By Jim Street
Randy Johnson battled his own body – the sheer size of it – for years as he grew into a dominant big league pitcher. The size of Johnson’s competitive fire, however, turned what could have been a height disadvantage into the tools for greatness.
And a place in Cooperstown.
“I don't think people quite understand how difficult it is to be 6-foot-10 and be throwing a ball 60 feet, 6 inches away,” Johnson said. “In order to do that, you have to consistent with your release point and where you're landing and your arm slot and all that. For someone 6-1, 6-2, there's less body to keep under control, so it's a lot easier.”
Once Johnson mastered his mechanics and zeroed in on the strike zone, most of the 1,367 hitters he faced had little chance against his 100 mile-an-hour fastball or sweeping slider dubbed “Mr. Snappy.” Some of those hitters will be on stage in Cooperstown July 26 as Johnson is inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2015.
Johnson’s journey to Cooperstown started in Montreal on Sept. 15, 1988 and ended in San Francisco on Oct. 4, 2009. He won 303 games, five Cy Young Awards – including four in-a-row from 1999-2002 – pitched a no-hitter in the American League and a perfect game in the National League, struck out more big-league batters, 4,875, than everyone except Nolan Ryan, and earned a World Series championship ring with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
The competitive fire Johnson possessed seemed to ratchet up when he faced the best-of-the-best. The success he had against future Hall of Fame hitters was astonishing. Of the 18 future Hall of Fame players Johnson faced, 14 of them finished their careers with at least 3,000 hits or .300-plus batting averages. Wade Boggs, George Brett, Tony Gwynn and Paul Molitor accomplished both and were all first-ballot Hall of Fame selections. That foursome went a combined 12-for-80 (.150) with 27 strikeouts, nine walks and one home run.
But they had plenty of company in their misery against Randy. Tally up the totals for all 18 Hall of Fame position players that batted against the left-hander and the result is a .199 (94-for-472) batting average, 151 strikeouts, 61 walks and 13 home runs.
“He was so tall, it looked like he was delivering the ball from Little League distance,” said George Brett, a .305 career hitter who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. “He was intimidating when he came intothe league because he didn’t have the control he had later in his career. Everyone knew he threw as hard as anybody in the league, and everyone knew he was going to walk four or five guys a game. Everyone knew he was wild, not just missing by a few inches, but sometimes by two or three feet.
“It was very uncomfortable, especially for a left-handed hitter. You never looked forward to facing him, not only because of his wildness, but because of the velocity he threw and the fact he threw from threequarters and occasionally even sidearm.”
Brett, who went 1-for-11 with one walk and five strikeouts in his career against Johnson, said that late in his career Royals manager Hal McRae would not allow his star hitter to face Johnson “because it could put me in a hitting funk for three or four days.”
Johnson was the only pitcher that took Brett out of the lineup.
Teammates and the media sometimes learned the hard way that the closer the Big Unit got to his next start, the less communicative and more focused he became. Rarely did he interrupt his game preparation with conversation and he never, ever talked to anyone on the day he pitched. He took the term “game face” to a new level.
But there was one occasion when he let his game-face guard down.
While preparing for his first World Series start against the Yankees in 2001, Johnson was in the Diamondbacks clubhouse watching ESPN. He noticed a graphic that identified some hitters that gave him trouble.
One of them was D-Backs bench coach Bob Melvin, a .233 career hitter. But he batted a cool .452 (14- for-31) against Randy, matching Albert Pujols, also 14-for-31, for the highest career batting average with at least 25 at-bats against the left-hander.
“I was in the coaches room when Randy stuck his head in, looked at me and said, ‘Did you know you did that well against me?’” Melvin recalled. “I said, ‘What do you think? It kept me in the Major Leagues for 10 years.’
“Randy chuckled, turned around, and walked away.”
Jim Street is a freelance writer from Seattle Reprinted with permission from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum receive free admission to the Museum, as well as access to exclusive programs, such as the Voices of the Game Series. Additionally, members receive a subscription to the Hall of Fame's bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, the annual Hall of Fame yearbook and a 10% discount and free shipping on retail purchases. For information on becoming a member, please visit baseballhall.org/join or call 607-547-0397. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $23 for adults (13 and over), $15 for seniors (65 and over), and $12 for juniors (ages 7-12) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations. Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our website at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.
