Quote:
Originally Posted by Tabe
Not a lefty, but 1964-68, Joe Horlen had a 2.32 ERA for the White Sox. There are lots of examples of guys having amazing 5-year runs.
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Joe Horlen was a good pitcher, but not in the class of Koufax.
Look at Horlen's innings pitched, complete games, and strikeout totals from 1964 - 1968.
IP:
210.2
219
211
258
223.2
CG:
9
7
4
13
4
SO:
138
125
124
103
102
Compare these totals to Koufax's stats from 1962 - 1966:
IP:
184
311
223
335
323
CG:
11
20
15
27
27
SO:
216
306
223
382
317
And Horlen's W-L record for 1964 - 1968 was:
13-8
13-13
10-13
19-7
12-14
Koufax's from 1962 - 1966:
14-7
25-5
19-5
26-8
27-9
The clubs Horlen was on were largely good too. The White Sox position in the standings from 1964 - 1968 were:
2nd
2nd
4th
4th
9th
All first division clubs except for 1968, and they finished one game behind the Yankees in 1964 and only 3 behind the Red Sox in 1967.
Horlen's E.R.A.'s were great for that 5 year run, but his other stats don't come near challenging what Koufax achieved - by a long shot.
Also if you're looking at lifetime statistics, it's no contest between the two, with Koufax coming out way on top.