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	TODAY: Monday, May 15
	Johnson vs. Koufax By David Schoenfield ESPN.com
	When Sandy Koufax was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1960s, many feel he reached a peak performance as good -- if not better -- than any pitcher in baseball history. He led the National League five straight seasons in ERA and won 25, 26 and 27 games in 1963, 1965 and 1966. In fact, Koufax was so dominating in that short stretch that he was the only pitcher named to ESPN's top 50 athletes of the century. From 1961 through 1966, when arthritis ended his career at age 30, Koufax pitched in 223 games and went 129-47. Randy Johnson is the most dominating left-hander since Koufax. Since 1993, he's pitched in 208 games and gone 118-40. While Koufax has a better ERA during their "peak" seasons, 2.19 to 2.78, we must consider the context of their eras. Koufax pitched at a time when the overall league ERA was much lower. He also derived a huge benefit from pitching in Dodger Stadium, one of the best pitcher's parks ever -- just check his home and road ERAs in the table below. Once the Dodgers left the L.A. Coliseum, a ballpark that was tough for left-handed pitchers, Koufax's ERAs dropped dramatically. In five years at Dodger Stadium, he went 57-15 with a 1.37 ERA. The point is that Johnson's peak matches nicely with Koufax -- and the Big Unit is still going strong at age 36. (Note: LERA is League ERA for that season; RERA is Relative ERA, the ratio of the pitcher's ERA to the league ERA; Avg. is opponent's batting average; boldfaced indicates a league-leading total) Sandy Koufax at his peak Year W-L Pct. ERA LERA RERA Home Road IP K's Avg. 1961 18-13 .581 3.52 4.03 .87 4.29 2.78 255.2 269 .222 1962 14-7 .667 2.54 3.94 .64 1.75 3.53 184.1 216 .197 1963 25-5 .833 1.88 3.29 .57 1.38 2.31 311 306 .189 1964 19-5 .792 1.74 3.54 .49 0.85 2.93 223 223 .191 1965 26-8 .765 2.04 3.54 .57 1.38 2.72 335.2 382 .179 1966 27-9 .750 1.73 3.61 .48 1.52 1.96 323 317 .205 Total 129-47 .733 2.19         1632.2 1713 .197 Randy Johnson at his peak Year W-L Pct. ERA LERA RERA Home Road IP K's Avg. 1993 19-8 .704 3.24 4.32 .75 2.86 3.80 255.1 308 .203 1994 13-6 .684 3.19 4.80 .66 3.39 3.06 172 204 .216 1995 18-2 .900 2.48 4.71 .53 2.57 2.35 214.1 294 .201 1996 5-0 1.000 3.67 4.99 .74 2.53 6.10 61.1 85 .211 1997 20-4 .833 2.28 4.56 .50 1.89 2.73 213 291 .194 1998 19-11 .633 3.28 4.51* .73 2.98 3.61 244.1 329^ .224 1999 17-9 .654 2.48 4.56 .54 2.96 2.06 271.2 364 .208 2000 7-0 1.000 0.93 4.83 .19 0.76 1.19 58.1 75 .156 Totals 118-40 .747 2.78         1490.1 1950 .206 * estimated ERA for Johnson's combined time between the AL and NL; ^ Johnson didn't lead either league, but led the major leagues in strikeouts		ALSO SEE Stark: Unit, Pedro are special indeed Johnson turns into superhero Off Base: From novelty to master