Sandy Koufax
The most dominant three-year stretch in pitching history belongs to Koufax from 1963-1966. Three unanimous Cy Young awards, an MVP, and a collective 78-22 record with a 1.88 ERA tell only part of the story. He struck out 1,005 batters in those four seasons while walking just 220 — a ratio that redefined what elite control meant for a power pitcher.
What made Koufax transcendent wasn't just the raw numbers but their impossibility. His 1965 perfect game capped a season where he threw 382 strikeouts with a 2.04 ERA, figures that seemed pulled from different decades. The four no-hitters in four consecutive seasons remain unmatched for sustained excellence at baseball's highest level.
Arthritis forced his retirement at 30, cutting short what might have been the greatest career in pitching history. That he accomplished this much in essentially six elite seasons — and became the youngest Hall of Famer at his induction — only amplifies the legend.
Career · Hitting
12 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | — |
| 1956 | BRO | 16 | 17 | 0 | 0 | .118 | .328 | — |
| 1957 | BRO | 34 | 26 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | — |
| 1958 | LAD | 40 | 49 | 0 | 1 | .122 | .283 | — |
| 1959 | LAD | 35 | 54 | 0 | 0 | .111 | .310 | — |
| 1960 | LAD | 37 | 57 | 0 | 1 | .123 | .289 | — |
| 1961 | LAD | 42 | 77 | 0 | 2 | .065 | .228 | — |
| 1962 | LAD | 28 | 69 | 1 | 4 | .087 | .243 | — |
| 1963 | LAD | 40 | 110 | 1 | 7 | .064 | .202 | — |
| 1964 | LAD | 29 | 74 | 0 | 1 | .095 | .236 | — |
| 1965 | LAD | 43 | 113 | 0 | 7 | .177 | .437 | — |
| 1966 | LAD | 41 | 118 | 0 | 5 | .076 | .215 | — |
| Career | 397 | 776 | 2 | 28 | .097 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
12 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | BRO | 12 | 41.7 | 2 | 2 | 3.02 | 132 | 30 | 1.464 |
| 1956 | BRO | 16 | 58.7 | 2 | 4 | 4.91 | 81 | 30 | 1.619 |
| 1957 | BRO | 34 | 104.3 | 5 | 4 | 3.88 | 99 | 122 | 1.284 |
| 1958 | LAD | 40 | 158.7 | 11 | 11 | 4.48 | 86 | 131 | 1.494 |
| 1959 | LAD | 35 | 153.3 | 8 | 6 | 4.05 | 96 | 173 | 1.487 |
| 1960 | LAD | 37 | 175.0 | 8 | 13 | 3.91 | 98 | 197 | 1.331 |
| 1961 | LAD | 42 | 255.7 | 18 | 13 | 3.52 | 114 | 269 | 1.205 |
| 1962 | LAD | 28 | 184.3 | 14 | 7 | 2.54 | 156 | 216 | 1.036 |
| 1963 | LAD | 40 | 311.0 | 25 | 5 | 1.88 | 184 | 306 | 0.875 |
| 1964 | LAD | 29 | 223.0 | 19 | 5 | 1.74 | 206 | 223 | 0.928 |
| 1965 | LAD | 43 | 335.7 | 26 | 8 | 2.04 | 172 | 382 | 0.855 |
| 1966 | LAD | 41 | 323.0 | 27 | 9 | 1.73 | 203 | 317 | 0.985 |
| Career | 397 | 2324.4 | 165 | 87 | — | — | 2396 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.