Since the High Holidays, I’ve been living in a digital rabbit hole where algorithms seem to have decided I needed more Sandy Koufax in my life. At first, it was flattering, who doesn’t want to be reminded that a Jewish lefty once stood up for Yom Kippur? But this past week, it got oddly specific. Every headline, every email, every story led me to think, Sandy Koufax, Cardinals.

The final push came this morning with an email about a very real auction: Koufax’s game-worn and signed 1966 Dodgers jersey, up for bid at Heritage Auctions. Naturally, after seeing the current bid of $360,000, I tried to raise it — significantly — only to be stopped by my bank. (Apparently, they frown on spiritually motivated impulse bidding.)

That moment sent me deeper down the Koufax rabbit hole. The JTA story about a Yom Kippur service at New York’s Park Avenue Synagogue came rushing back — where Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove surprised congregants by unveiling Koufax’s 1965 Dodgers jersey, the one he didn’t wear when he sat out the World Series for Yom Kippur. And if that wasn’t enough, his next surprise guest was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the St. Louis native and lifelong Cardinals’ fan who and now leads the Archdiocese of New York.

From Nostra Aetate to Dodger blue

That Yom Kippur appearance by Dolan wasn’t just interfaith showmanship. It marked 60 years since Nostra Aetate, the Catholic declaration that opened the door to Jewish-Catholic dialogue. I’d only recently learned the term myself while working on a local story about its anniversary. And there was Dolan, standing beside Koufax’s jersey — bridging faiths and fandoms in one unexpected tableau.

And because my brain can’t leave well enough alone, I thought: Dolan. Yom Kippur. Cardinals. Koufax. What did Koufax do against our Cardinals? Was our hometown team his kryptonite, or did he mow us down like everyone else?

Turns out, we didn’t stand a chance

The numbers tell the story. Koufax faced the Cardinals 33 times, winning 18, losing 10 and posting a 2.69 ERA. He struck out 254 of our guys while walking just 79.

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One of his most famous starts came on April 14, 1964, his only Opening Day start ever. He shut out the Cardinals 4–0, allowing just six singles before 50,000 fans in Los Angeles. Cardinals’ pitcher Roger Craig summed it up perfectly: “He belongs in a higher league.”

Koufax’s mastery didn’t come without pain. Just eight days later in St. Louis, he tore scar tissue in his forearm and left after one inning. Even so, he went on to win 19 games that season with a 1.74 ERA — pitching through agony that would end his career two years later.

Faith, fandom and that Koufax kind of timing

So yes, when that auction email popped up, it all made perfect sense. Of course, Koufax’s jersey would surface just as the High Holidays and Nostra Aetate anniversaries collided. Of course, I’d make a bid. Of course, my bank would decline it. And of course, I would go down yet another enjoyable rabbit hole with this one being a perfect intersection of sports and faith.