On Nov. 18, 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax announced his retirement from baseball despite being just 30 years old. Koufax was coming off the best season of his career, but sailed off into the sunset due to chronic arthritis.
The news came just 17 days after Koufax became the first three-time Cy Young Award winner in MLB history. He was a unanimous selection in 1966, which was the final year the Cy Young was only presented to one pitcher.
In what was the 12th and final season of his career, Koufax went 27-9 with a 1.