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When it comes to the most dominant pitchers in MLB history, two names that often come to mind are Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez. With a lethal combination of movement and overpowering stuff, each pitcher was nearly unhittable in his prime, racking up the strikeouts, wins, and Cy Youngs – in fact, their respective five-year peaks are some of the most dominant pitching performances the game of baseball has ever seen. Despite their careers being separated by 40 years, the striking similarities between these legendary Hall of Fame hurlers leads us to ask:
Who was better – Sandy Koufax or Pedro Martinez?
The Beginning
While one was from New York City and the other from the Dominican Republic, baseball has a way of finding the best talent globally; interestingly, though they would each become ace starting pitchers, both Koufax and Martinez started their major league careers as relievers for the respective teams that scouted and signed them.
Born and raised in New York (Brooklyn and Long Island), Koufax played both basketball and baseball growing up; for baseball, he was originally a catcher and then a first baseman before making the switch to pitcher as a 17-year-old. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Cincinnati and was a freshman basketball team walk-on, while also making the varsity college baseball team. Koufax was scouted by a number of major league teams, including the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates, before signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers (who would move to Los Angeles before the end of the decade) – he made his major league debut in 1955 at age 19, pitching in 12 games (and starting five) with a 2-2 record, 3.02 ERA (136 ERA+, which adjusts a pitcher’s ERA for both his ballpark and the league-wide ERA to an average of 100), 1.46 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.
Meanwhile, as a native of the Dominican Republic and the fifth of six siblings, Martinez grew up playing baseball like many youngsters in his native land; in fact, his older brother Ramon was also an All-Star major league pitcher in the 1990s primarily with the Dodgers. Martinez signed as an amateur free agent with the Dodgers in 1988 and made his pro debut with Tigres Del Licey of the Dominican Winter League in 1989-1990. Following a couple of seasons in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut in 1992 with the Dodgers, though only pitched in one game; Ramon, coming off a 20-win season and a second-place Cy Young finish in 1990 and another 17-win season in 1991, proclaimed that Pedro was an even better pitcher than he was. As an eligible rookie in 1993, Pedro went 10-5 with a 2.61 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts in 107.0 innings pitched as a reliever to finish ninth for NL Rookie of the Year. However, in the offseason, he was traded to the Montreal Expos for Delino DeShields.
Career Comparison
The career arcs of Koufax and Martinez are quite different – Koufax spent his entire career with the Dodgers and was at best average for the first half of his career before transforming into the best pitcher in baseball until injuries ended his pitching days prematurely; in contrast, Martinez had a longer and more traditional career, developing into a superstar while pitching for a number of teams in the free agency era.
Koufax remained erratic and inconsistent throughout the 1950s while shuttling in and out of the starting rotation. During this time, he never pitched more than 200 innings in a season, never won more than 11 games (his best was an 11-11 record in 1958), never had an ERA below 3.80 after his rookie year (3.88 ERA in 104.1 innings pitched in 1957), and never had a WHIP below 1.25 (1.28 in 1957). After going 8-13 with a 3.91 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, and 197 strikeouts in 175.0 innings pitched in 1960, Koufax was ready to quit baseball and go into business, but decided to give it one more year.
A lightbulb went off in 1961 – that season, Koufax went 18-13 with a 3.52 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, and a league-leading 269 strikeouts in 255.2 innings pitched to earn All-Star honors for the first time in his career; he was actually named an All-Star twice that year, as MLB had an odd quirk from 1959 to 1962 where there were two All-Star Games per year. From that point on, he would be an All-Star every year for the remainder of his career, and soared to even greater heights in 1962: a 14-7 record with a league-best 2.54 ERA (143 ERA+ and the first of five straight ERA titles), a league-best 1.04 WHIP, and 216 strikeouts in 184.1 innings pitched, as well as his first career no-hitter vs. the New York Mets.
In 1963, Koufax led the league in wins with a 25-5 record, as well as a 1.88 ERA (159 ERA+), a league-leading 0.88 WHIP, and 306 strikeouts in 311.0 innings pitched to win his first Cy Young award (he was the first unanimous winner in baseball history) and the Pitching Triple Crown (wins, strikeouts, and ERA); moreover, he pitched his second career no-hitter vs. Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants, and also took home NL MVP, becoming only the second pitcher to win Cy Young and MVP in the same season (Don Newcombe in 1956). While “only” pitching 223.0 innings in 1964, he once again had a stellar year, going 19-5 with a microscopic 1.74 ERA (186 ERA+), a league-best 0.93 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts to finish third for Cy Young, while also tossing a third no-hitter vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. This was followed by consecutive Cy Young and Triple Crown seasons in 1965 and 1966 (his second and third, respectively, for both honors):
- 1965: 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA (160 ERA+), a league-best 0.86 WHIP, and 382 strikeouts in 335.2 innings pitched; the strikeouts were a modern-day single-season record until Nolan Ryan’s 383 strikeouts in 1973. Additionally, Koufax finished second for MVP and pitched his fourth no-hitter vs. the Chicago Cubs (a record until Ryan’s seven career no-hitters) – the no-hitter was the first and currently only perfect game in Dodgers history
- 1966: 27-9 with a career-low 1.73 ERA (190 ERA+), a 0.99 WHIP, and 317 strikeouts in 323.0 innings pitched; again finished second for MVP
Despite coming off these string of great seasons, Koufax had been suffering from an arthritic left elbow for a few seasons, which ultimately resulted in his retirement after the 1966 season at the age of 30.
Thirty years after Koufax’s dominance, Martinez would blossom into a bonafide ace in Montreal. During his four years with the Expos, he reached double-digit wins each season and garnered two All-Star appearances, culminating with his first Cy Young in 1997: a 17-8 record with a league-best 1.90 ERA (219 ERA+), a league-low 0.93 WHIP, and 305 strikeouts in 241.1 innings pitched, as well as a career-high and league-leading 13 complete games. However, as Martinez approached free agency, the small market Expos traded him to the Boston Red Sox in 1997 for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.; he would then sign the largest-ever contract for a pitcher at the time (6 years for $75M).
This would begin an even more remarkable stretch for Martinez – including his last year in Montreal, during a four-year span, he would win three Cy Youngs with a second-place finish sandwiched in-between and was an All-Star each season:
- 1998: 19-7 with a 2.89 ERA (163 ERA+), a 1.09 WHIP, and 251 strikeouts in 233.2 innings pitched; finished second for Cy Young
- 1999: led the league in wins with a career-best 23-4 record (one of only two times he reached 20+ wins), a 2.07 ERA (243 ERA+), a league-low 0.92 WHIP, and 313 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched; won his second Cy Young, the Pitching Triple Crown, and finished second for the AL MVP to Ivan Rodriguez
- 2000: may have been his finest season overall – went 18-6 with a league-low 1.74 ERA (291 ERA+), a microscopic 0.74 WHIP, and 284 strikeouts in 217.0 innings pitched; not only did Martinez win his third Cy Young and finish fifth for MVP, but his ERA was the lowest in the AL since 1978 and his WHIP broke the 87-year-old modern record for lowest WHIP set by Walter Johnson in 1913 (0.78 WHIP)
Though injuries limited him to only 18 starts in 2001, Martinez still posted impressive ratios (2.39 ERA and 0.93 WHIP). He would quickly bounce back in 2002 with nearly another Cy Young on the back of a 20-4 record with a league-low 2.26 ERA (202 ERA+), a league-best 0.92 WHIP, and a league-high 239 strikeouts in 199.1 innings pitched; by finishing second in the AL Cy Young to Barry Zito, Martinez became the first pitcher to lead the league in winning percentage, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts, yet not win the Cy Young. He was almost as good in 2003 and won his fifth and final ERA title with a 14-4 record, 2.22 ERA (211 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, and 206 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched, good for a third-place Cy Young finish.
Following another strong season in Boston, Martinez became a free agent once again and returned to the NL with the New York Mets. In four seasons with the Mets, he had two All-Star appearances, with his first season being by far his best: 15-8 with a 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+), a league-best 0.95 WHIP, and 208 strikeouts in 217.0 innings pitched, marking his last 200-strikeout season. Martinez spent one final season in 2009 with the Philadelphia Phillies before retiring at age 37.
Though Martinez played six more seasons than Koufax, starting pitchers generally stayed in games longer during the mid-20th century, thus there is only around a 500 inning difference between the two. Nevertheless, because of his longer career, Martinez naturally has the edge in most cumulative categories such as wins and strikeouts (though Koufax threw more complete game shutouts by a large margin). However, in terms of ratios, it is more of a mixed bag – Koufax has the better career ERA (2.76 vs. 2.93), but Martinez has a lower WHIP (1.05 vs 1.11) and better ERA+ (154 vs. 131). Likewise, both players were recognized with a slew of awards and accolades, with Martinez earning more All-Star Game appearances (8x to 7x), each pitcher winning the Cy Young 3x and leading the league in ERA 5x, and Koufax winning more Pitching Triple Crowns (3 vs. 1) and also taking home MVP honors once. From the advanced metrics view, not surprisingly, Martinez has the higher career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) due to his longer and more consistent career (83.9 vs. 48.9). After their playing days were over, both pitchers were unsurprisingly immortalized into Cooperstown – Koufax was inducted in 1972 as the youngest-ever member (age 36), while Martinez earned his plaque in 2015.
Regular Season Statistics
| Sandy Koufax | Player | Pedro Martinez |
| 12 (1955-1966) | Seasons | 18 (1992-2009) |
| 397 | Games Played | 476 |
| 2,324.1 | Innings Pitched | 2,827.1 |
| 165-87 | W-L Record | 219-100 |
| 2.76 | ERA | 2.93 |
| 131 | ERA+ | 154 |
| 1.11 | WHIP | 1.05 |
| 2,396 | Strikeouts | 3,154 |
| 40 | Shutouts | 17 |
| 48.9 | Wins Above Replacement | 83.9 |
| 7x | All-Star Games | 8x |
| 1x | MVP | – |
| 3x | Cy Young | 3x |
| 3x | World Series Titles | 1x |
| 3x Triple Crown, 5x ERA, 2x World Series MVP | Other Awards | 1x Triple Crown, 5x ERA |
| 1972 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2015 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Not only were Koufax and Martinez brilliant regular season pitchers, but Koufax was also one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball history and Martinez helped break a longstanding curse and finally bring a World Series title to long-suffering Red Sox fans.
During Koufax’s era, the winners of the AL and NL pennant met directly in the World Series; thus, he made four World Series appearances, winning the title with the Dodgers in 1959, 1963, and 1965. Perhaps most notable were 1963 and 1965, when Koufax took home World Series MVP in both years:
- 1963: swept a New York Yankees team led by the likes of Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle; Koufax pitched a pair of complete games and went 2-0 with just 3 runs given up and 23 strikeouts in 18.0 innings
- 1965: despite refusing to pitch Game 1 of the World Series due to it falling on Yom Kippur, Koufax went 2-1 with just 1 earned run given up (2 runs total) with 29 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched; after losing Game 2, Koufax won both Game 5 and the decisive Game 7 vs. the Minnesota Twins in complete game shutouts
In his final season in 1966, the Dodgers were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series – in his only start, Koufax pitched 6.0 innings and gave up 4 runs (though 3 were unearned).
On the other hand, Martinez made five playoff appearances, four of them with the Red Sox and helped Boston finally end the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino”. Following ALCS exits in both 1999 and 2003 to the rival Yankees, Boston finally exorcised its demons and came back from down to beat New York in the 2004 ALCS; then, despite an up-and-down ALDS and ALCS, Martinez was masterful in Game 3 of a World Series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with just 3 hits and 2 walks allowed vs. 6 strikeouts. Later on, in his final season in 2009, he helped guide the Phillies to the World Series vs. the Yankees, but went 0-2 with 7 runs given up in 10.0 innings pitched during his two starts.
Playoff Statistics
| Sandy Koufax | Player | Pedro Martinez |
| 8 | Games Played | 16 |
| 57.0 | Innings Pitched | 96.1 |
| 4-3 | W-L Record | 6-4 |
| 0.95 | ERA | 3.46 |
| 0.83 | WHIP | 1.08 |
| 61 | Strikeouts | 96 |
| 2 | Shutouts | – |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; Koufax did not become an effective pitcher until the second half of his career, while Martinez was somewhat injury-prone throughout his playing days and became less effective into his 30s. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years. However, given Koufax was highly ineffective in the first half of his career and ultimately retired early due to injury, I have modified it in this comparison to a “(half)-decade of dominance”.
(Half)-Decade of Dominance
| Sandy Koufax | Player | Pedro Martinez |
| 1962-1966 | (Half)-Decade of Dominance | 1997, 1999-2000, 2002-2003 |
| 181 | Games Played | 150 |
| 1,377.0 | Innings Pitched | 1,057.2 |
| 111-34 | W-L Record | 92-26 |
| 1.95 | ERA | 2.03 |
| 0.93 | WHIP | 0.91 |
| 1,444 | Strikeouts | 1,347 |
| 33 | Shutouts | 9 |
| 40.8 | Wins Above Replacement | 45.0 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball fans often talk about how dominant Koufax was in the last five or so seasons of his career and that is certainly borne out by his numbers (both the counting statistics and the ratios). However, when you compare that to Martinez’s peak brilliance, it may be a bit surprising that Pedro actually had a higher strikeout rate (11.5 per 9 innings vs. 9.4 per 9 innings), lower WHIP, and a higher WAR.
My Thoughts
Many people consider Sandy Koufax’s 1962-1966 seasons to be one of the greatest pitching stretches ever and the primary reason they view him as an all-time great pitcher. However, if you actually compare that period side-by-side with Pedro Martinez’s five best years at the turn of the 21st century, they are quite comparable and one could convincingly argue that Pedro was even more dominant. Yes, Koufax was the better postseason pitcher, but Martinez maintained a level of brilliance for much longer than his southpaw counterpart – ultimately, I think the combination of a comparable peak and a longer period of greatness give Martinez a slight edge among the two legends.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Pedro Martinez
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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