RANDY JOHNSON (PITCHER)

(Redirected from Randy Johnson)

:''For other people named Randy Johnson, see Randy Johnson (disambiguation)
'Randall David Johnson' (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "'The Big Unit'" is a left-handed American starting pitcher who currently plays for Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.
During his long career, Johnson has been known for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game, regularly approaching, and occasionally even exceeding, 100 miles per hour during his prime. However, his signature pitch is a hard, biting slider. He has won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.
Through the 2007 season, of all active pitchers lifetime Johnson is first in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.78 -- which is also first for all pitchers in history) and hit batsmen (182 -- which is also fourth for all pitchers in history), second in strikeouts (4,616 -- which is third all-time) and hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.14), second in shutouts (37), fourth in wins (284), sixth in ERA (3.22) and wild pitches (101), and seventh in won-lost percentage (.654). His 4,616 career strikeouts is also first all-time among left handed pitchers.

Nickname

Perhaps the most famous fact about Randy Johnson is his nickname, "The Big Unit". During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!".^[1] The nickname has stuck ever since.

Early life

Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles (“Bud”) Johnson.^[2] By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he fanned 121 batters in 66 innings of work. He threw a perfect game in his last high school start.
He continued to star at the University of Southern California, where he often exhibited control problems.

Career

Since entering the majors, he has been among the most feared pitchers in the game, attributing to his blazing fastball, intimidating appearance (height, wild mullet hairstyle and moustache), and his angry, energetic demeanor on the mound. Part of his early intimidation factor came from his dramatic lack of control; after being traded away to the Seattle Mariners by the Montreal Expos for Mark Langston, Johnson led the AL in walks for three consecutive seasons (1990-92), and in hit batsmen in 1992 and 1993. In July 1991, facing the Brewers, the erratic Johnson allowed four runs on 1 hit, thanks to 10 walks in 4 innings. A month later, a 9th-inning single cost him a no-hitter against Oakland. Johnson suffered another 10-walk, 4-inning start in 1992.
But his untapped talent was volcanic; in 1990, Johnson became the first lefthander to strike out Wade Boggs three times in one game, and a no-hitter against Detroit attested to his potential. Johnson credits a session with Nolan Ryan late in the 1992 season with helping him take his career to the next level; Ryan has said that he appreciated Johnson's talent and did not want to see him take as long to figure certain things out as he had taken. He recommended a slight change in his delivery; before the meeting, Johnson would land on the heel of his foot after delivering a pitch, and as such, he usually landed offline from home plate. Ryan suggested that he land on the ball of his foot, and almost immediately, he began finding the plate more consistently.^[3] In May 1993, Johnson again lost a no-hitter to a 9th-inning single; again, the opponent was the Oakland A's.
Johnson broke out in 1993 with a 19-8 record, 3.24 ERA and his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308). He also recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against Minnesota's Chuck Knoblauch; amusingly, Johnson was one foot taller than the Twins' second baseman.
After pitching well in the strike-shortened 1994, Johnson won the American League Cy Young Award in 1995 with an 18-2 record, 2.48 ERA and 294 strikeouts. His .900 winning percentage was the second highest in AL history, behind Johnny Allen, who had gone 15-1 for the Cleveland Indians in 1937. Johnson, who also finished 2nd in the 1993 and 1997 AL voting, and third in 1994, remains the only Seattle Mariners pitcher to win the award.
Johnson capped the Mariners' late season comeback by pitching a 3-hitter in the AL West's one-game playoff, crushing the California Angels' hopes with 12 strikeouts. Thus unable to start in the 5-game ALDS series against the Yankees until the third game, Johnson watched as New York took a 2-0 series lead. Johnson beat the Yankees in Game 3 with 10 strikeouts in 7 innings. When the series went the distance, Johnson made a dramatic relief appearance in Game 5 on one day's rest. Entering a 4-4 game in the ninth inning, Johnson pitched the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings. He allowed 1 run, struck out 6, and held on for the series-ending win in Seattle's dramatic comeback.
However, this gutsy week of October 1995 pitching would eventually be forgotten, as Johnson posted an 0-6 playoff record in his next four playoff series, each of which his teams lost. The six consecutive postseason losses tied a major league record, as Johnson began to develop a reputation as a poor "big game pitcher."
Johnson was sidelined throughout much of the 1996 season with a back injury, but he rebounded in 1997 with a 20-4 record, 291 strikeouts, and a 2.28 ERA (his personal best). Between May 1994 and October 1997, Johnson had gone 53-9, including a 16-0 streak that fell one short of the AL record. Johnson had two 19-strikeout starts in 1997, on June 24 and August 8.
In June 1997, Oakland A's slugger Mark McGwire's swing connected perfectly with a Randy Johnson fastball; the result was a rocketing home run into the upper deck of the Kingdome, later estimated at 538 feet. The image of the home run, complete with Johnson swiveling and mouthing the word "Wow," was replayed repeatedly on sports highlight shows. Johnson had 19 strikeouts in the game but lost, 4-1. Though the Mariners claimed the home run was 538 feet, independent research has concluded that the farthest the ball could have traveled was 474 feet[1]- 64 feet shorter than the Mariners' estimate.
1998 was a tale of two seasons for Johnson. He was due to become a free agent at the end of the season but the Mariners' strapped budget prevented them from making any serious offers for a contract extension during the season. Concerns over whether and when he might be traded likely played a role in Johnson's 9-10 record with the Mariners during the early part of that season. His 4.33 ERA during that stretch was his highest in a decade.
Johnson's season turned around on July 31, 1998 when a deadline trade sent him to the Houston Astros for Freddy García, Carlos Guillén, and a player to be named later (eventually John Halama). Houston was in the thick of a pennant race and Johnson's strong arm anchored their rotation. In 11 starts, he went 10-1 with a sparkling 1.28 ERA, leading the Astros to the playoffs. Despite only pitching for a third of a season in the National League, Johnson finished 7th in National League Cy Young Award voting.
