Jim Johnson allowed 21 runs in 18 ⅔ innings as a Dodger. (Getty Images)

This is Part 26 of a series in which every member of the 2015 Dodgers has his season juxtaposed with an episode of the greatest sitcom of all-time. Don’t take it too seriously.

Jim Johnson, RHP

Key stats: 0-3, 22 runs allowed (21 earned) in 18 ⅔ innings (10.13 ERA) in 23 games.

Seinfeld episode: “The Opposite.” (Season 5, Episode 22)

Key quote: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”

When he was acquired in the three-team, 13-player trade that brought Mat Latos, Alex Wood and Luis Avilan to Los Angeles, Jim Johnson was arguably the most important player the Dodgers acquired. There were other starting pitchers available if Latos didn’t pan out (he didn’t). There were other left-handed relievers on the team who could pick up the slack for Avilan. Wood was going to be needed in 2016 more than 2015.

Johnson, meanwhile, was being asked to stabilize what had been a very shaky eighth inning. Not only did he fall short in that task, Johnson ended up going down as one of the worst pitchers in franchise history.

According to baseball-reference.com’s play index, 918 pitchers have appeared in at least 23 regular-season games for the Dodgers since 1901. None posted a higher ERA than Johnson.

What’s amazing is how completely unexpected this all was. At the time of the trade, the Dodger bullpen had been lacking a right-hander with a strong curveball since Sergio Santos was designated for assignment. Johnson had one of the best curves of any reliever in baseball. He had the fourth-best WAR of any Braves pitcher. He had experience pitching the eighth inning and the ninth, if needed. He was a great fit on paper.

If only baseball was played on paper, that trade might not have worked out too badly for Johnson or the Dodgers.

Regardless of why it happened — we asked Johnson that quite a bit — the “what happened” is rather simple: A lot of Johnson’s pitches missed over the middle of the plate. A lot. He posted a -1.6 WAR in the span of two months, which is incredibly hard to do. His ERA rose from 2.25 to 4.46. Come October, he was left off the Dodgers’ playoff roster.

In terms of results, Johnson basically did the exact opposite of everything he’d done in Atlanta.

George Costanza tries this tactic in “The Opposite,” with far greater success:

The Dodgers cut Johnson after the season. He can guarantee success wherever he pitches next by doing the opposite of everything he did in Los Angeles.