From a small house in Vero Beach, Florida — where Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax has lived quietly for years — his family has confirmed for the first time what fans have long feared: at age 89, Koufax is entering the early stages of dementia.
And the baseball world has come to a standstill.
“He doesn’t remember every game… but he remembers every handshake.”
In a statement to the press, the family wrote:
“He doesn’t remember how many games he pitched. But he clearly remembers the moment he walked into the Dodgers locker room for the first time, remembering the look in Jackie Robinson’s eyes. And every day he asked, ‘Did the Dodgers win today?’”
It was the first time, after months of silence, that the Koufax family shared what they called “the most painful but unspeakable truth.”
His grandson broke down in tears as he said:
“We hoped he was the exception. But memories… fade like the speed of a fastball.”
Koufax hung up his gloves at age 30, tormented by unbearable elbow pain. He paid with his body to create legendary summers, curveballs that stunned the world, and no-hitter nights that fans would retell for decades.
And now, as his body began to betray him, his memory began to leave him.
Every morning, Koufax puts on his frayed Dodgers cap, steps out onto the porch, and asks his wife, “Is it Opening Day?”
The family doesn’t want a tribute—they want something else.
Instead of a big event, the family offers a poignant request:
“He doesn’t need a stage. He just needs to feel like he’s still a part of the Dodgers—a place where his heart never left.”
They want fans to send handwritten letters, old photos, thank-you notes—“things he can touch, feel, even if sometimes he can’t name them.”
Sandy Koufax’s story today is about more than records, titles, or history books. It reminds us of aging, the fragility of memory, and a love of baseball that transcends statistics.
He may not remember his four no-hitters.
But we will remember for him.
Fans will tell it, Dodgers will tell it, baseball will tell it.
And on a small porch in Florida, if one day the radio blares, “Dodgers win!”, imagine the 89-year-old smiling — softly, slowly — even though he may not remember why.
But his heart knows.
The Dodgers are always home. And Sandy Koufax — forever a legend.
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