Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson, nicknamed "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
At tall, Johnson was the tallest player in MLB history when he entered the league, contributing to his intimidating persona and pitching style. As a player, he was especially known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider, a combination that remained effective throughout his lengthy career. While he initially struggled with control in his early seasons, Johnson subsequently established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, leading his league in strikeouts nine times, and in earned run average, winning percentage, and complete games four times each. Along with teammate Curt Schilling, Johnson was one of two World Series Most Valuable Players in 2001; in the Series, Johnson won three games and led the Diamondbacks to a World Series victory over the New York Yankees in the fourth season of the team's existence. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 2002.
Johnson's 303 career victories are the fifth-most by a left-hander in MLB history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers. He recorded 300 strikeouts in a season six different times, a major league record tied with Ryan. Johnson is a ten-time All-Star, won the Cy Young Award five times, and is one of only two pitchers to win the award in four consecutive seasons. Johnson won Cy Young Awards in both leagues. He is also one of five pitchers to pitch no-hitters in both leagues, and one of 25 pitchers in history to record a win against all 30 MLB franchises.
Johnson enjoyed a career longevity uncommon to pitchers, with his signature fastball-slider combination remaining effective well into his 40s. Four of his six 300-strikeout seasons occurred after his 35th birthday. On May 18, 2004, at 40 years old, he threw MLB's 17th perfect game, becoming the oldest pitcher to accomplish the feat. Johnson retired at the age of 46, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 in his first year of eligibility. He is the first member of the Hall to be depicted in a Diamondbacks uniform on his plaque. Johnson's accomplishments and accolades have led to him being widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. On August 8, 2015, the Diamondbacks retired Johnson's number 51. The Mariners will also retire Johnson's number 51 in 2026, making him one of 12 players with their number retired by multiple MLB teams.
Early life and amateur career
Johnson was born in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles "Bud" Johnson. At Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball, though he was cut from the school basketball team his junior year for failing to run a six-minute mile. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in innings and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. He threw approximately and was imposingly tall, though he felt he was not the best pitcher in his league. After high school, Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the 1982 MLB draft but did not sign, choosing instead to attend college.College career
Johnson played college baseball for the University of Southern California Trojans. He also played two years for USC's basketball team. He was scouted by USC coach Rod Dedeuax's son out of high school. He was a starter at USC, where he was a teammate of Mark McGwire, but often exhibited control problems. He had a 16–12 record with 5 saves and a 4.66 ERA in three college seasons, striking out 206 batters but walking 188 in innings. His 104 walks issued in 1985 are a program record.Professional career
Montreal Expos
Draft and minor leagues (1985–1988)
The Montreal Expos drafted Johnson in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. That summer, he pitched for the Jamestown Expos of the New York–Penn League. In 1986, he pitched for the West Palm Beach Expos of the Florida State League, ranking second in the league in strikeouts. In 1987, he pitched for the Jacksonville Expos of the Southern League. He was the league's pitcher of the month in May and led the league in strikeouts. In 1988, he pitched for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. On August 6, he pitched the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter, a 1–0 loss, as he allowed a walk in the first inning to score the only run of the game. In mid-June, he was removed from a game as an injury precaution after attempting to field a ball hit back to the mound. In frustration, he punched a bat rack and suffered a hairline fracture in his non-throwing hand. He was out of action until the end of July, though he said the incident made him grow up.Major leagues (1988–1989)
Johnson made his major league debut on September 15, 1988, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, earning a 9-4 victory with a five-inning outing in which he gave up two runs with five strikeouts; his first victim was Orestes Destrade in the second inning. Johnson posted a record of 3-0 with a 2.42 earned run average in four games as a September call-up in 1988. He was the first Montreal pitcher to win his first three MLB starts.Johnson began the 1989 season with an 0-4 record with a 6.67 ERA in seven games through May 7. He was demoted to Indianapolis on May 9. "I'm too old to cry, but that's what I feel like doing," Johnson said about the move, in part due to his wish to pitch in front of his family on an upcoming Expos west coast road trip. In 11 MLB games pitched in two months with the Expos, he went 3–4 with a 4.69 ERA and one complete game in innings with 51 strikeouts and 33 walks.
