The number of Jewish members of Baseball’s Hall of Fame could be doubled this week if Sanford (Sandy) Koufax is elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Koufax, who retired with a sore arm in 1966 after 12 years with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, is eligible for enshrinement for the first time this year.
He won 165 games and lost 87, and is one of the ranking strikeout artists of all times. It is believed that the only Jewish member of the Hall of Fame–among 108 players and 18 others–is Henry Benjamin (Hank) Greenberg, the Detroit and Pittsburgh slugger of the 1930s and 40’s, who was elected in 1956.
Other Jewish players of the past who could be elected this week by the BBWAA or at month’s end by the Committee on Veterans include John B. Kling, Chicago Cubs catcher after the turn of the century; Albert Leonard (Flip) Rosen, Clave-land Indians third baseman who was the American League’s unanimous most valuable player in 1953; Edward Marvin Reulbach (Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, 1905-14), who pitched and won a double-header and four straight shutouts and had wining streaks of 14 and 12: Charles Solomon (Buddy) Myer, who hit .303 over 17 years, mostly with the Washington Senators, and Sidney Gordon. infielder for the postwar New York Giants.
Jewish club presidents who could be elected are Andrew Freedman, Giants. 1895-1902; Barney Dreyfuss. Pirates, 1900-32; William E. Benswanger, Pirates, 1932-46, and judge Emil Fuchs, Boston Braves, 1925-35. Benswanger died Friday at the age of 79.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