Johnson signed one of the largest contracts to that date in the off-season, inking a $53-million, four-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks; a second-year and relatively inexperienced franchise. It is arguably one of the best free agent signings in baseball history, as Johnson won the NL Cy Young Award in each of the four seasons covered by the contract.
The deal paid immediate dividends for Arizona, as Johnson led the team to the playoffs that year on the strength of a 17-9 record and 2.48 ERA, enough to earn him his second Cy Young Award. Johnson's numbers could have been even more impressive; at one point in the season, Arizona failed to score a run in four consecutive Johnson starts, including a pair of 1-0 losses. Johnson's pitching line in the four starts: 32 innings, 19 hits, 54 strikeouts, a 1.40 ERA and an 0-4 won-lost record.
The following season, Arizona acquired Curt Schilling from the Philadelphia Phillies, giving Arizona the most feared power pitching duo in the sport.
Johnson and Schilling carried the Arizona Diamondbacks to their first franchise World Series appearance and victory in 2001 against the powerful New York Yankees, in only their fourth year of existence. The two pitchers shared the World Series MVP Award and were named ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine's 2001 "Sportsmen of the Year".
Johnson's performance was particularly dominating, pitching 7 innings for the victory in Game 6 and then coming on in relief-- on zero days' rest-- to pick up the win in Game 7. Johnson had already pitched a shutout in Game 2, thus tying the record with three wins in one World Series, and erasing many of the doubts regarding his postseason ineffectiveness.
Johnson's Game 7 relief appearance was his second of the 2001 season; on July 19, a game against the Padres was delayed by two electrical explosions in Qualcomm Stadium. When the game resumed the following day, Johnson stepped in as the new pitcher and racked up 16 strikeouts in 7 innings, technically setting the record for the most strikeouts in a relief stint.
In 2002, Johnson won his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award. Oddly, he also became the only pitcher in baseball history to post a 24-5 record.^[4]
Johnson spent the majority of the 2003 season on the disabled list and wasn't effective in the few injury-hampered starts he did make. One thing he did accomplish that year was hit his first career home run in a September 19, 2003 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. It is the only home run to date for Johnson, a career .128 hitter.
On May 18, 2004, Johnson became only the 17th player to throw a perfect game, and at 40 years of age, the oldest. Johnson had 13 strikeouts on his way to a 2-0 defeat of the Atlanta Braves. The perfect game made him the fifth pitcher in Major League history (after Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo) to pitch a no-hitter in both leagues.
On June 29, 2004, Johnson struck out Jeff Cirillo of the San Diego Padres to become only the 4th person to reach 4,000 strikeouts in a career.
He finished the 2004 season with a 16-14 record, but had a far better season than his won-lost total indicated; the D-Backs scored two or fewer runs in 17 of his 35 starts that season. Johnson led the major leagues in strikeouts (with 290). In the games where Arizona scored three or more runs, Johnson was 13-2. As his team only won 51 games that year, his ratio of winning 31.3% of his team's games was the highest for any starting pitcher since Steve Carlton in 1972 (who won 27 of the Phillies 59 wins for an all-time record ratio of 45.8%). He finished second to Roger Clemens in that year's Cy Young Award balloting. Johnson was unhappy with the D-Backs offense, and demanded a trade.
On January 6, 2005, Johnson was traded to the New York Yankees. Johnson pitched Opening Day for the Yankees on April 3, 2005 against the Boston Red Sox. Johnson was inconsistent through 2005, allowing 32 home runs to hitters; however, he regained his dominance in late 2005. He was 5-0 against the Yankees' division rival Red Sox and finished the season 17-8 with a 3.79 ERA, second in the AL with 211 strikeouts.
Johnson was a disappointment in Game 3 of the 2005 Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, allowing 5 runs on 2 home runs in 3 innings. In Game 5 in Anaheim, Johnson made an effective relief appearance after Mike Mussina gave up 5 runs and 6 hits to give the Angels a 5-2 lead, but the Yankees were unable to come back in the series. It was Johnson's first relief appearance since Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. After an inconclusive year in pinstripes, New York fans hoped that Johnson would return to his dominant style in his second Yankee season.
Johnson began 2006 well, but then he struggled to find form. In between some impressive performances, he allowed 5 or more runs in 7 of his first 18 starts for the season. Johnson was more effective in the second half. Johnson finished the season with a 17-11 record, a subpar 5.00 ERA with 172 strikeouts. It had been revealed at the end of the 2006 season that a herniated disc in Johnson's back had been stiffening him and it was only in his second to last start of the season that he decided to get it checked. This exposure had caused him to miss his last start of 2006. After being given epidural anesthesia and a few bullpen sessions he was cleared to start in game 3 of the ALDS, however he gave up 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings.
On January 5, 2007, the Yankees traded Johnson back to the Diamondbacks - almost two years to the day that they traded him away (01/11/05) - this time for Luis Vizcaino and a trio of minor leaguers (pitchers Steven Jackson and Ross Ohlendorf, and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez.) He missed most of April with rehab on his back, and made his second Diamondbacks debut on April 24, 2007, against David Wells and the San Diego Padres. Johnson pitched 5.0 innings, giving up 6 hits, 4 walks, 6 earned runs, earning the loss but striking out 7.
Ever since that game, however, Randy was throwing his best season since 2004, and despite starting so late in the 2007 season, he managed to find himself in the top 10 in strikeouts in just 10 starts, but on July 3, his surgically repaired disc from the previous season was reinjured, and it was only a couple weeks later that he decided to have season ending surgery on the same disc, this time removing it completely. It is said that it went "a little better than expected." He is expected to be ready for the 2008 season without injury.

