fame. Honestly, after I was passed up a few times, particularly when Yogi and I didn’t make it last year, I had my doubts that either of us ever would make it.”

Koufax was 25-5, 19-5, 26-8 and 27-9 with ERA’s 1.88, 1.74, 2.04 and 1.73 in those four fabulous seasons, leading the LA Dodgers to three pennants in the span.

The New York Daily News published this article on Jan. 20, 1972. New York Daily News

The New York Daily News published this article on Jan. 20, 1972.

Enlarge The New York Daily News published this article on Jan. 20, 1972. New York Daily News

The New York Daily News published this article on Jan. 20, 1972.

Enlarge

The New York Daily News published this article on Jan. 20, 1972.

Sandy is a broadcaster with the backup team on NBC’s “Game of the Week”. Asked if he would like to be back in uniform, say as pitching coach, he answered: “No. I never did like the travel and there is more of it now than when i was pitching, due to expansion.”

Berra said he wasn’t disappointed when he wasn’t named when he first became eligible last year. “It is great to make it, whether it takes one, two, three or four years. It doesn’t matter. Every ballplayers hopes to make it. This is the greatest honor of my life,” he said.

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Yogi Not Dumb, Never Faced Sandy

Yogi revealed a surprise when he said that he had never batted against Koufax except in Spring training.

“The year the Dodgers beat us four straight in the World Series (1963), I was on-deck hitter when he got the final out in the fourth game.”

Koufax was asked how he pitched to Berra the few times he did in exhibitions. He laughed again. “Very carefully,” he answered. “Yogi didn’t want you to throw strikes!”

Exported.;AP

Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, shown in this undated photo, a 300-game winner and one of the fiercest competitors of his time.

Berra, best bad-ball hitter of his era, explained why. “People tried to make me wait for good pitches, particularly Casey (Stengel) but I told him the bad ones looked good to me when the ball was coming to the plate.”

Of his 358 lifetimes homers, Berra estimates that only 20 or so came when he was not the catcher in the game.

The trio will be formally inducted in the Cooperstown shrine on Aug. 7. It is a happy coincidence that Dodgers and Yanks meet in the exhibition game that day.

THE GREATEST 8 THERE EVER WAS: YOGI BERRA BY THE NUMBERS

Now 108 Hall of Famers

The addition of the three make 108 players in the Hall of Fame.

Wynn, whose 23 seasons as major league pitcher is a record, had a 300-244 lifetime mark and a 3.54 ERA. He was a 20-game winner three times. This was his four year of eligibility.

Only 14 players received as many as a hundred votes. Phil Rizzuto was at the bottom of that group with 104. Pee Wee Reese was named on 12, but there just isn’t that much difference between the two of the finest shortstops in Fun City baseball history.

Tags:
archives ,
yogi berra ,
sandy koufax ,
early wynn ,
baseball hall of fame ,
mlb

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