Sandy Koufax 1962 season What was significant about 1962? In 1962, the Dodgers moved from the Los Angeles Coliseum, Where did they move to? to pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. How was the stadium pitcher-friendly? The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. What was wrong with the hitting background? I don't know. How did moving stadiums affect the team? On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, Koufax threw his first no-hitter. Did he continue his no hitter streak? I don't know. Are there any other interesting aspects about this article? A numbness developed in Koufax's index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Why did his finger become numb? While batting in April, Koufax had been jammed by a pitch from Earl Francis.
What was wrong with his finger?
What was wrong with Koufax's finger?
In 1962, the Dodgers moved from the Los Angeles Coliseum, which had a 250-foot left field line, to pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. Koufax was an immediate beneficiary of the change, lowering his home ERA from 4.29 to 1.75. On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, Koufax threw his first no-hitter. In the first inning of that game, Koufax struck out three batters on nine pitches to become the sixth National League pitcher and the 11th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish a nine-pitch/three-strikeout half-inning. With the no-hitter, a 4-2 record, 73 strikeouts, and a 1.23 ERA for June, he was named Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award. It would be the only time in his career he earned this distinction. Koufax had his strong season despite an injured pitching hand. While batting in April, Koufax had been jammed by a pitch from Earl Francis. A numbness developed in Koufax's index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Koufax was pitching better than ever, however, so he ignored the problem, hoping that the condition would clear up. By July, though, his entire hand was becoming numb and he was unable to complete some games. In a start in Cincinnati, his finger split open after one inning. A vascular specialist determined that Koufax had a crushed artery in his palm. Ten days of experimental medicine successfully reopened the artery. Koufax finally was able to pitch again in September, when the team was locked in a tight pennant race with the Giants. But after the long layoff, Koufax was ineffective in three appearances as the Giants caught the Dodgers at the end of the regular season, forcing a three-game playoff. The night before the National League playoffs began, Manager Walter Alston asked Koufax if he could start the first game the next day. With an overworked pitching staff, there was no one else, as Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres had pitched the prior two days. Koufax obliged. Koufax later said, "I had nothing at all." He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. After winning the second game of the series, the Dodgers blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning of the deciding third game, losing the pennant. CANNOTANSWER
A vascular specialist determined that Koufax had a crushed artery in his palm.
Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1955 to 1966. Koufax, at age 36 in 1972, became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.

Koufax joined the major leagues at 19 years old, and never pitched a game in the minor leagues.  His career peaked with a run of six outstanding years from  to , before arthritis in his left elbow ended his playing days prematurely at age 30. He was an All-Star for six seasons and was the National League's Most Valuable Player in . He won three Cy Young Awards (1963, , and 1966) by unanimous votes, making him the first three-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win three times when a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball instead of one for each league. Koufax also won the NL Triple Crown for pitchers those same three years, leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

Koufax was the first major league pitcher to pitch four no-hitters and the eighth pitcher to pitch a perfect game in baseball history. Despite his comparatively short career, Koufax's 2,396 career strikeouts ranked 7th all-time as of his retirement, trailing only Warren Spahn (2,583) among left-handers. Koufax is the first of just five pitchers elected to the Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched.

In four trips to the World Series Koufax won three rings, twice being named the Series' Most Valuable Player.

He is also remembered as one of the outstanding Jewish athletes in U.S. sports. His decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur garnered national attention as a conflict between religious calling and society, and remains a notable event in U.S. Jewish history.

Early life
Koufax was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family and was raised in Borough Park. His parents, Evelyn (née Lichtenstein) and Jack Braun, divorced when he was three years old. His mother was remarried when he was nine, to Irving Koufax. Shortly after his mother's remarriage, the family moved to the Long Island suburb of Rockville Centre. Before tenth grade, Koufax's family moved back to the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

Koufax attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, where he was better known for basketball than for baseball. He started playing basketball for the Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst local community center team. Eventually, Lafayette had a basketball team; Koufax became team captain in his senior year, and ranked second in his division in scoring, with 165 points in 10 games. In 1951, at the age of 15, Koufax also joined a local youth baseball league known as the "Ice Cream League". He started out as a left-handed catcher before moving to first base. While playing first base for Lafayette High School's baseball team with his friend Fred Wilpon, he was spotted by Milt Laurie, a baseball coach who was the father of two Lafayette players. Laurie recognized that Koufax might be able to pitch, and recruited the 17-year-old Koufax to pitch for the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews.

Koufax attended the University of Cincinnati and was a walk-on on the freshman basketball team, a complete unknown to assistant coach Ed Jucker. He later earned a partial scholarship. In spring 1954, he made the college baseball varsity team, which was coached by Jucker at that time. In his only season, Koufax went 3–1 with a 2.81 earned run average, 51 strikeouts and 30 walks in 32 innings. Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report that apparently was filed and forgotten.

After trying out with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds, Koufax did the same for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. During his Pirates tryout, Koufax's fastball broke the thumb of Sam Narron, the team's bullpen coach. Branch Rickey, then the general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm [he had] ever seen". The Pirates, however, failed to offer Koufax a contract until after he was already committed to the Dodgers. Dodgers scout Al Campanis heard about Koufax from Jimmy Murphy, a part-time scout. After seeing Koufax pitch for Lafayette, Campanis invited him to an Ebbets Field tryout. With Dodgers manager Walter Alston and scouting director Fresco Thompson watching, Campanis assumed the hitter's stance while Koufax started throwing. Campanis later said, "There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood up: The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the second time, I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball." The Dodgers signed Koufax for a $6,000 ($ today) salary, with a $14,000 ($ today) signing bonus. Koufax planned to use the money as tuition to finish his university education, if his baseball career failed.

Professional career

Early years (1955–1960)

Because Koufax's signing bonus was greater than $4,000 ($ today), he was known as a bonus baby. This forced the Dodgers to keep him on the major league roster for at least two years before he could be sent to the minors. To make room for him, the Dodgers optioned their future Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda, to the Montreal Royals of the International League. Lasorda would later joke that it took Koufax to keep him off the Dodger pitching staff.

Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, , against the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers trailing 7–1 in the fifth inning. Johnny Logan, the first batter Koufax faced, hit a bloop single. Eddie Mathews bunted, and Koufax threw the ball into center field. He then walked Hank Aaron on four pitches to load the bases, but struck out Bobby Thomson on a 3–2 fastball—an outcome Koufax later came to view as "probably the worst thing that could have happened to me," leading, as it did, to five seasons spent "trying to get out of trouble by throwing harder and harder and harder."

Koufax's first start was on July 6. He lasted only  innings, giving up eight walks. He did not start again for almost two months, but on August 27, Koufax threw a two-hit, 7–0 complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds for his first major league win. Koufax threw  innings in 12 appearances that season, striking out 30 batters and walking 28. He had two wins in 1955, which were both shutouts.

During the fall, he enrolled in the Columbia University School of General Studies, which offered night classes in architecture. The Dodgers won the 1955 World Series for the first title in franchise history, but Koufax did not appear in the series. After the final out of Game Seven, Koufax drove to Columbia to attend class.