Pitches

In the prime of his career, Johnson combined a blazing 96-101 mph fastball and a slider that breaks down and away from lefties and down and in to righties. In his later years, his fastball has dipped to 90-93, although he is still capable of throwing a 97 mph fastball when needed.
Due to his height, long arms, and side-arm pitching, the release point of his pitches makes them look as if they are coming from the first base side of the mound, deceiving left-handed hitters especially. Because of his atypical height and release point, it appears to the hitter as though he is pitching from closer than he actually is.

Accomplishments

★ 10-time All-Star (1990, 1993-95, 1997, 1999, 2000-02, 2004)

★ World Series MVP Award (with Curt Schilling, 2001) with Arizona Diamondbacks

★ American League Cy Young Award winner (1995)

★ Four time National League Cy Young Award winner (1999-2002)

★ Finished 6th in American League MVP voting (1995)

★ In 2001, he became the first pitcher to record 3 wins in a single World Series since Mickey Lolich in 1968, and the 13th overall

★ Finished 7th in National League MVP voting (2002)

★ Led the league in ERA four times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002)

★ Led the league in wins (2002)

★ Led the league in Strikeouts (1992-95, 1999, 2000-02, 2004)

★ Is one of four pitchers to win the Cy Young for both the American and National League (Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, & Gaylord Perry being the others).

★ Won Triple Crown (led league in wins, ERA and strikeouts) (2002)

★ On August 23, 2002, struck out 3 batters on 9 pitches in the 6th inning of a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Became the 21st National League pitcher and the 30th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning.

