Apr. 10, 1963 - Sandy Koufax yielded 5 hits and struck out 10 as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a 2-1 victory today over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. It was Koufax’s first complete game since last July and his first victory since last July 12. The slender southpaw was hampered the last half of the 1962 season by a circulatory ailment on a finger of his pitching hand. “There still is some numbness in the tip of the finger,” Koufax said today, “but it is diminishing gradually. The numbness had absolutely no effect on my pitching.” A sellout was averted when only 2,673 fans showed up in 34-degree weather at Wrigley’s igloo to witness the tight contest between Koufax and Bob Buhl, who has beaten the Dodgers 25 times over the years. The loss was a tough one for the Cubs righty. A poor throw and passed ball by his catcher, Dick Bertell, gave the Dodgers their runs. Dodger bench strength was demonstrated convincingly today to the Cubs and their shivering fans. Tommy Davis, the NL batting and RBI leader; Maury Wills, the record base-stealer; and Bill Skowron, the former Yankee, were all sidelined with injuries. Wills, who sprained his left ankle when he slid into catcher Dick Bertell in Tuesday’s game, said, “I will be lucky and happy if I can play in the home opener. I’ve had sprains before, but this is the worst one.” Johnny Podres, who boasts a 12-3 lifetime edge over Chicago, hooks up with another southpaw, Dick Ellsworth, in tomorrow’s series finale.
