The Sandy Koufax Monument was unveiled outside the centerfield plaze entrance of
Dodger Stadium on June 18, 2022. The
bronze statue
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements t ...
, 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.
Background
In 2019, as part of renovation plans, the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
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.
Dodgers' president
Stan Kasten
Stan Kasten (born February 1, 1952) is the former president of the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals, and the current president and part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Long involved in Atlanta professional sports, he also served as ge ...
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.
The statue was initially meant to be unveiled in 2020 but the plans were delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
[
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
Mark Walter is an American businessman and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $325 billion in assets under management and headquarters in Chicago and New York. H ...
. Koufax himself gave a speech in which he thanked numerous former teammates, coaches, team personnel, and friends.
Statue
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."][
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."]
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koufax, Sandy
Statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
Bronze sculptures in California
Cultural depictions of baseball players
Monuments and memorials in Los Angeles
Outdoor sculptures in Greater Los Angeles
Sculptures of men in California
Statues in Los Angeles
Statues of sportspeople
2022 sculptures