★ Struck out 19 batters in a game (June 24, 1997 against Oakland Athletics; August 8, 1997 against Chicago White Sox)

★ Struck out 20 batters in a game on May 8, 2001 against Cincinnati Reds; Johnson recorded all 20 strikeouts in the first nine innings, but because the game went into extra innings, it was not categorized by MLB as an "official" 20-strikeout game (Tom Cheney's 16-inning, 21-strikeout game is also listed separately). Baseball has since reversed itself on the game, and now lists Johnson with Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as 20-K pitchers, with a note that he got the 20-K's in 9 innings.

★ 4,614 career strikeouts (3rd overall)

★ 10.86 strikeouts per 9 innings over career (1st overall)

★ Career 284-149 record

★ Threw no-hitter: June 2, 1990 (Seattle Mariners 2, Detroit Tigers 0)

★ Threw perfect game: May 18, 2004 (Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Atlanta Braves 0) and became the oldest player to accomplish it, at age 40.

★ In 2005, ''The Sporting News'' published an update of their 1999 book ''Baseball's 100 Greatest Players''. Johnson did not make the original edition, but for the 2005 update, with his career totals considerably higher and his 2001 World Championship season taken into account, he was ranked at Number 60.

★ Holds an MLB record with 5 consecutive 300-strikeout seasons (1998-2002)

★ Diamondback Franchise Single Season Strikeout Record holder with 372 in 2001. This is also a top record of the new millennium turn. He also holds the Diamondback Franchise Record for Single Season Wins with 24 in 2002. That number is also the top record since the millennium turn. In fact, nobody has bested 24 wins since Bob Welch had 27 in 1990.

★ From 1993-2002 totaled 2928 strikeouts, the most by a pitcher in a decade. His 5 Cy Young Awards over this 10 year period is also the more than any other pitcher over in said amount of time.

Unusual incidents

Bird beanball

"Bird Beanball"

In a freak accident on March 24, 2001, during the 7th inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants, Johnson threw a fastball that struck and killed a dove. After being struck by the pitch, the bird landed amid a "sea of feathers." The official call was "no pitch". The Diamondbacks went on to win the game 10-5 without further incident.^[5]
This was only the second time in professional baseball that a thrown baseball had killed a bird: the first one was by New York Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield during a warm-up session in 1983.

Altercation with cameraman

On January 10, 2005, Johnson noticed a CBS New York cameramen had been shooting footage of him leaving a building after taking his physical to finalize the trade that brought him to the New York Yankees. Johnson pushed WCBS-TV cameraman Vinny Everett. The next day, Johnson apologized at his press conference that made the trade official. then he officially became a New York Yankee.

Off the field

Johnson guest starred in an episode of ''The Simpsons'', which aired on March 19, 2006.
In the episode, Johnson promotes left-handed teddy bears and is met by Ned Flanders at a left-handers convention.
Johnson appeared in the movie ''Little Big League'', playing himself.
On April 18, 2006, he was named "2nd Unsexiest Male Celebrity" by the Boston-based alternative weekly ''The Phoenix'', behind Gilbert Gottfried.^[6]
Johnson appeared in a Right Guard commercial where he fired dodgeballs at people representing odor.
In an April 2007 interview with Howard Stern, Chris Cornell claimed that Johnson was a close friend of his former band Soundgarden during his playing career in Seattle.

Personal life

Johnson has four children with his wife Lisa: Samantha (born 28 December 1994), Tanner (born 5 April 1996), Willow (born 23 April 1998), and Alexandria (born 4 December 1999).
On March 28, 2006, the ''New York Daily News'' revealed that Johnson has a 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship: Heather Roszell (born 4 September 1989) living in Langley, Washington.
For years, Johnson sported a mullet hairstyle, although his hair was trimmed due to the Yankees' rules banning long hair, he continues to wear it that way even after being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also had to shave his goatee according to the Yankees' rules, and currently has a mustache.
Prior to acquiring Johnson for the Diamondbacks in 1999, manager Buck Showalter had a rule banning long hair. He said nothing to Johnson about cutting his hair, drawing criticism from other players.

References

1. Big beginnings for the Big Unit
2. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/rjohnson.htm
3. http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/RJohnson/RJohnson_bio.html
4. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743261585/
5. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/umpires/feature.jsp?feature=qa1
6. http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid7852.html

External links

★

★

★ Box score of Johnson's perfect game

Accomplishments

Starting pitcher, All-star game

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