The Main Event

  • July 27, 1966 – Jim Bunning and Sandy Koufax combine for 28 strikeouts in a 12-inning, 2-1 Dodgers win — Bunning fanned 12, Koufax 16, neither finishing the game.

On the night of July 27, 1966, 44,937 fans packed Dodger Stadium for a matchup that carried more history than either team’s standings let on. The Dodgers, 57-40, trailed the first-place Giants by a game and a half; the Phillies, 52-37, had lost seven of their last ten. The real draw was on the mound: Sandy Koufax against Jim Bunning, the first time in major league history that two pitchers who had each thrown a perfect game squared off against each other. Bunning had thrown his gem against the Mets on Father’s Day 1964; Koufax had thrown his the following September against the Cubs. What followed was a 12-inning, 2-1 Dodgers win and one of the decade’s most talked-about pitching duels — 28 combined strikeouts, zero decisions for either starter, and a finish that came down to a walk, a passed ball, and two foul bunts.

The Duel

Koufax struck out Cookie Rojas to open the game, then Dick Allen led off the second with a 430-foot home run to left — his 22nd of the season — for a 1-0 Phillies lead. Koufax answered by striking out Jackie Brandt and Bill White, the White strikeout being the 2,267th of his career, pushing him past Lefty Grove into 10th on the all-time list. From there, both pitchers refused to let anyone else on base. Bunning struck out Koufax in the third; Koufax returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning. Bunning hit John Roseboro in the shin in the second — the first of three Phillies batters he would plunk — forcing Roseboro from the game, and the Dodgers tied it in the sixth on a bases-loaded sac fly by Jeff Torborg, Roseboro’s replacement.

Both starters worked around occasional trouble: Bunning stranded runners in the eighth and again in the eleventh, striking out Torborg and Jim Lefebvre to escape the jams. By the time Koufax was pulled after 11 innings, he’d thrown 163 pitches and struck out a season-high 16 — his sixth straight year reaching 200 Ks. Bunning matched him with 12. Neither man factored in the decision. Phil Regan struck out Johnny Callison and closed the 12th; Darold Knowles relieved Bunning, walked Nate Oliver, then watched a pitch get past catcher Clay Dalrymple, putting Oliver in scoring position. Lou Johnson fouled off two bunts before lining a single down the left-field line to score him for the 2-1 victory.

Who Went Down Swinging

Between them, Koufax and Bunning combined for 28 strikeouts in 11 innings apiece — an extraordinary rate for the era. Koufax’s victims included Rojas, Brandt, White, and Bunning himself; Bunning’s included Koufax, Torborg, and Lefebvre among his 12. Given the volume, few hitters in either lineup escaped the strikeout column entirely. The exceptions were the men who did the most damage: Dick Allen never struck out and turned in the best night at the plate for either side, going deep in the second and singling in the ninth. Jim Barbieri also avoided the punch-out, doubling in the sixth and singling in the eighth, both hits factoring into Los Angeles’ scoring chances. Dick Stuart worked a walk and added a single without striking out. Even in a 28-strikeout marathon, the contact hitters found their moments — Allen’s home run was the difference maker for nearly the entire game.

Two Different Roads to Dominance

Koufax and Bunning got to the same mound by very different paths. Koufax, a hard-throwing lefty with a fastball that overpowered hitters and a curveball regarded as one of the best ever thrown, leaned on two elite pitches rather than a deep repertoire — pure, blinding stuff. He didn’t hit a single batter all season in 1966. Bunning, a right-hander with a low, sweeping delivery, worked the plate aggressively and pitched inside, leading the league with 19 hit batsmen that year (Don Drysdale was second with 17). Where Koufax overwhelmed hitters, Bunning intimidated and outlasted them — he led the NL in starts (41) and innings (314) that year, a workhorse compared to Koufax’s shorter, more explosive peak.

Their career arcs tell the same story. Koufax finished 165-87 with a 2.76 ERA and 2,396 strikeouts across 12 seasons, all with the Dodgers — capped by a 1961-66 run that included three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and five straight ERA titles. He retired after 1966 at only 30, his elbow riddled with traumatic arthritis, and entered the Hall of Fame in 1972 as, at the time, its youngest-ever member. Bunning pitched five more seasons, finishing 224-184 with a 3.27 ERA and 2,855 strikeouts over 17 years and four teams — durability where Koufax had raw dominance. He waited decades for Cooperstown, finally inducted by the veterans committee in 1996.

Beyond the Box Score

The two had history before that July night. Both debuted in the majors in 1955, and years earlier, as college freshmen, Koufax played basketball for the University of Cincinnati against a Xavier freshman team coached by Bunning. “He was pretty good,” Bunning later joked. “But I think he made the right career choice, don’t you?” Koufax had also received a cortisone shot in his ailing elbow three days before this start, and afterward admitted it was the best he’d felt all year. The two faced off once more that season — on the final day, with the pennant on the line, Koufax threw a complete game against Bunning’s Phillies to clinch the flag for Los Angeles, then walked away from baseball for good.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for July 27

  • July 27, 1943 – Freddie Fitzsimmons named manager, replacing Bucky Harris; the team threatens to strike in protest until owner William Cox apologizes to Harris.
  • July 27, 1950 – Del Ennis drives in seven runs with a bases-loaded double and a grand slam in a 13-3 win over the Cubs.
  • July 27, 1953 – Al Simmons is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. Simmons was the Athletics’ star left fielder through their 1929-31 pennant-winning years. Dizzy Dean was also inducted. Chief Bender was elected in 1953, but his formal induction ceremony was actually held in 1954.
  • July 27. 1989 – Received Tom Edens from the Mets, completing the Juan Samuel trade made back in June.
  • July 27, 2001 – Traded Bruce Chen and Adam Walker to the Mets for Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook.
  • July 27, 2001 – Traded Wayne Gomes to the Giants for Felipe Crespo.
  • July 27, 2007 – Acquired Tadahito Iguchi from the White Sox for Michael Dubee.
  • July 27, 2013 – Former Philadelphia Daily News writer Paul Hagan receives the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing.
  • July 27, 2018 – Traded Franklyn Kilome to the Mets for Asdrubal Cabrera.

ICYMI

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for July 27

  • Rube Walberg (born 1896) – Mainstay starting pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s 1923-1933, including their 1929-31 pennant-winning rotation.
  • Charlie Bicknell (born 1928) – Born in Plainfield, NJ, Bicknell made 30 appearances, including one start, with the 1948 and 1949 Phillies. Posted a 6.83 ERA.
  • Don Lock (born 1936) – An outfielder who played 215 games with the Phillies from 1967 until being traded to the Boston Red Sox in May of 1969.
  • Shane Rawley (born 1955) – A second round pick by Montreal in 1974, Rawley pitched 12 seasons in the majors, including 1984-1988 with the Phillies. He made 140 starts and five relief appearances with a 59-48, 3.88 mark with the Phillies.
  • Dave Dombrowski (born 1956) – The current Phillies Director of Baseball Operations, he began his front office career in 1978 with the Chicago White Sox.
  • Brad Keller (born 1995) – Phillies reliever who is currently on the IL and will miss the remainder of the season with a torn UCL.
  • Pedro Peralta (born 2006) – Phillies prospect pitching in the FCL for the first season. In five starts and 12 relief outings, Peralta has a 12.34 ERA with 34 walks and 43 strikeouts in 35 innings.

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