The year 1956 was not very different from 1955 for Koufax. Despite the blazing speed of his fastball, Koufax continued to struggle with his control. He saw little work, pitching only  innings with a 4.91 earned run average, 29 walks and 30 strikeouts. When Koufax allowed baserunners, he was rarely permitted to finish the inning. Teammate Joe Pignatano said that as soon as Koufax threw a couple of balls in a row, Alston would signal for a replacement to start warming up in the bullpen. Jackie Robinson, in his final season, clashed with Alston on Koufax's usage. Robinson saw that Koufax was talented and had flashes of brilliance, and objected to Koufax being benched for weeks at a time.

To prepare for the  season, the Dodgers sent Koufax to Puerto Rico to play winter ball. On May 15, the restriction on sending Koufax down to the minors was lifted. Alston gave him a chance to justify his place on the major league roster by giving him the next day's start. Facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Koufax struck out 13 while pitching his first complete game in almost two years. For the first time in his career, he was in the starting rotation, but only for two weeks. Despite winning three of his next five with a 2.90 earned run average, Koufax did not get another start for 45 days. In that start, he struck out 11 in seven innings, but got a no-decision. On September 29, Koufax became the last man to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers before their move to Los Angeles, by throwing an inning of relief in the final game of the season.

Koufax and fellow Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale served six months in the United States Army Reserve at Fort Dix in New Jersey after the end of the 1957 season and before spring training in 1958.

Over the next three seasons, Koufax was in and out of the Dodger starting rotation due to injuries. In 1958, he began 7–3, but sprained his ankle in a collision at first base, finishing the season at 11–11 and leading the NL in wild pitches. In June 1959, Koufax set the record for a night game with 16 strikeouts. On August 31, 1959, he set the NL single-game record and tied Bob Feller's major league record of 18.

In , the Dodgers won a close pennant race against the Braves and the Giants, then beat the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Koufax pitched two perfect relief innings in the Series opener, though they came after the Dodgers were already behind 11–0. Alston gave him the start in the fifth game, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 92,706 fans. Koufax allowed only one run in seven innings, but lost the 1–0 game when Nellie Fox scored on a double play. Returning to Chicago, the Dodgers won the sixth game and the Series.

In early , Koufax asked Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi to trade him because he was not getting enough playing time. By the end of 1960, after going 8–13, Koufax was thinking about quitting baseball to devote himself to an electronics business that he had invested in. After the last game of the season, he threw his gloves and spikes into the trash. Nobe Kawano, the clubhouse supervisor, retrieved the equipment in case Koufax returned to play the following year.

Domination (1961–1964)

1961 season

Koufax tried one more year of baseball, showing up for the 1961 season in better condition than he ever had before. Years later he recalled, "That winter was when I really started working out. I started running more. I decided I was really going to find out how good I can be." During spring training, Dodger scout Kenny Myers discovered a hitch in Koufax's windup, where he would rear back so far he would lose sight of the target.

A day later, Koufax was pitching for the "B team" in Orlando. Teammate Ed Palmquist missed the flight, so Koufax was told he would need to pitch at least seven innings. In the first inning, Koufax walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. Catcher Norm Sherry advised Koufax to throw slightly less hard in order to improve his control. The advice worked, Koufax struck out the side, then went on to pitch seven no-hit innings.

In perhaps an early display of sabermetrics, Dodger statistician Allan Roth is credited with helping Koufax tweak his game in the early 1960s, particularly regarding the importance of first-pitch strikes and the benefits of off-speed pitches.

1961 was Koufax's breakout season. He posted an 18–13 record and led the league with 269 strikeouts, breaking Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old NL mark of 267. Selected as an All-Star for the first time, he appeared in both All-Star Games that year.  (MLB held two All-Star games for the years from 1959 to 1962.) In the first game he faced only one batter, giving up a hit to Al Kaline in the ninth inning. In the second game, he pitched two scoreless innings.

1962 season
In , the Dodgers moved from the Los Angeles Coliseum, which had a 250-foot left-field line – an enormous disadvantage to lefthanded pitchers – to pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. The new park had a large foul territory and a comparatively poor hitting background. Koufax was an immediate beneficiary of the change, lowering his earned run average at home from 4.29 to 1.75. On June 30 against the expansion New York Mets, Koufax threw his first no-hitter. In the first inning of that game he struck out all three batters on nine total pitches to become the sixth recorded National League pitcher and the 11th recorded pitcher in major league history to accomplish an immaculate inning. His no-hitter, a 4–2 record, 73 strikeouts, and a 1.23 earned run average, earned him the Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award for June. It would be the only time in his career he earned this distinction.

Koufax had a strong season despite an injured pitching hand. While batting in April, he had been jammed by a pitch from Earl Francis. A numbness developed in Koufax's index finger on his left hand, and the finger became cold and white. Koufax was pitching better than ever, however, so he ignored the problem, hoping that the condition would clear up. By July, though, his entire hand was becoming numb and he was unable to complete some games. In a start in Cincinnati his finger split open after one inning. A vascular specialist determined that Koufax had a crushed artery in his palm. Ten days of experimental medicine successfully reopened the artery. Koufax finally was able to pitch again in September, when the team was locked in a tight pennant race with the Giants. But after the long layoff, Koufax was ineffective in three appearances as the Giants caught the Dodgers at the end of the regular season, forcing a three-game National League playoff.

The night before the playoffs began, manager Alston asked Koufax if he could start the next day. With an overworked pitching staff there was no one else, as Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres had pitched the prior two days. Koufax obliged. Koufax later said, "I had nothing at all." He was knocked out in the second inning, after giving up home runs to future Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Jim Davenport. After winning the second game of the series, the Dodgers blew a 4–2 lead in the ninth inning of the deciding third game, losing the pennant.

1963 season
In 1963 Major League Baseball expanded the strike zone. Compared to the previous season, National League walks fell 13 percent, strikeouts increased six percent, the league batting average fell from .261 to .245, and runs scored declined 15 percent. Koufax, who had reduced his walks allowed per nine innings to 3.4 in 1961 and 2.8 in 1962, reduced his walk rate further to 1.7 in 1963, which ranked fifth in the league. The top pitchers of the era – future Hall of Famers Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn, and above all Koufax – significantly reduced the walks-given-up-to-batters-faced ratio for 1963, and subsequent years.

On May 11 Koufax no-hit the San Francisco Giants 8–0, besting Marichal—himself a no-hit pitcher on June 15. Koufax carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the powerful Giants lineup, including Willie Mays and fellow future Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. He walked Ed Bailey on a 3-and-2 pitch in the eighth, and pinch-hitter McCovey on four pitches in the ninth, before closing out the game. The Dodgers won the pennant, and Koufax won the first of three pitchers' Triple Crowns, leading the league in wins (25), strikeouts (306) and earned run average (1.88). Koufax threw 11 shutouts, eclipsing Carl Hubbell's 30-year post-1900 mark for a left-handed pitcher of 10 and setting a record that stands to this day. Only St. Louis Cardinal Bob Gibson's 13 in his iconic 1968 season, "the year of the pitcher", has thrown more.

