Sandy Koufax refused to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.
Koufax, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jewish ace, declined to start the series opener on October 6, 1965, because the game coincided with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Dodgers manager Walter Alston started Don Drysdale instead. Minnesota won Game 1, 8–2, with Drysdale taking the loss.
Koufax returned to pitch Game 2, but the Twins won that contest as well. He then delivered two defining performances: a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in Game 5 and a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in the decisive Game 7. The Dodgers won the Series four games to three.
The episode became one of baseball’s best-known intersections of sport, faith, and public identity. Koufax did not refuse to participate in the entire World Series; he declined the opening-game assignment and later played a central role in the Dodgers’ championship. He was named World Series Most Valuable Player.