During Game 4 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seated one row ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax — a placement that drew sharp criticism from New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose.
Rose voiced his disapproval on X, writing, “How does Sandy end up in the second row?” He added, “Maybe those are his permanent, personal seats, but Sandy Koufax takes a back seat to no one. Especially at Dodger Stadium.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also seated ahead of NBA great and Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson during the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Dodgers.
Koufax, 89, remains one of baseball’s most celebrated pitchers. A Brooklyn native, he spent his entire career with the Dodgers organization, starting at age 19 when the team was still in Brooklyn. After the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles, Koufax became a dominant force, earning the National League MVP in 1963, three Cy Young Awards, four World Series titles, and two World Series MVP honors.
Chronic elbow pain forced Koufax to retire at 30, but his legacy was already cemented. At 36, he became the youngest player ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Over his storied career, he compiled a 165–87 record with a 2.87 ERA in 2,324⅓ innings and threw 137 complete games.
The Dodgers, currently trailing the Toronto Blue Jays 3–2 in the best-of-seven series after a 6–1 loss on Wednesday, could certainly use a pitcher of Koufax’s caliber for Game 6. The next matchup is scheduled for Friday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET, with FOX exclusively broadcasting the game. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for the Dodgers, while the Blue Jays will start Kevin Gausman.