Koufax won the National League MVP Award and the Hickok Belt, and was the first-ever unanimous selection for the Cy Young Award.  It was not only the first of three times he would be a unanimous selection, it was the only Cy Young award given out to the entire sport during his career (baseball going to one award for each league starting in 1967).

Facing the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, Koufax beat Whitey Ford 5–2 in Game 1 and struck out the first five batters and 15 overall, breaking Carl Erskine's decade-old record of 14 (a record that would fall to Gibson's 17 in the 1968 World Series opener). After seeing Koufax's Game 1 performance, Yogi Berra said, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five," to which Maury Wills responded, "He didn't. We lost them for him." In Game 4, Koufax completed the Dodgers' series sweep with a 2–1 victory over Ford, clinching the Series MVP Award for his performance.

1964 season
Koufax's  season started with great expectations. On April 18, he struck out three batters on nine pitches in the third inning of a 3–0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the only National League pitcher to have two "immaculate innings". On April 22, however, "he felt something let go in his arm," resulting in three cortisone shots for a sore elbow and three missed starts.

On June 4, playing at Connie Mack Stadium against the Phillies, Koufax walked Richie Allen on a very close full-count pitch in the fourth inning. Allen, who was thrown out trying to steal second, was the only Phillie to reach base that day. With his third no-hitter in three years Koufax tied Feller as the only modern era pitchers to hurl three no-hitters.

Koufax jammed his pitching arm in August while diving back to second base to beat a pick-off throw. He managed to pitch and win two more games. However, the morning after his 19th win, a shutout in which he struck out 13 batters, he could not straighten his arm. He was diagnosed by Dodgers' team physician Robert Kerlan with traumatic arthritis. With the Dodgers out of the pennant race he did not pitch again, ending the season with a 19–5 record and leading the NL with a 1.74 ERA.

Playing in pain (1965–66)

1965 season

The 1965 season brought more obstacles for Koufax. On March 31, the morning after pitching a complete spring training game, Koufax awoke to find that his entire left arm was black and blue from hemorrhaging. Koufax returned to Los Angeles to consult with Kerlan, who advised Koufax that he would be lucky to be able to pitch once a week. Kerlan also told Koufax that he would eventually lose full use of his arm. Koufax agreed not to throw at all between games—a resolution that lasted only one start. To get himself through the games he pitched in, Koufax resorted to Empirin with codeine for the pain, which he took every night and sometimes during the fifth inning. He also took Butazolidin for inflammation, applied capsaicin-based Capsolin ointment (also sold by the brand name  "Atomic Balm") before each game, and soaked his arm in a tub of ice afterwards.

Despite the constant pain in his pitching elbow Koufax pitched a major league leading  innings and led the Dodgers to another pennant. He won his second pitchers' Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (26), earned run average (2.04) and strikeouts (382, the highest modern-day total at the time, topped only by Nolan Ryan's 383 in ), and captured his second unanimous Cy Young Award. He held batters to 5.79 hits per nine innings, and allowed the fewest base runners per nine innings in any season ever: 7.83, breaking his own record (set two years earlier) of 7.96. Koufax had 11-game winning streaks in both 1964 and 1965.

Perfection

On September 9, 1965, Koufax became the sixth pitcher of the modern era, and eighth overall, to throw a perfect game. The game was Koufax's fourth no-hitter, setting a Major League record (subsequently broken by Ryan in 1981), and the first by a left-hander since 1880. He struck out 14 batters in the 1–0 win, at the time the most recorded in a perfect game (tied by Matt Cain in 2012). The game also set a record for the fewest hits ever in a big league contest,  thanks to a one-hitter thrown by the opposing pitcher, Bob Hendley of the Cubs, who only allowed only two batters to reach base. Both pitchers had no-hitters intact until the seventh inning.

The winning run was unearned, scored without a hit when the Dodger's Lou Johnson walked, reached second on a sacrifice, stole third, and scored on a throwing error by Chicago catcher Chris Krug.

World Series and Yom Kippur
Koufax garnered headlines by declining to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. His decision garnered national headlines, raising the conflict between professional pressures and personal religious beliefs to front-page news. Don Drysdale pitched the opener, but was hit hard by the Minnesota Twins.

In Game 2 Koufax pitched six innings, giving up two runs, and the Twins won the Game 5–1 to take an early 2–0 lead in the series. The Dodgers fought back in Games 3 and 4, with wins by Claude Osteen and Drysdale. With the Series tied at 2–2, Koufax pitched a complete-game shutout in Game 5 for a 3–2 Dodgers lead as the Series returned to Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium for Game 6. The Twins won Game 6 to force a seventh game. Starting Game 7 on just two days of rest, Koufax pitched through fatigue and arthritic pain. Despite giving up on his curveball early in the game after failing to throw strikes with it in the first two innings and pitching the rest of the game relying almost entirely on fastballs, Koufax threw a three-hit shutout to clinch the Series. The performance earned him his second World Series MVP award, making him the first player to win the award twice. Koufax also won the Hickok Belt a second time, the first time anyone had won the belt more than once. He was awarded Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award.

1966 season

Holdout
Before the 1966 season began, Koufax and Drysdale met separately with Dodger general manager Buzzy Bavasi to negotiate their contracts for the upcoming year. After their meeting Koufax met Drysdale for dinner and complained that Bavasi was using his teammate against him in the negotiations, taunting, "How come you want that much when Drysdale only wants this much?" Drysdale responded that Bavasi had done the same thing with him, in reverse. Drysdale's first wife, Ginger Drysdale, suggested that they negotiate together to get what they wanted. They demanded $1 million (equivalent to $ million in ), divided equally over the next three years, or $167,000 (equivalent to $ million in ) each for each of the next three seasons. Both players were represented by an entertainment lawyer, J. William Hayes, which was unusual in an era when players were not even represented by agents. At the time, Willie Mays was Major League Baseball's highest paid player at $125,000 (equivalent to $ million in ) per year, and multi-year contracts were extremely unusual.

Koufax and Drysdale did not report to spring training in February. Instead, both signed to appear in the movie Warning Shot, starring David Janssen. Drysdale was to play a TV commentator and Koufax a detective. Meanwhile, the Dodgers waged a public relations battle against them. After four weeks, Koufax gave Drysdale the go-ahead to negotiate new deals for both of them. Koufax ended up getting $125,000 and Drysdale $110,000 (equivalent to $ million in ). They rejoined the team in the last week of spring training.
In April 1966, Kerlan told Koufax it was time to retire and that his arm could not take another season. Koufax kept Kerlan's advice to himself and went out every fourth day to pitch. He ended up with a third pitcher's Triple Crown, pitching 323 innings, posting a 27–9 record, and recording a 1.73 earned run average. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins, nor a lower earned run average, in a season (Only Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton matched the 27-win mark, in 1972). In the final game of the regular season the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. In the second game of a doubleheader Koufax faced Jim Bunning for the second time that season, in a match-up between perfect game winners. On two days rest Koufax pitched a 6-3 complete game victory to clinch the pennant. He started 41 games (for the second year in a row); only two left-handers started more games in any season over the ensuing years through 2021.

