Título: Sandy Koufax
Seção: 1963 season
Background: Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family, and raised in Borough Park. His parents, Evelyn (nee Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. His mother was remarried when he was nine, to Irving Koufax. Shortly after his mother's remarriage, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre.

Conteúdo: In 1963, Major League Baseball expanded the strike zone. Compared to the previous season, National League walks fell 13 percent, strikeouts increased six percent, the league batting average fell from .261 to .245, and runs fell 15 percent. Koufax, who had reduced his walks allowed per nine innings to 3.4 in 1961 and 2.8 in 1962, reduced his walk rate further to 1.7 in 1963, which ranked fifth in the league. The top pitchers of the era - Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn, and above all Koufax - significantly reduced the walks-given-up-to-batters-faced ratio for 1963, and subsequent years. On May 11, Koufax no-hit the San Francisco Giants 8-0, besting future Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal--himself a no-hit pitcher a month later, on June 15. Koufax carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the powerful Giants lineup, including future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda. He walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch in the 8th, and pinch-hitter McCovey on four pitches in the 9th, before closing out the game. As the Dodgers won the pennant, Koufax won the pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (25), strikeouts (306) and ERA (1.88). Koufax threw 11 shutouts, setting a new post-1900 record for shutouts by a left-handed pitcher that stands to this day (the previous record of 10 shutouts had been held by Carl Hubbell for 30 years). Only Bob Gibson, a right-hander, has thrown more shutouts (13) since, and 

user: How did the 1963 season start for Sandy Koufax?

assistant: In 1963, Major League Baseball expanded the strike zone.

user: Did Koufax suffer any injuries?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: On May 11, Koufax no-hit the San Francisco Giants 8-0, besting future Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal--himself a no-hit pitcher a month later,

user: What records did Koufax set in 1963?

assistant: ). Koufax threw 11 shutouts, setting a new post-1900 record for shutouts by a left-handed pitcher

user: How did the team do in 1963?

assistant: " In Game 4, Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep with a 2-1 victory over Ford,

user: In what other games did Koufax perform well?

assistant: As the Dodgers won the pennant, Koufax won the pitchers' Triple Crown,

user: How did Koufax perform in the post-season?

assistant: Facing the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, Koufax beat Whitey Ford 5-2 in Game 1 and struck out 15 batters --

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: Koufax won the NL MVP Award and the Hickok Belt, and was the first-ever unanimous selection for the Cy Young Award.

user: How did this change in walks affect the game of baseball?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: How did the league respond to this change?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: How did the fans respond to this?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER