It's Sandy Kofax Babo head night at Dodger Stadium and also Alumni Weekend coming up. And what a better person to talk to than Dodger team a historian Mark Langel. Mark, great to see you here at Dodger Stadium. We're all so happy things are going well with you well.
David, it's a pleasure to be here.
And right after you say Alumni Weekend, I immediately think of Old Timers Day when they called it when I was a kid in the nineteen seventies and eighties, and it's still the same premise, no matter the same generation in terms of what you remember and everything. How cool that we're going to have all these familiar names coming back to Dodger Stadium and sharing memories.
Including the all time legend Sandy Kofax. What do you want to share about him? Because it feels like everybody just bows at the altar of Sandy Kofax.
Well, just imagine, who is a reigning Hall of Famer for more than a half century. I think people see the statue, but they don't really know the legend as far as behind the scenes. He retires when he's thirty years old, having won twenty seven regular season games in nineteen sixty.
Six of arthritis.
So if you look at all the stats, they say three times cy Young Award winner. They only gave one cy Young Award between nineteen fifty six and nineteen sixty six. And I have a feeling that after Sandy had won three, they said, you know, we better give one to each league, otherwise Sandy's going to take them all.
How much have you shared stories and memories with Sandy Kofax for him to be in the vault of Mark Langel's head.
The really nice thing is to be able to know behind the scenes as far as the perfect game, and to be able to work with Jane Levy as far as that wonderful book that he did.
She did because people just don't understand.
We've been playing baseball since eighteen ninety in the National League. We've only had one perfect game. September the ninth, nineteen sixty five. Sandy pitched it. So the greatest pitcher in our history pitched the only perfect game. And oh, by the way, Bob Henley of the Chicago Cubs only allowed one hit and one walk, and the hit had nothing to do with the scoring, so it could have been a double no hitter, So that night was just one
of those hitching for the ages. Bob Henley versus Sandy kolfex.
Mark Langel, Dodger team historing is joining us and on Friday Night, Mark Dusty Baker will be honored. He was my favorite Dodger growing up. He captured the imagination of so many young Dodger fans. How special is it finally to have I guess, not closure, but full circle for Dusty on Friday.
It's definitely full circle because I remember the struggles that he went through.
In nineteen seventy six. He hits a home run.
On Opening Day and then they only hits three more because he's got knee problems. Tommy Lesorda comes along in nineteen seventy seven.
I believe in you.
You're my guy, You're my left fielder. And just imagine you're going into that final week end of the season. The other three Ron say, Reggie Smith and Steve Garvey have their thirty home runs and you're gonna face JR. Richard on Sunday the final regular season game. And my favorite story from that, Reggie Smith actually called the Houston dugout in front of Dusty and said, let me talk to Jr. And he said, I'm gonna He's gonna do it against you. Dusty's in the background going no, no,
don't say that. Don't say that. And it all comes down to the final at bat and Dusty remembers Tommy giving him the Rob Ross speech, something about Moses and the partying into the Red Sea and to be able to hit that home run on the last day as a kid for me, I'm in middle school.
I wanted him to do that so bad.
And then afterwards for them to be able to all tip their caps and the first thirty home run quartet and now it's like Mount Rushmore. They were the first to do it, and Dodger fans in seventy seven will never forget that quartet.
This might be the first time they've been together at the same place at the same time at Dodger Stadium in a while.
Absolutely and John Sue, who are a great team photographer who's been here forever, said he's never shot Dusty in a Dodger uniform because if you think of it, when Dusty left, When Dusty leaves in the mid eighties, suddenly he goes to the Giants.
He goes to the A's.
He goes to the Reds and Cubs, and so this is a great homecoming. Dusty would always participate in pregame ceremonies if we had a bobblehead or things like that. But to be able to see Dusty in a Dodger uniform, it's a wonderful sight. But Dodger fans have to turn back the clock to the nineteen seventies and early eighties to actually see Johnny B in a Dodger uniform number twelve like his boyhood idol.
Tommy Davis can't wait.
It's going to be a great alumni weekend. Mark Langel. We're so happy you're doing well. You're a treasure yourself to the Dodgers. Thanks a lot for the time, my.
Pleasure, David, Thank you. Always good to be with you,