Season
The Dodgers went on to face the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, and Game 2 marked Koufax's third start in eight days. He pitched well enough—Baltimore first baseman Boog Powell told Koufax's biographer, Jane Leavy, "He might have been hurtin' but he was bringin'"—but three errors by Dodger center fielder Willie Davis in the fifth inning produced three unearned runs. Baltimore's 20-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched a four-hitter and the Orioles won 6–0. Alston lifted Koufax at the end of the sixth  with the idea of getting him extra rest before a potential fifth game. Instead, the Dodgers were swept in four games, not scoring a single run in the last  In his three World Series losses, all starts, spread over three different Series, Koufax gave up a total of three earned runs; the Dodgers scored a total of one run in in support, total, in all three.

Less than six weeks after the series Koufax announced his retirement due to an arthritic elbow on Friday,

Career overall
In his 12-season major league career Koufax had a 165–87 record with a 2.76 earned run average, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games, and 40 shutouts. He was the first pitcher to average fewer than seven hits allowed per nine innings pitched (6.79) and to strike out more than nine batters (9.28) per nine innings pitched. He also became the second pitcher in baseball history to have two games with 18 or more strikeouts, and the first to have eight games with 15 or more strikeouts. In his last ten seasons, from 1957 to 1966, batters hit .203 against him, with a .271 on-base percentage and a .315 slugging average.

Due to a lack of run support Koufax's postseason won-lost record over four World Series is an unimpressive 4–3, but his historic 0.95 earned run average and two World Series MVPs testify to how well he actually pitched. He remains over half a century later on the very short list of pitchers who retired with more career strikeouts than innings pitched. He was selected as an All-Star for six consecutive seasons and made seven out of eight possible All-Star Game appearances those seasons (he was not selected for the second All-Star Game in 1962). He pitched six innings in four All-Star games, including being the starting pitcher for three innings in the 1966 All-Star Game.

Koufax was the first pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, an especially impressive feat because it was during the era when only one was given out for both major leagues. He is also the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award by a unanimous vote—a recognition which he accomplished twice more. Koufax and Juan Marichal are the only two pitchers to have more than one 25-win season in the post-World War II era, with each man recording three.

Pitching style

Koufax threw with a pronounced straight-over-the-top arm action. This aided in his devastating curveball and may have increased his velocity, but reduced the lateral movement on his pitches, especially movement away from left-handed hitters. Most of his velocity came from his strong legs and back, combined with a high leg kick during his wind-up and long forward extension on his release point toward home plate. Throughout his career, Koufax relied heavily on two pitches. His four-seam fastball gave batters the impression of rising as it approached them, due to back-spin. It not only appeared to move very late but also might move on multiple planes. His overhand curveball, spun with the middle finger, dropped vertically 12 to 24 inches due to his arm action. Sabremetrician Rob Neyer called it the best curve of all time. He also occasionally threw a changeup and a forkball.

At the beginning of his career Koufax fought a tendency to "tip" pitches to the opposing team through variations in his wind-up, which included the position he held his hands at the top of the wind-up.  When throwing a fastball with baserunners his hand position in the stretch would be higher than when he threw a curveball. Once alerted he made an effort to better disguise his deliveries. Late in his career his tendency to tip pitches became even more pronounced. Good hitters could often predict what pitch was coming, but were still unable to hit it. Willie Mays said "I knew every pitch he was going to throw – fastball, breaking ball or whatever. Actually, he would let you look at it. And you still couldn't hit it."

Post-playing career
In 1967, Koufax signed a 10-year contract with NBC for US$1 million (equivalent to $ million in ) to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week. He quit after six years, just prior to the start of the  season.

The Dodgers hired Koufax to be a minor league pitching coach in . He resigned in , saying he was not earning his keep, but most observers blamed it on his uneasy relationship with manager Tommy Lasorda. Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in  when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. The Dodgers again hired Koufax in 2013 as a special advisor to team chairman Mark Walter to work with the pitchers during spring training and consult during the season.

Legacy 

Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, , just weeks after his 36th birthday. He was the youngest player ever elected, five months younger than Lou Gehrig upon his special election in 1939 (which waived the five-year waiting period before enshrinement).  However, due to changes in Hall customs, the 1972 induction ceremony was nearly eight months after the election, leaving Koufax slightly older than Gehrig at the time of the induction. On June 4 of that same year Koufax's uniform number 32 was retired alongside those of Dodger greats Roy Campanella (39) and Jackie Robinson (42).

In , The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". That same year he was named as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Although he rarely makes public appearances, he went to Turner Field in Atlanta for the introduction ceremony before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series.

In 1990 Koufax was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He was the final player chosen in the inaugural Israel Baseball League draft in April 2007, picked, at 71 years old, by the Modi'in Miracle. "His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league", said former New York Met Art Shamsky, who managed the Miracle. "It's been 41 years between starts for him. If he's rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team." Koufax declined the offer.

Before the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati Koufax was introduced as one of the four best living players (as selected by the fans of major league baseball), along with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Johnny Bench.  He threw the ceremonial first pitch to Bench from in front of the base of the mound.

Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans honored at a May 27, 2010, White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month. During welcome remarks in a reminiscence of Koufax's decision not to play on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, U.S. President Barack Obama said that the two had "something in common." Obama continued: "He can't pitch on Yom Kippur. I can't pitch." Obama directly acknowledged the high esteem with which Koufax is held: "This is a ... pretty distinguished group," he said of the invited guests, which included members of the House and Senate, two justices of the Supreme Court, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, rabbinical scholars, "and Sandy Koufax." The mention of his name brought the biggest cheer at the event.

Personal life 
Koufax has been described by Sports Illustrated writer John Rosengren as a secular Jew. Regardless, his decision to not pitch on Yom Kippur in 1965 was highly significant for Jewish-Americans. Author Larry Ruttman called Koufax "an icon" for Jewish people because of his pitching skill and what he called Koufax's "deep respect for his Judaism" as shown in 1965.

Koufax married Anne Widmark, the daughter of actor Richard Widmark, in 1969; they divorced in 1982. His second marriage, to personal trainer Kimberly Francis, lasted from 1985 to 1998. Neither marriage produced children. His third wife is Jane Dee Purucker Clarke, a college sorority sister of future first lady Laura Bush. Koufax is the step-father of Clarke's daughter from her prior marriage to artist John Clem Clarke.

Koufax serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical difficulties.

Career statistics

See also

List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders
List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders
List of Major League Baseball perfect games
List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
Major League Baseball titles leaders
List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball
List of select Jewish baseball players
List of SN Player of the Year
List of SN Pitcher of the Year

Notes

References
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pietrusza, David; Silverman, Matthew & Gershman, Michael, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated. .
 Ruttman, Larry. "Sandy Koufax: Pitcher Nonpareil and Perfect Gentleman". In American Jews and America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball, University of Nebraska Press, 2013,

Further reading
 Lieber, Leslie. "Who's the Fastest Pitcher". Washington Star. June 19, 1960. pp. 11–12
 "Close-Up: Good Life of Baseball's Number 1 Hero". Life. October 22, 1963. pp. 54–56.
 Gross, Milton. "Baseball's Fragile Superstars". Popular Science. May 1966. pp. 76–79.
 Linn, Ed. "Sandy Koufax – Best Pitcher of All". Boy's Life'. March 1967. pp. 28–31.
 Brosnan, Jim. "Baseball's Greatest Pitcher". Boy's Life. February 1979. pp. 25–27. 
 Verducci, Tom. "The Left Arm of God". Sports Illustrated. July 12, 1999.
 Mott, Patrick. "Bon Mott: Sandy's Shrine". Orange Coast Magazine. March 2000. p. 16.

External links

Sandy Koufax at SABR (Baseball BioProject)

Biography and career highlights Baseball Library''
A Pair of Tefillin for Sandy Koufax – article from Chabad.org about the impact of Koufax's decision not to pitch on Yom Kippur on the Jewish community

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Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead guitarist Caleb Andrew Bingham, bassist Matt Snell, and drummer Jeremy Spencer. Bingham was replaced by guitarist Darrell Roberts in 2006, who was then replaced by Jason Hook in 2009. Bassist Matt Snell departed from the band in 2010, and was replaced by Chris Kael in 2011. Spencer then departed the band in 2018 due to recurring back issues, and was replaced by Charlie Engen, making rhythm guitarist Bathory the only remaining founding member of the band. In October 2020, British guitarist Andy James became the band's lead guitarist, replacing Jason Hook.

Five Finger Death Punch's debut album The Way of the Fist was released in 2007, which began achieving rapid success and selling over 500,000 copies in the United States. The 2009 follow-up album War Is the Answer further increased their popularity, selling over 1,000,000 copies and got certified Platinum by the RIAA, the band's third album, American Capitalist, was released on October 11, 2011, and achieved Platinum status. The following four albums—The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 (2013), The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 (2013), Got Your Six (2015), and And Justice for None (2018)—have all been certified Platinum and Gold, making Five Finger Death Punch one of the most successful heavy metal bands of the decade. The band has played international music festivals including Mayhem Festival in 2008, 2010 and 2013, and Download Festival in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2017. The band released their eighth studio album, F8, in 2020.

Five Finger Death Punch are the recipients of the RadioContraband Rock Radio Awards for "Indie Artist of the Year" in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. They were also honored with the Radio Contraband Rock Radio Award for Album (American Capitalist) and Song of the Year ("Coming Down") in 2012 and "Video of the Year" for "Wrong Side of Heaven" in 2014.

To date, Five Finger Death Punch has released eight studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP) and 32 singles.

History

Formation, departure of Bingham, and The Way of the Fist (2005–2009)

Five Finger Death Punch was founded in 2005 by former U.P.O. bassist Zoltan Bathory and drummer Jeremy Spencer, Zoltan deriving the band's name from classic martial arts cinema. Bassist Matt Snell joined in early 2006. Later that year, Bathory contacted former Motograter vocalist Ivan Moody, sending him some of the material the band had recorded and asked him to audition for the vocalist position. Moody flew from his home in Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles and quickly began recording material with the band.

By the end of 2006, their debut album, The Way of the Fist had been recorded and entirely self-produced. The album was recorded with Stevo "Shotgun" Bruno and Mike Sarkisyan and was mixed by guitarist Logan Mader. After searching for a second guitarist, they found Caleb Bingham who played some shows with the band, but was later replaced by Darrell Roberts. Shortly after recording the album, they signed a record deal with Firm Music, a branch of "The Firm". On July 10, 2007, they released an EP, Pre-Emptive Strike exclusively through the American iTunes Store. The album's lead single, "The Bleeding", was released on July 13, 2007. The Way of the Fist was released on July 31, 2007.  The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 199 and was certified gold in 2011.

From July 30 – September 2, 2007, the band went on their first major tour cycle as one of the supporting acts on Korn's Family Values Tour. They were also a supporting act of the North American leg of Korn's Bitch We Have a Problem Tour from September 22 – October 27, 2007. They were set to tour with Chimaira and All That Remains from January through March 2008, but due to singer Moody developing cysts on his vocal cords they were forced to pull out. He made a full recovery and they began to tour again. They supported Disturbed on their Indestructible US Tour from April through May 2008.

The Way of the Fist was re-released on May 13, 2008, with 3 bonus tracks. One of the bonus tracks, "Never Enough" was released as the album's second single on July 15, 2008. Later that year they were a part of the 2008 Mayhem Festival playing the Jägermeister Stage. The third single from The Way of the Fist, "Stranger Than Fiction" was released on September 17, 2008. The Way of the Fist was released through Spinefarm Records in Canada on November 4, 2008, and in Europe on January 19, 2009. In January 2009, Darrell Roberts was rumored to have been fired; the split was confirmed a few days later, and Roberts was replaced by guitarist Jason Hook. They ended their support for their first album playing the main stage at the 2009 Download Festival.

Departure of Roberts and War Is the Answer (2009–2010)

In May 2009, Five Finger Death Punch announced their second studio album, War Is the Answer. The album was produced by Kevin Churko and mixed by Randy Staub. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The first single from the album, "Hard to See", was released on July 21, 2009. To promote War Is the Answer, Five Finger Death Punch embarked on "The Shock and Raw" US Tour. Main support on the tour was provided by Shadows Fall, with additional support coming from Otep and 2Cents. Upon completing the US run of the tour, Five Finger Death Punch then brought the Shock and Raw tour to Europe, finishing off with a run of dates in the UK. Main support for these dates was again Shadows Fall, and opening acts for the UK portion of the tour were Rise To Remain and Magnacult.

The second single from War Is the Answer, "Walk Away", was released on November 2, 2009. The album also spawned two UK-only singles, "Dying Breed", released on November 16, 2009, and "No One Gets Left Behind", released on March 8, 2010. During March 2010, Five Finger Death Punch traveled to Iraq and played 10 shows for the United States troops. The band's cover of Bad Company's self-titled song was released as the fifth single from War Is the Answer on May 17, 2010. On their way to perform at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park Zoltan Bathory, Matt Snell and Jeremy Spencer were detained by German police for alleged international weapons violations. After recognizing the event as a misunderstanding, German police released the band members and they appeared at both Rock im Park on June 4, 2010, and Rock am Ring June 6, 2010, as scheduled.

