Sun Valley Poly Highs Fabian Bravo shows flashes

Watching junior right-hander Fabian Bravo of Sun Valley Poly High pitch for the first time, there was one thing unusually acquainted about his windup.

When he turned his back to reveal he was carrying No. 32, every part made sense.

He had to be a fan of Sandy Koufax, the Nineteen Sixties Hall of Fame left-hander for the Dodgers.

Two buddies sitting next to me refused to imagine it.

“No way,” one said.

“Kids today have never heard of Sandy Koufax,” another piped in.

Only after Bravo threw a three-hit shutout to beat North Hollywood 3-0 was my perception vindicated.

“I come into the back with my arms and it’s a little bit like a Sandy Koufax kind of thing,” he said. “I wear 32 too. He was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers and was good in the World Series.”

Koufax was perfect-game good on Sept. 9, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium, hanging out 14.

Bravo began studying about No. 32 when his mother and father would deliver him to Dodger Stadium as a younger boy.

“I always saw No. 32 retired on the wall,” he said. “Once I got to know him, I was able to see who he really was. I felt I could really copy him and get myself deeper into history.”

Bravo is no Koufax in phrases of being a energy pitcher. He’s 5 ft 10 and 140 kilos. Since last season, when he modified his windup to briefly emulate Koufax’s arms going above his head, he has a 12-3 report. This season he’s 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA.

“I saw his windup and he looked like he was calm and composed and I tried it. I felt more of a rhythm. I was able to calm down and pitch better,” he said.

After Bravo’s arms go up over his head in his windup, he also does a transient hesitation respiration in and out before throwing the ball toward home plate.

“My dad always taught me to breathe in, breathe out before I do anything,” he said.

Nowadays, youngsters seemingly don’t pay a lot consideration to greats of the past, from outdated ballplayers to Hall of Fame coaches. Ask somebody if they know John Wooden, youngsters today in all probability don’t. He did win 10 NCAA basketball titles teaching for UCLA. And who was Don Drysdale? Only a Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher alongside Koufax from Van Nuys High.

Bravo is lucky he’s seen Dodger broadcasts mentioning Koufax at the stadium and on TV, motivating him to study more, which led to seeing his windup on YouTube.

His older brother also wore No. 32, so no one was getting that uniform quantity other than a Bravo brother at Poly.

There is another Bravo set to arrive in the autumn. Julian Bravo will probably be a freshman left-handed pitcher and desires No. 32.

“While I’m there he’s going to have to find a new number,” Fabian Bravo said.

Julian may also need to help his big brother gain a few kilos at the dinner desk.

“My brother takes food from me,” he said.

As for recognizing Bravo’s Koufax connection, it was No. 32 that supplied the clue. How many pitchers in the Nineteen Seventies had been selecting No. 32? Quite a bit. And it’s great to see a 17-year-old in 2026 paying tribute to one of the best pitchers ever.

Emulating Koufax is difficult, but forgetting him is unforgivable.