Randy Johnson battled his own body – the sheer size of it – for years as he grew into a dominant big league pitcher. The size of Johnson’s competitive fire, however, turned what could have been a height disadvantage into the tools for greatness.
And a place in Cooperstown.
“I don't think people quite understand how difficult it is to be 6-foot-10 and be throwing a ball 60 feet, 6 inches away,” Johnson said. “In order to do that, you have to consistent with your release point and where you're landing and your arm slot and all that. For someone 6-1, 6-2, there's less body to keep under control, so it's a lot easier.”
Once Johnson mastered his mechanics and zeroed in on the strike zone, most of the 1,367 hitters he faced had little chance against his 100 mile-an-hour fastball or sweeping slider dubbed “Mr. Snappy.” Some of those hitters will be on stage in Cooperstown July 26 as Johnson is inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2015.
Johnson’s journey to Cooperstown started in Montreal on Sept. 15, 1988 and ended in San Francisco on Oct. 4, 2009. He won 303 games, five Cy Young Awards – including four in-a-row from 1999-2002 – pitched a no-hitter in the American League and a perfect game in the National League, struck out more big-league batters, 4,875, than everyone except Nolan Ryan, and earned a World Series championship ring with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
The competitive fire Johnson possessed seemed to ratchet up when he faced the best-of-the-best. The success he had against future Hall of Fame hitters was astonishing. Of the 18 future Hall of Fame players Johnson faced, 14 of them finished their careers with at least 3,000 hits or .300-plus batting averages. Wade Boggs, George Brett, Tony Gwynn and Paul Molitor accomplished both and were all first-ballot Hall of Fame selections. That foursome went a combined 12-for-80 (.150) with 27 strikeouts, nine walks and one home run.
But they had plenty of company in their misery against Randy. Tally up the totals for all 18 Hall of Fame position players that batted against the left-hander and the result is a .199 (94-for-472) batting average, 151 strikeouts, 61 walks and 13 home runs.
“He was so tall, it looked like he was delivering the ball from Little League distance,” said George Brett, a .305 career hitter who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. “He was intimidating when he came intothe league because he didn’t have the control he had later in his career. Everyone knew he threw as hard as anybody in the league, and everyone knew he was going to walk four or five guys a game. Everyone knew he was wild, not just missing by a few inches, but sometimes by two or three feet.
“It was very uncomfortable, especially for a left-handed hitter. You never looked forward to facing him, not only because of his wildness, but because of the velocity he threw and the fact he threw from threequarters and occasionally even sidearm.”
Brett, who went 1-for-11 with one walk and five strikeouts in his career against Johnson, said that late in his career Royals manager Hal McRae would not allow his star hitter to face Johnson “because it could put me in a hitting funk for three or four days.”
Johnson was the only pitcher that took Brett out of the lineup.
Teammates and the media sometimes learned the hard way that the closer the Big Unit got to his next start, the less communicative and more focused he became. Rarely did he interrupt his game preparation with conversation and he never, ever talked to anyone on the day he pitched. He took the term “game face” to a new level.
But there was one occasion when he let his game-face guard down.
While preparing for his first World Series start against the Yankees in 2001, Johnson was in the Diamondbacks clubhouse watching ESPN. He noticed a graphic that identified some hitters that gave him trouble.
One of them was D-Backs bench coach Bob Melvin, a .233 career hitter. But he batted a cool .452 (14- for-31) against Randy, matching Albert Pujols, also 14-for-31, for the highest career batting average with at least 25 at-bats against the left-hander.
“I was in the coaches room when Randy stuck his head in, looked at me and said, ‘Did you know you did that well against me?’” Melvin recalled. “I said, ‘What do you think? It kept me in the Major Leagues for 10 years.’
“Randy chuckled, turned around, and walked away.”
Jim Street is a freelance writer from Seattle Reprinted with permission from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum receive free admission to the Museum, as well as access to exclusive programs, such as the Voices of the Game Series. Additionally, members receive a subscription to the Hall of Fame's bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, the annual Hall of Fame yearbook and a 10% discount and free shipping on retail purchases. For information on becoming a member, please visit baseballhall.org/join or call 607-547-0397. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $23 for adults (13 and over), $15 for seniors (65 and over), and $12 for juniors (ages 7-12) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations. Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our website at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.