Five Finger Death Punch also played the Maurice Jones Main Stage at the 2010 Download Festival on June 12, 2010. While playing the song "Dying Breed", their set was cut due to too many people crowd surfing up to the stage. They were allowed to play one final song, "The Bleeding". They played the main stage at Mayhem Festival 2010 with Korn, Rob Zombie and Lamb of God from July 10 until August 14, 2010. On August 17, 2010, they performed the songs "Bad Company" and "Hard to See" on the ABC show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On September 16, 2010, The band released "Far from Home" as the sixth single from War Is the Answer. They supported Godsmack on their "The Oracle 2010" tour from October 3 – November 4, 2010. The song, "Dying Breed" was featured on the soundtrack for Namco Bandai Games' remake of Splatterhouse, released on November 23, 2010.

Departure of Snell and American Capitalist (2010–2012)

The band began to record their third studio album in November 2010 at The Hideout studios in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bassist Matt Snell departed from the band in December 2010, and in June 2011, Chris Kael was announced as Snell's replacement. The band's third album, titled American Capitalist, was released October 11, 2011. Production for the album was handled again by Kevin Churko. The first single from American Capitalist, entitled "Under and Over It", was released on July 27, 2011, following a music video in September 2011. In support of the album, Five Finger Death Punch embarked on their "Share the Welt" tour from October 16 – December 14, 2011 with support from All That Remains, Hatebreed and Rains and their "Furious and Deadly" tour from March 23 – April 12, 2012 with support from Soulfly, Windowpane, and Persist. The song "Back for More" is included on the soundtrack for the video game Madden NFL 12. "Back for More" was released as a digital single on September 13, 2011. "Remember Everything" was released as the second official single for American Capitalist in November 2011, with a music video following in February 2012.  "Coming Down" was released as the third official single from American Capitalist in April 2012, with a music video, directed by Nick Peterson, following in June 2012. The song also won the band an Independent Music Award in 2013 for Best Metal/Hardcore Song.

From July 13 to August 28, 2012, Five Finger Death Punch took part in Metal Hammer's "Trespass America Festival" with support from Battlecross, God Forbid, Emmure, Pop Evil, Trivium and Killswitch Engage.

The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell (2013–2014)

On February 28, the band posted a picture on Facebook of Moody recording vocals for the album. On March 12, an update video was posted to YouTube. On March 18, the band was announced to be playing Mayhem Festival 2013. On March 18, Five Finger Death Punch posted a promotional video for their next tour with a new song "Here to Die". The band also announced that they were working on a fourth album, due in the summer.

On May 1, 2013, the band announced the release of their next two studio albums collectively titled The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell with Volume 1 being released on July 30, and Volume 2 following on November 19. During the fifth annual Golden Gods Awards, Five Finger Death Punch performed a new song with Rob Halford of Judas Priest entitled "Lift Me Up". The song was released as a single on May 14.

On June 6, Five Finger Death Punch revealed the artwork for The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 and also released a snippet of future single "Dot Your Eyes"  Volume 1 reached the No. 2 position on the Billboard 200 with 113,000 copies sold in its first week, making it the band's most successful debut to date. The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Volume 1 has sold over 210,000 copies .

On September 9, 2013, the band released a new single, "Battle Born", in anticipation of their fifth studio album The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2. It sold 77,000 copies in its first week, and once again landed in the No. 2 position on the Billboard 200.

On August 11, 2014, Five Finger Death Punch released a video for the song "Wrong Side of Heaven". The video is about homeless veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and depression after serving in the military, and not receiving the help they need for their illnesses.

Got Your Six (2015–2016)

On December 12, 2013, Five Finger Death Punch revealed in a radio interview that they had already begun working on a sixth studio album. On January 14, 2015, Five Finger Death Punch announced US Spring headline tour dates from April 25 to May 9, 2015 and their intention to enter the studio to write and record a new album. On May 2, 2015, the band released the title of their sixth album, Got Your Six as well as a teaser for a new song titled "Ain't My Last Dance" on their official Facebook page. The album, which was slated for release on August 28, 2015, was later pushed back to September 4. On May 19, 2015, the band announced a co-headlining North American Tour with Papa Roach to promote the upcoming album and were accompanied by In This Moment as special guests with support by From Ashes to New for the tour. The band also performed on the main stage as part of Download Festival 2015.

A Decade of Destruction, And Justice for None, and departure of Spencer (2016–2019) 

On April 27, 2016, Billboard reported that Five Finger Death Punch's record label Prospect Park had filed a lawsuit against the band on April 21, 2016 for breaching their contract. The basis of the claim cites that the band began working on a new album without Prospect Park's consent and will be working with Rise Records. In a recent interview, vocalist Ivan Moody has said he will be completing the current tour and leave the band at the end of 2017. The next day however, an announcement was published on the official site of FFDP, where it was revealed, that rumors about Ivan's departure are false. According to the announcement, the vocalist plans to start a side project beside Five Finger Death Punch, which does not mean he has plans on leaving.

However, during a concert in the Netherlands, Moody did not show up to perform the first song, which was sung by Tommy Vext, with Moody saying he was running "a little bit late". Vext also sang a second song during the set later in the evening while Moody walked off stage. During the show all of the members left the stage for long periods on several occasions, and Hook also threw his guitar down and walked offstage at one point. During the set, Moody said that "there is no other singer for Five Finger Death Punch", and then later said "This is my last show with Five Finger Death Punch" before making a slit-throat gesture. Bathory shortly after the show tweeted that the events that transpired were "not a publicity stunt."

The day after the show in Tilburg, Netherlands, the band announced a headline European tour with In Flames and Of Mice & Men in late 2017. Later that same day, the band released a statement addressing what happened at the show via their Facebook page, stating that bands that tour as heavily as they do will "inevitably have a few derailments, but the train always keeps on moving", implying that all shows would proceed as planned and that Moody would remain as the band's frontman. Ivan Moody subsequently checked himself into rehab and sat out the remainder of the tour. Tommy Vext filled in for Moody while he sought treatment. On August 19, Ivan Moody returned to the stage at the Illinois State Fair, although just days prior it was still unknown if he would be taking the stage.

In December 2017, it was announced that the band was working on their seventh studio album. The album, And Justice for None was released May 18, 2018. On December 21, 2017, the band released a video for their cover of "Gone Away" by The Offspring. The cover song was featured on Five Finger Death Punch's greatest hits album, A Decade of Destruction. On April 5, 2018, the band released "Fake" as the lead single from And Justice for None. On April 20, 2018, a second single was released, titled "Sham Pain". A third single "When the Seasons Change" was released on May 4, 2018.

For a Fall 2018 tour with Breaking Benjamin, Charlie Engen replaced Jeremy Spencer to allow him to undergo back surgery. On December 18, it was announced that Spencer had departed the band permanently. In June 2019, it was announced that Jeremy Spencer has continued the band's support of first responders and was sworn in as a reserve police officer in Indiana.

Five Finger Death Punch have also worked with Brantley Gilbert, Brian May of Queen, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd to re-record a new version of Sheperd's song "Blue on Black". The proceeds from the recording support The Gary Sinise Foundation. While a cover of the song had already appeared on And Justice for None, this new version merged Sheperd's blues rock, Gilbert's country, May's classic rock and Five Finger Death Punch's mainstream rock styles.

