On being Jewish

• When asked by the rabbi to select a Jewish name during his conversion to Judaism, Bob Tufts chose “Sandy Koufax” (The Jewish Week, 2011)
• From The Jewish Week (2011): “I was sitting in the bullpen in Tucson, Ariz. Our closer, Gene Pentz, out of nowhere, asked me if I accepted Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I turned to him and said, ‘It’s funny you mentioned that. I’ve started the process of converting to Judaism, so no, I don’t.’ Gene’s eyes blazed, and he said sternly, ‘Well, you’re going to hell,’ and he turned back to watch the game. That’s how we left it. I was extremely upset, and called Suzanne [my wife]. Lo and behold, Gene went into a slump and I got better,” pitching to a rarified 1.70 earned run average, taking over Pentz’s job as closer. “Divine providence?” he jokes.

For more information

• Baseball-Reference page
• Jewish Baseball Museum bio
• Baseball cards

Career pitching