A Look Back at the Impact of the Koufax & Drysdale Holdout

When thinking about the large salaries ballplayers receive today it's important to remember the road that lead to it. Last Night, Bob Costas at the MLB Network took a look back at one incident that played an important part of that future- the Sandy Koufax/ Don Drysdale contract holdout in 1966.

Wes Parker on the significance:

I think owners did become more aware of the fact that players were starting to stand up for their rights.

Maury Wills thoughts:

Let me go back to 1962. I was the MVP in the National League that year. [I thought] I got them now. I’ll go in and get me a raise. Maybe I can buy the wife a new car. All I wanted was a Ford station wagon for her. I came out of there in ten minutes happy I was still on the team.

Author Jan Leavy, writer of Sandy Koufax: a Lefty's Legacy:

I can’t think of another instance, before or since, where two stars of this magnitude held out together in unison.

Curt Flood didn’t come for another three years and [Andy] Messersmith and [Dave] McNally was a number of years later, but this was the beginning. This was the revolutionary moment.

See the video below.

Video Link: