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Sandy Koufax is back in a Dodgers uniform for the first time since the 1980s.

The New York Times highlighted the iconic pitcher's return to the field as a Spring Training instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Koufax was invited to camp by the team's head of marketing, Lon Rosen, and president, Stan Kasten.

Koufax is impressed by the Dodgers' talented pitching staff and noted the clubhouse camaraderie. The players, he said, "have kind of included me in some stuff." He added, "It's kind of fun."

Beginning in 1970, Koufax spent 11 years as a Dodgers Minor League instructor. He noted his return to the Dodgers as further proof against the common notion that he is a recluse.

"I'm at the Final Four, I go to ball games, I go to golf outings, I go to dinner," he said. "I live my life."

Koufax, 77, retired suddenly as a player in 1966 during the prime of his brilliant career. He won three World Series championships, playing his entire career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 1972, at the age of 36, he became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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