Posted By:
Kenny ColeYou are right that it doesn't make much sense to compare Koufax to Puckett. There is no comparison. Koufax was generally considered THE best pitcher of his time. Puckett was generally considered to be among the better players at his position.
Puckett drove in 100 runs 3 times and came close 3 others. He scored 100 runs 3 times and came close twice. He stole 20 bases twice, hit 30 homers once, was a doubles machine, and consistently hit .300. He led the league in batting average once, in hits four times, in RBIs once, in total bases twice, and in at bats twice. He won 6 gold gloves, came in second in MVP voting once, and came in third twice.
Koufax led the league in ERA 5 times, led in wins 3, led in WHIP (walks + hits/innings pitched) 4 times, led in K's 4 times, led in K's per inning 6 times, led in innings pitched twice, and led in shutouts 3 times. He won the pitching triple crown 3 times, won 3 Cy Youngs when they only gave one, and also finished third once. He won the MVP once and finished second twice. Then, of course, you have his 0.95 ERA in the post-season.
The point isn't that Puckett wasn't a good ballplayer. He clearly was. But year in and year out, there was always someone else just as good or better. That's also true for all of the pitchers, like Phillippe, Reulbach, Wood, etc., you named. They were never the best in their own league, let alone the best in both leagues. There was always a Johnson, Mathewson, Alexander, Brown or Walsh who was at least arguably better.
Koufax was the best pitcher in both leagues for 5, arguably 6, years. He dominated. No one wanted to face him. He made great hitters look silly. Like Mantle said when he struck out looking, "how the f*** do you hit that s**t?" The fact that Koufax walked away at the top of his game only enhances his legend. He also pitched the first game I ever saw at Dodger Stadium. He gets points for that too.