Here is the rewritten article:
As Yom Kippur Begins, No Jewish MLB Players Face Dilemmas
Hello and Shana Tova! Today marks the start of Yom Kippur, and I am contractually obligated to write about Sandy Koufax today. But before delving into the mysterious story of Koufax’s 1965 Yom Kippur practices, let’s begin with this year’s MLB playoffs. While several Jewish ballplayers have faced their own Yom Kippur dilemmas in the past, none will have the opportunity to follow Koufax’s example this October.
The New York Mets have defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series, sending the Phillies home. The Mets will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Diego Padres in the championship series, which begins on Sunday. Meanwhile, the sole MLB playoff game scheduled for tonight, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, may run into Kol Nidre, but neither team has a Jewish player. Similarly, the Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Guardians rubber match has been scheduled to start shortly after the fast ends in Ohio.
But let’s get back to Koufax. The story goes that he declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur. His decision has earned the admiration of generations of American Jews and helped define his unmatched career. But how exactly did the ace pitcher spend Yom Kippur that year? It’s a question that has puzzled fans for decades. Some claim he attended services. Others say he stayed in his hotel room. Koufax himself has never clarified the confusion.
According to Daniel Schloff, Koufax did indeed attend services that morning, at Temple of Aaron in St. Paul, Minnesota. How does Schloff know? He was 17 at the time and sat behind Koufax in the sanctuary. They even exchanged greetings, with Schloff recalling, “Everyone’s there for services, and I’m staring at the back of his bald head, davening, and thinking, ‘Huh, here’s Sandy Koufax.'”
There are aspects of the story that make it less than a sure thing. For one, few if any other eyewitnesses have corroborated this account. Additionally, Koufax wasn’t exactly bald. Nonetheless, there are other accounts. Rabbi Bernard Raskas, who led Temple of Aaron at the time and passed away in 2010, insisted Koufax was there. In a later sermon, Raskas referenced the fact that Koufax “was in this very synagogue on Yom Kippur Day.”
Unfortunately, we may never know for certain. As Rabbi Jeremy Fine put it, “Unless Sandy says he was there, to me, it’s midrash. Midrash becomes folklore, a part of our story.”
In other sports news, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled a new bobblehead in honor of Jewish wrestler Amit Elor, who made history as the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestler in history and won a gold medal in her Olympic debut. The bobblehead is the latest addition to the hall of fame’s collection.
Finally, in hockey, 13 Jewish players began the season on an NHL roster, with several more prospects in the minor leagues. Some players to watch this year include Jordan Harris, Adam Fox, and Zach Hyman. In the NBA, Jewish player Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors in a preseason game tonight. It’s unclear whether Sabonis will play on Yom Kippur, but teammate Deni Avdija has announced that he will not participate during the holiday.
I hope you enjoy this week’s sports coverage. Happy Yom Kippur!