Seattle Mariners (1989–1998)
1989–1992
On May 25, 1989, The Expos traded Johnson, Gene Harris, and Brian Holman to the Seattle Mariners for All-Star pitcher Mark Langston and a player to be named later, with Mike Campbell sent in July to complete the trade. MLB.com later called the trade the biggest in the Mariners history.After joining the Mariners during the 1989 season, Johnson led the majors in walks for three consecutive seasons and hit batsmen in 1992 and 1993. In July 1991, facing the Milwaukee Brewers, the erratic Johnson allowed 4 runs on 1 hit and a career-high 10 walks in 4 innings. A month later, a 9th-inning single cost him a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics. Johnson suffered another 10-walk, 4-inning start in 1992. Despite the wildness, Johnson showed potential: In 1990, he became the first left-hander to strike out Wade Boggs three times in one game. He threw his first career no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers on June 2, 1990, needing 138 pitches. He was named to his first All-Star team in 1990.
Johnson credited a meeting with Nolan Ryan and Texas Rangers pitching coach Tom House late in the 1992 season with helping him take his career to the next level; Ryan 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. House recommended a slight change in his delivery; before the meeting, Johnson would land on the heel of his foot after delivering a pitch, and he therefore usually landed offline from home plate. Ryan suggested that he land on the ball of his foot, and almost immediately, he began finding the strike zone more consistently. In a September 27, 1992, game against the Rangers, with Ryan the opposing starting pitcher, Johnson struck out 18 batters in eight innings while throwing 160 pitches, a pitch count that has not been reached in an MLB game since.
On Christmas Day in 1992, Johnson's father died of an aortic aneurysm. Johnson was traveling to visit his father, but did not get to speak to him before his death. Devastated by his father's death, Johnson told his mother he was considering quitting baseball, but she convinced him to keep pitching.
1993–1994: Strikeout leader
Johnson broke out in 1993, with a 19–8 record, 3.24 ERA and one save, his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons, and the Mariners' franchise record for strikeouts. In May, Johnson again lost a no-hitter to a 9th-inning single; again, the opponent was the Athletics. He also recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Minnesota Twins' Chuck Knoblauch. Prior to the trade deadline, Johnson was nearly dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Karsay and Mike Timlin. Toronto general manager Pat Gillick had two separate transactions on the table including the one for Johnson with Seattle general manager Woody Woodward and one for Rickey Henderson with Oakland general manager Sandy Alderson. When Gillick was unable to contact Woodward, he agreed to the deal with Alderson. When Woodward returned Gillick's call, he said he would agree to the deal for Johnson. However, Gillick gave his word to Alderson even though the deal had not been finalized.At the All-Star Game in Baltimore, in a famous incident, Johnson threw a fastball over the head of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman John Kruk. Johnson earned his first MLB save on August 16, also in Baltimore, relieving closer Norm Charlton, who suffered a season-ending injury. On October 3, Johnson entered the final game of the season as a defensive substitution, replacing Brian Turang in left field. This made him the tallest player to play the field in MLB history. Johnson finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting, losing to Jack McDowell.
That offseason, the New York Yankees attempted to trade for Johnson, but owner George Steinbrenner reportedly would not offer a large contract extension for Johnson. The Mariners signed Johnson to a four-year, $20.25 million extension in December, making him one of the 10 highest paid pitchers at the time.
Johnson was again one of the top pitchers in the AL in the shortened 1994 season, making his third All-Star team and finishing third in Cy Young voting. He again led the majors with 204 strikeouts and also led with four shutouts. Johnson was the final pitcher before the season ended due to the player's strike, striking out Oakland's Ernie Young to seal his AL-best 9th complete game of the season.