I was a Dodgers fan when Koufax was in his prime. Great pitcher. (Maybe one reason he got hit is that he’s not used to the ball being hit. Back when he pitched, it rarely was.)
I was a very young Phillies fan. The only pitchers I can think of who ever came close to Sandy: Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, and Satchel Paige. Maybe Bob Feller (used to see him every March when the Cleveland Native Americans spring-trained in Winter Haven), I'll leave that for someone else to prove or disprove...
I was a Dodgers fan when Koufax was in his prime.
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I was a Dodger fan when Robinson came up, when Koufax came up as a $10000.00?? Bonus Baby - When they signed the Bonus Babys in the ‘day’ they had to go directly to the Major Leagues for a couple of years.
I guess they figured if you could afford to spend an ‘outlandish’ amount of money for an unknown, you could afford to put him on the ‘big team’.
Also remember when Sal “The Barber” Maglie came to the Dodgers from the Giants (by way of Cleveland).
Maglies nickname came not from his haircutting abilities BUT the close shaves he gave as a high and tight fastball pitcher...
Among the many that would not be allowed to play today or would be fined out of the league if his aggressiveness wasn’t toned down.
Another ‘interesting’ nickname was Pee Wee Reese, Reese was tall (5’10” wasn’t considered short back then) and the Pee Wee came from his days a marble shooting champion.
On the other hand, Jack Robinson quit rather than go to the ‘hated’ Giants.