Sandy Koufax declines to pitch the first game of the World Series against the Twins because the scheduled game occurs Yom Kippur, Dodgers lose 8-2

October 6, 1965
World Series
1965, Don Drysdale, Don Mincher, Earl Battey, Frank Quilici, Harmon Killebrew, Jim Lefebvre, Los Angeles Dodgers, Maury Wills, Metropolitan Stadium, Mudcat Grant, October 6, Ron Fairly, Sandy Koufax, Sandy Valdespino, Walter Alston, Zoilo Versalles

On October 6, 1965 At Metropolitan Stadium, Sandy Koufax declines to pitch the first game of the World Series against the Twins because the scheduled game occurs Yom Kippur, the most sacred of the Jewish holidays. As the Dodger southpaw attends shul and fasts on the Day of Atonement.

Game 1 was set to be a pitching duel between Dodgers’ Don Drysdale and the Twins’ Mudcat Grant (21–7, 3.30 ERA on the year).

In the Twins’ third inning any thought of a pitchers’ duel was put to rest. Going into that inning, it was 1–1. Coming out, it was 7–1. It started with a Frank Quilici double to left field, followed by an error by Jim Lefebvre, allowing the pitcher Grant to reach. Then, shortstop Zoilo Versalles stepped to the plate. He had hit 19 home runs in the regular season and would later win the AL MVP Award for that year. He crushed a pitch from Drysdale for a three-run home run to make the score, 4–1. However, the Twins’ scoring wasn’t over. With still no one out, left fielder Sandy Valdespino began things again with a double. After a few outs and baserunners, and a single by Harmon Killebrew, the Twins had two runners again. With three straight singles (Earl Battey, Don Mincher, and Quilici), scoring three unearned runs, the Twins had jumped out to a six-run lead and would never look back, winning the game 8–2.

Frank Quilici set a World Series record with his two hits in the third inning. Mudcat Grant was the first black World Series game-winner for an American League team, and just the seventh pitcher to homer in a World Series game.

The Dodgers had scored their runs on a Ron Fairly homer and a Maury Wills bunt single that scored Lefebvre. Grant received the win while Drysdale took the loss. In the postgame news conference, a reporter jokingly said to Dodger manager Walter Alston, “I bet you wish Drysdale was Jewish too.”

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