F8, departure of Hook, and A Decade of Destruction: Volume 2 (2019–2021)

On May 9, 2019, the band released a video announcing a "new record in the making". The album, F8 was released on February 28, 2020. The album's lead single, "Inside Out", was released on December 2, 2019. "A Little Bit Off" was released as the second single in June 2020. Both songs topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock songs. On February 4, 2020, it was announced that lead guitarist Jason Hook was forced to miss the remaining shows of the European tour due to health issues. Andy James was named as substitute lead guitarist for the rest of the tour. It was confirmed on October 12, 2020, that Hook officially left the band, with James replacing him permanently.

Upcoming ninth studio album and re-recording of The Way of the Fist (2021–present)
Five Finger Death Punch currently plans on recording their next album, to be released in 2022. They will also make a 15th anniversary re-recording of their debut album, The Way of the Fist.

Musical style and influences

Five Finger Death Punch's musical style has generally been regarded as heavy metal, groove metal, alternative metal, hard rock thrash metal, nu metal, and arena rock. Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote that Five Finger Death Punch's "instantly recognizable sound is  equal parts melodic and meaty guitar riffs, fat vamps, catchy hooks, tight, flashy solos, and hard-grooving bass and drums". Bathory described Five Finger Death Punch as "a straight-up heavy metal band with a hint of thrash metal—maybe a hint of the Euro stuff in there" and then said, "that's pretty much what we are". Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody's vocals are usually singing and screaming. The band has released successful ballads as well.

Bathory cited Pantera, Voivod, Iron Maiden, Accept, W.A.S.P., and Yngwie Malmsteen as influences. Ivan Moody cited vocalists such as Mike Patton, Phil Anselmo, Layne Staley and Lynn Strait as influences. Moody credited the witty lyricism of Tool's Maynard James Keenan and Faith No More's Mike Patton as great inspirations. The singer also said, "Pantera is one of our biggest influences". Jeremy Spencer cited drummers such as Lars Ulrich, Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Dave Grohl, Buddy Rich and Tommy Aldridge as influences. Spencer also cited Prince and David Bowie as influences.

Members

Current members
 Zoltan Bathory – rhythm guitar ; lead guitar, bass 
 Ivan Moody – lead vocals, keyboards 
 Chris Kael – bass, backing vocals 
 Charlie Engen – drums 
 Andy James – lead guitar, backing vocals 

Former members
 Caleb Andrew Bingham – lead guitar, backing vocals 
 Darrell Roberts – lead guitar, backing vocals 
 Matt Snell – bass, backing vocals 
 Jeremy Spencer – drums ; lead vocals, keyboards 
 Jason Hook – lead guitar, backing vocals 

Touring musicians
 Philip Labonte – lead vocals 
 Tommy Vext – lead vocals 

Timeline

Discography 

Studio albums
 The Way of the Fist (2007)
 War Is the Answer (2009)
 American Capitalist (2011)
 The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 (2013)
 The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 (2013)
 Got Your Six (2015)
 And Justice for None (2018)
 F8 (2020)

Awards and nominations 
Revolver Golden Gods Awards

|-
|2012 ||Zoltan Bathory, Jason Hook ||Best Guitarist ||
|-
|2012 ||Ivan Moody ||Best Vocalist || 
|-
|2012 ||Jeremy Spencer ||Best Drummer || 
|-
|2012 || American Capitalist || Album of the Year || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Live Band || 
|-
|2014 || The Wrong Side of Heaven... || Album of the Year || 
|-
|2014 || Ivan Moody || Best Vocalist || 
|-
|2014 || Zoltan Bathory, Jason Hook || Best Guitarist || 
|-
|2014 || Chris Kael || Best Bassist || 
|-
|2014 || Lift Me Up || Song of the Year || 
|-
|2014 || Five Finger Death Punch || Most Dedicated Fans || 

Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards

|-
|2009 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best New Band || 
|-
|2010 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Breakthrough Band || 
|-
|2010 || Zoltan Bathory || Best Shredder || 
|-
|2012 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Band || 
|-
|2012 || Zoltan Bathory || Metal As Fuck || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Band || 
|-
|2014 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Live Band || 

Kerrang! Awards

|-
|2009 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Newcomer || 

Radio Contraband Rock Radio Awards

|-
|2011 || Five Finger Death Punch || Indie Artist of the Year || 
|-
|2012 || Five Finger Death Punch || Indie Artist of the Year || 
|-
|2012 || American Capitalist || Album of the Year || 
|-
|2012 || Coming Down || Song of the Year || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Indie Artist of the Year || 
|-
|2014 || Five Finger Death Punch || Indie Artist of the Year || 
|-
|2014 || Wrong Side of Heaven || Video of the Year || 

Bandit Rock Awards

|-
|2014 || The Wrong Side of Heaven... || Best International Album || 
|-
|2014 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Group || 
|-
|2016 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Artist || 
|-
|rowspan="2" |2019 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best International Artist || 
|-
|And Justice For None || Best International Album || 

Loudwire Music Awards

|-
|2013 || The Wrong Side of Heaven... || Rock Album of the Year || 
|-
|2013 || Lift Me Up || Rock Song of the Year || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Rock Band of the Year || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Most Devoted Fans || 
|-
|2013 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Live Act || 
|-
|2014 || Wrong Side of Heaven || Best Rock Video || 
|-
|2015 || Got Your Six || Best Rock Album || 
|-
|2015 || Wash It All Away || Best Rock Song || 
|-
|2015 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Rock Band || 
|-
|2015 || Zoltan Bathory, Jason Hook || Best Guitarist || 
|-
|2015 || Jeremy Spencer || Best Drummer || 

SiriusXM Octane Music Awards

|-
|2014 || Five Finger Death Punch || Best Live Band || 
|-
|2015 || Five Finger Death Punch || Artist of the Year || 

iHeartRadio Music Awards

|-
|2016 || Five Finger Death Punch || Rock Artist of the Year || 
|- 
|rowspan="2" |2020 ||  Five Finger Death Punch || Rock Artist of the Year || 
|- 
| "Blue on Black" || Rock Song of the Year ||

References

External links 

 
 Five Finger Death Punch on Doligo Music

American alternative metal musical groups
Heavy metal musical groups from Nevada
2005 establishments in Nevada
American hard rock musical groups
Musical groups from Las Vegas
Rock music groups from Nevada
American groove metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2005
Musical quintets Wrong Turn is an American horror film series created by Alan B. McElroy. The series consists of seven films, six sharing the same continuity and one reboot film. The first six films focus on various families of deformed cannibals who hunt and kill people in West Virginia in horrific ways by using a mixture of traps and weaponry. The reboot features a centuries-old cult in Virginia who respond violently to outsiders who intrude on their self-sufficient civilization.

