1965 World Series recap

Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax, who topped the National League in wins (26), ERA (2.04) and strikeouts (382) would not start the opener in Minnesota because of a Jewish holiday, so Don Drysdale (23-12, 2.78 ERA) got the nod. The Twins knocked out Drysdale with six runs in the third inning, shortstop Zoilo Versalles' three-run homer highlighting the rally. Mudcat Grant went the distance for the Twins, winning 8-2. Koufax started Game 2 and only allowed two runs through six innings, but that wasn't good enough to beat Minnesota's Jim Kaat, who tossed a complete-game seven-hitter to earn a 5-1 victory.

Their backs against the wall, the Dodgers came back to win Game 3 in Los Angeles behind Claude Osteen's five-hit, 4-0 shutout. And they evened the World Series the next day, as Drysdale rebounded from his poor Game 1 performance to beat the Twins, 7-2. It was 3-2 until the bottom of the sixth, when Ron Fairly's two-run single highlighted a three-run inning. In Game 5, Koufax followed Drysdale's lead with a brilliant performance, permitting but four hits, a walk and zero runs while striking out 10 Twins. Kaat started for Minnesota, but was driven to cover in the third inning, the Dodgers romping 7-0 to make it three straight.

Back in Minnesota for Game 6, Mudcat Grant rediscovered his Game 1 form, beating Osteen and the Dodgers 5-1. Grant, who allowed six hits and went the distance, bought his own insurance with a three-run homer in the sixth.

Game 7 matched Koufax and Kaat, who traded scoreboard zeroes until the top of the fourth, when Dodger left fielder Lou Johnson lined a homer off the left-field foul pole. Ron Fairly followed with a double, and he scored on Wes Parker's single just a moment later. Kaat was lifted, and his replacements would hold the Dodgers scoreless the rest of the way. It didn't make a difference, because on this day Koufax was virtually untouchable. Dodger second baseman Jim Gilliam made a great play in the fifth to squelch a Twin rally, and Koufax cruised from there, retiring 13 of the next 14 hitters to finish with a World Series-clinching, three-hit shutout.

Managers: Walter Alston, LA; Sam Mele, MIN

MVP: Sandy Koufax, LAD: 2-1, 0.38 ERA, 24 IP, 29 K