Dr. Thomas Lane Butts tells about a World Series baseball game that took place on October 13, 1963, between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Koufax was pitching for the Dodgers before a record crowd of 69,000 in Yankee Stadium. It was a crucial game, and Koufax was one strike-out short of breaking the record of 14 strike-outs in a World Series game.

Koufax later said it was not only a challenge but an inspiration to know that among the spectators that day was former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Erskine held the record Koufax was shooting for. Koufax broke the record. He says one reason he accomplished this high mark was that Erskine, the former champion, was not only watching, but was pulling for him too! (1)

The writer of Hebrews could appreciate what Sandy Koufax…