Athletes - Randy Johnson

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	Athletes - Randy Johnson

Randall David "Randy" Johnson (born September 10, 1963 in Walnut Creek, California), also known as The Big Unit, is a left-handed starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. He is most noted for his stature (6'10"; 2.08 m) and having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game (he is the second tallest player in the history of MLB; Jon Rauch being the tallest). Randy has won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.

Since entering the league, he has been among the most feared pitchers in the game. Opposing hitters have often remarked that, because of his height and release point, it feels as though he's pitching from ten feet closer than he actually is, as John Kruk would attest. Combined with a 95 - 100 mile-per-hour fastball, and a slider that has been compared to that of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton's, many batters find him practically unhittable. In a tongue-in-cheek TV sports ad, he referred to his best pitch as "Mr. Snappy". Some broadcasters such as Steve Stone picked up on that nickname and used it during gamecasts.

Early years

Randy Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California. By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball, and basketball, and that would continue at the University of Southern California.

Best years

Johnson broke out in 1993, combining overwhelming pitching with improved mechanics en route to a 19-8 record, 3.24 ERA and his first of many 300-plus strikeout seasons (308 that year). After pitching well in the strike-shortened 1994, Johnson won the American League Cy Young Award in 1995 with a phenomenal 18-2 record, 2.48 ERA and 294 strikeouts.

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).

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 highly unusual.

Johnson's season turned around on July 31, 1998 when he was traded at the deadline to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later (John Halama), Freddy García and Carlos Guillén. Houston was in the thick of a pennant race and benefitted from Johnson's strong arm anchoring the 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, he 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. The move paid off, however, 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. In 2000, Arizona acquired power-pitcher Curt Schilling from the Philadelphia Phillies, giving Arizona the most feared starting duo in the early 21st century. Johnson and Schilling carried the Diamondbacks to their first franchise World Series appearance and victory in 2001, 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". Fittingly, they also shared the final game of that emotional Series, Johnson winning Game 6 and then coming on in relief to help secure Game 7, reminiscent of Grover Alexander in the 1926 Fall Classic against the Yankees.

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. However, even though he is now in his early 40's, Johnson has consistently proven himself to get better with age. Few doubted his ability to produce in 2004, just two years removed from his last Cy Young Award.

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Athletes - Randy Johnson

Early years

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