Card front
Brooklyn's 1st contract paid Sandy both a $6000 salary and $14000 signing bonus. By 1955 labor rules, the big bonus also meant keeping him on a major league roster for at least 2 years. Any attempt to send Koufax or another "baby" to a minor-league team would mean a trip through waivers first. (This encouraged teams to spend their bonus money judiciously, since waiver claims only cost another team the player's remaining salary.)
Koufax rode the dugout pine for a few months, in part to work on his wildness, but finally debuted in mop-up duty on June 24th against the Milwaukee Braves. He made none other than All-Time Giant #5 Bobby Thomson his first strike out.
Card back
Like TCMA's other All-Time teams, this 12-card set includes 8 position players, 3 pitchers, and a manager.
- MGR Walt Alston
- P Sandy Koufax
- P Hugh Casey
- P Dazzy Vance
- C Roy Campanella
- 1B Gil Hodges
- 2B Jackie Robinson
- 3B Jim Gilliam
- SS Pee Wee Reese
- OF Duke Snider
- OF Dixie Walker
- OF Zach Wheat
Dazzy Vance led the NL in Ks for 7 straight seasons, pitched 600 more innings than Sandy, and still had 300 fewer strike outs! Few have--or ever will--reach the heights Koufax hit from 1961 to 1965.
Value: CheckOutMyCards.com lists singles from this set for $2 or less.
Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the market.
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