Films

Wrong Turn (2003)

In the first film, a group of six individuals are stalked by One Eye, Saw Tooth, and Three Finger. Chris Flynn (Desmond Harrington) is forced to make a detour after a chemical spill on the road. He makes a wrong turn and crashes into another vehicle which had already fallen victim to one of the mountain mens road traps. While searching for help in the cabin belonging to the three monstrous mountain men, they are hunted down one by one. At the end, Chris and Jessie Burlingame (Eliza Dushku) survive.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)

The second film introduces new cannibals: Ma, Pa, Brother and Sister. Three Finger and the Old Man are the only returning characters from the first film. This time, the cannibals hunt down a group of reality show contestants who are taking part in a survival reality tv show.

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009)

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead features a group of prison officers and convicts. The returning character Three Finger causes the transport bus to crash, allowing the convicts to escape and take the surviving prison officers, Nate (Tom Frederic) and Walter (Chucky Venn) prisoner. While fleeing, the convicts and their prisoners stumble across a lost truck which had been transporting thousands of dollars, as well as Alex Miles (Janet Montgomery), who has been lost in the woods since Three Finger killed the rest of her friends. Eventually, Three Toes (Three Finger's nephew) is killed by Chavez. Three Finger finds Three Toes's severed head, which makes him furious. He creates a shrine and leaves the head on display in his cabin. The one remaining surviving convict, Brandon, convinces Nate of his innocence, and is set free. Nate returns later to the truck to steal the money that Chavez wanted. But Brandon shoots him in the back with a bow and arrow and takes the money for himself. An unknown cannibal comes up behind Brandon and bludgeons him with a crude club killing him and leaving Alex the only survivor in the film.

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

This film provides the back story to the three original killers and shows their childhood. It also shows the three brothers story. The story focuses on a group of nine teenagers who take a wrong turn while riding their snowmobiles and are looking for their cabin. They end up in an old abandoned insane asylum which is still inhabited by Three Finger, Saw Tooth and One Eye. The friends decide to spend the night in the insane asylum and they are attacked by the three brothers. By the end of the film, all nine teenagers are dead. The film served as a prequel to the first film.

Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)

It is revealed that Maynard is a serial killer who has been on the run for over thirty years, and is now in cahoots with the three cannibal brothers. He repeatedly refers to them as 'my boys' and his kin. Throughout the course of the film, the brothers attempt to break Maynard out of jail and kill off the college students and Sheriff Angela Carter (Camilla Arfwedson), while the rest of the town is at the festival. The film ends with Maynard and the three brothers escaping with the blinded young college student Lita (Roxanne McKee) as a captive.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)

In the sixth installment, Danny (Anthony Ilott) discovers his long lost family as he takes his friends to Hobb Springs, a Forgotten resort deep into the West Virginia Hills. Danny then has to choose between his family or his friends as they are being killed by his family one by one. The film was served as a reboot.

Wrong Turn (2021)

Internationally known as Wrong Turn: The Foundation, the reboot follows six friends hiking on the Appalachian Trail who become hunted by the Foundation when they inadvertently intrude on the community's land.

Cast and crew

Principal cast
Key
 A  indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
 An  indicates a role as an older version of the character.
 A  indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
 A  indicates a cameo appearance.
 An  indicates an appearance through archival footage.
 A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Characters

All Characters
The Wrong Turn film series has featured several different cannibals. All of the cannibals are hostile toward the characters they encounter, showing no remorse for their victims. The cannibals are portrayed as mute, but show the ability to communicate with each other. They also show the mental capability to operate machinery and vehicles. The cannibals stay with each other in groups and appear to be the result of inbreeding.

Three Finger 
Three Finger is the main antagonist of the Wrong Turn film series. He is a cannibal with great physical deformity caused by toxic chemicals he was exposed to at birth, alongside his two brothers. He is a skilled trap maker, crafting his traps so well that they often kill his victims before he can enact horrific acts of violence upon them.

 In Wrong Turn (2003), he made his first appearance alongside his two brothers, attacking the medical student, Chris Flynn and the group of friends including Jessie Burlingame, Carly Marquez, Scott, Evan, and Francine, However, in the end of the film, Three Finger manages to survive as he was last seen killing the deputy sheriff as he investigates the destroyed cabin. However, his brothers were presumably dead.
 In Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, he is seen killing Kimberly by cutting her in half with the help of Brother, a member of the cannibal family. Then, he and the mutant family begin their brutal assault on the rest of the contestants as he successfully killed Neil, a television crew member and captured Colonel Dale Murphy with the help of Pa. Later, he was seen torturing Dale in his cabin but Dale somehow manages to escape before engaging Three Finger in a knife fight. During the fight, Dale manages to shoot Three Finger in the chest with a shotgun and as the result, he was presumed dead, but he survives.
 In Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead, he is trying to kill a group of hikers and prisoners, and he is killed at the end of the film, stabbed in the head with his hook and blown up on top of a car.
 Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, the fourth installment in the franchise, is an origin story of the mutant cannibals showing how they came to be.
 In Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines he is the antagonist alongside his two original brothers. During the series, he has been blown up, stabbed, impaled, and shot various times, and yet survives; he is also very skillful at creating traps that will instantly kill the victims before he finishes his cruel job on them. In addition, he also has the unnatural ability of regenerating.
 In Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, he returns alongside his two original brothers.

Saw Tooth 
Saw Tooth, like his two brothers, first appears in Wrong Turn (2003). He is the biggest and strongest of the family and appears to be the leader of his branch of his family as he is the older brother to Three Finger and One Eye. He is killed at the end of the first film and does not appear again until the first prequel, Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines and then Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort.

One Eye 
One Eye, the least harmful of the three, first appears in Wrong Turn (2003). Just like Saw Tooth, he dies in the first film, and does not make another appearance until the fourth, fifth and sixth film.

Maynard Odets 
The Patriarch of the cannibals who appeared in the first two films and the fifth film.

Other Cannibals 
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End introduces a family of four cannibals called Ma, Pa, Brother and Sister. The two young siblings are shown to have an incestuous relationship; Sister even gets extremely jealous and angry when she catches Brother masturbating while spying on a human girl. Ma gives birth to a mutant baby before she (and the rest of her family) is killed. The second film ends with Three Finger caring for the baby. The baby becomes known as Three Toes in Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead. Three Toes is killed by a group of convicts, and his head left as a warning. Three Finger finds Three Toes' severed head, which makes him furious. He creates a shrine and leaves the head on display in his cabin. In the third film's ending, another cannibal shows up, killing Brandon. The sixth film introduces Sally, Danny, and Jackson.

The Foundation
The Wrong Turn (2021) reboot introduces the Foundation, a self-sufficient civilization who have lived on the Appalachian Trail since the 19th century. They are hostile to any outsiders intruding on their secluded community.

Venable / Ram Skull
Leader of the Foundation.

Cullen / Wild Boar Skull
A member of the Foundation

Morgan / Deer Skull
A member of the Foundation

Standard / Wolf Skull
A member of the foundation.

Reception

Critical and public response

Music

Soundtracks

References

20th Century Fox franchises
Horror film series
Film series introduced in 2003