LOS ANGELES – It’s a quiet afternoon at the small house in Vero Beach, Florida – where Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax retired many years ago. At 89, the man who was once an invincible icon on the pitching field now sits quietly on the front porch, clutching his worn-out glove, his eyes distant as if trying to recall fading memories…

And then today, his family speaks out for the first time.

“He doesn’t remember how many games he pitched. But he remembers exactly the day he walked into the Dodgers clubhouse, the first look he got at Jackie Robinson. And he always asks, ‘Are the Dodgers going to win today?’”
– Koufax family statement, sent to the press on the afternoon of July 16

After months of silence, the family confirmed that Sandy Koufax is in the early stages of dementia. The news stunned not only Dodgers fans but the entire baseball community.

“We hoped he would be the exception. But memories — like the speed of a fastball — don’t last forever,” Koufax’s grandson said through tears.

Koufax, who retired from his career at age 30 due to pain from elbow arthritis — sacrificed his body to create legendary summers for the Dodgers. Now, as his body begins to fail, his memory is the next thing to abandon him.

The family said that every morning, Koufax would go out on the porch, put on his Dodgers cap, and ask his wife, “Is it Opening Day yet?”

Instead of a big ceremony, the family wants fans to send handwritten letters, old photos, or just a thank you to Sandy Koufax — things “he can still feel, even if he can’t name it.”

“He doesn’t need a big ceremony. He just needs to feel like he’s still a part of the Dodgers — a place where his heart has never left.”

—from his son’s handwritten letter to MLB.

The story of Sandy Koufax is now more than just a record book. It’s a reminder of human limitations, of a love of baseball that transcends the spotlight. He may forget that he once threw four no-hitters. But we — the fans, the history writers — will never forget him.

And on a Florida porch, if one day you hear the radio blare “Dodgers win!”, imagine him – the man who has fought all his life – smiling slightly, even though he may not remember why.