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CyOK, let's pick the pitcher that you would want to start the seventh game of the World Series. But let's throw a little wrinkle in here to allow for longevity. Face it, so far when you are picking the pitcher, you are assuming that he is at his peak. For that matter, let's throw in Dwight Gooden. Truly at his peak he was as good as anyone. But would you rate him in your top 5 pitchers?
So here is my suggestion. Throw out the best and worst year of each pitcher. Then pick at random a year of the pitcher's career. Then let this pitcher start the seventh game of the World Series. You don't get the pitcher at his absolute peak. You get him at any, random, time in his career.
So let's assume that you choose Koufax. Throwing out his best and worst year, you have a 40% chance of getting Koufax at his peak. The other 60% he was lousy. Would anyone risk those odds for the seventh game of the World Series?
Now look at Walter Johnson. Throw out his best and worst year and he had maybe four mediocre years (not really bad) and 15 stellar years. So now picking a season at random, you have over a 75% chance of getting Walter at his peak. I think this will put a light on the subject of who is the greatest and for what length of time. Pick any time in his career at random and I would want Walter Johnson on the mound for me.
Try that for a few other pitchers. Surely good ones come to mind; Matty, Grove, Spahn, Seaver, Clemens, Maddux. But I'd still take Walter.
One last note. If you listened to the Glory Of Their Times CD set, Larry Ritter asked each of those players who was the greatest pitcher of all time. Without hesitation, every player said Walter. Now this group of people doesn't constitute a scientific sample. But when everyone states it without blinking, I'd have to say that Walter was definitely the best of his era.
Cy