On September 9, 1965, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium, retiring all 27 batters he faced in a 1–0 victory. No Cubs player reached base by hit, walk, error, or any other means.
Koufax struck out 14 hitters, including the final six batters of the game. The performance was the fourth no-hitter of his career, making him the first Major League pitcher to reach that total and breaking the previous record for career no-hitters.
The game was also one of the greatest pitching duels in baseball history. Cubs starter Bob Hendley allowed only one hit in a complete game, but that hit—combined with an error, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly—produced the Dodgers’ only run. Together, Koufax and Hendley allowed just one hit, the fewest combined in a nine-inning major-league game.
Koufax’s perfect game became the defining moment of his extraordinary prime and further cemented his status as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in baseball history. A well-known postgame photograph shows him holding four baseballs marked with zeros, representing his four career no-hitters.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
