Aug. 3, 1963 - Sweaty and superlative Sandy Koufax, the best pitcher in baseball, won his 18th game and registered his 10th shutout on a humid night as the Dodgers defeated the Colts, 2-0, before the largest Houston crowd of the season, 25,473. But for three singles, Koufax would have pitched a perfect game. He had a perfecto going, as a matter of fact, until the fifth when Carl Warwick and Johnny Bateman both singled. Jim Wynn had the other hit for Houston. Practically waterlogged in the sweltering heat, Koufax matched the most wins he ever had in one season — 1961. Koufax, who pitched his 16th complete game this season, is nothing short of fantastic. He has worked in 26 games and his earned-run average of 1.81 has to be located with a microscope. Although he’s still leading both leagues in strikeouts with 199, Sandy is retiring more hitters without fanning them, as he did in leading the majors several times. It is control, with great stuff, that makes batters mutter on the way back to the dugout after they’ve faced the Dodger southpaw. Tonight, Los Angeles belted Bob Bruce (5-8) for both of its runs in the first inning. A walk to Jim Gilliam, Tommy Davis’ triple, and a single by Ron Fairly gave Koufax all the room he needed. Davis boosted his average 5 points to .328 with 3 hits in 4 trips. The newest member of the Dodgers, Marv Breeding, played second base as Gilliam bumped Ken McMullen at third. Batting eighth, Breeding grounded out four times — and in this morning’s extracurricular batting practice, he looked like a combination of Jimmy Foxx and Joe DiMaggio. But that’s the way it goes.
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