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5. Randy Johnson

5. Randy Johnson
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: August 15, 1958 in Miami, FL USA
  • Weight: 195 lbs.
  • Height: 6'2"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: L
  • Debut: July 05, 1980
  • Final Game: October 03, 1982
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The Montreal Expos made a huge (a literal 6’ 10” mistake) when they dealt a young Randy Johnson to the Seattle Mariners early in the 1989 season.  It was evident immediately that there was something special as Johnson could strike out a lot of batters, but he had control problems.  It would, however, not take long for the "Big Unit" to become one of the stud pitchers in baseball.

In Johnson's first full season with the Mariners, he was named an All-Star, won 14 Games, and threw for 194 Strikeouts.  However, he would lead the AL in Walks allowed with 120.  1991 would see Johnson raise his Ks to 228 but again would walk far too many batters with 152, and 1992 was much of the same with 144 Walks and 241 Strikeouts.  Notably, that was the first of four straight years with the Mariners, where he was the American League leader.

The story goes that fellow flamethrower, Nolan Ryan, aided him in his delivery in late 1992, and it translated into better control.  Johnson was no longer walking batters at an alarming rate, and his ERA and WHIP dropped.  Even more impressively, his Strikeouts rose, as he had a 308 K season in 1993.  That year he won 19 Games and went to his second All-Star Game.  All-Star nods would follow in 1994 and 1995, with that last year being an incredible campaign for Johnson.  He would win the Cy Young with an 18-2 record and his first ERA title (2.48), and would also lead the American League in FIP (2.08) and WHIP (1.045).  

Johnson was injured for most of 1996, and he rebounded with another All-Star year in 2007.  He was off in 2008, and as he was set to become a free agent, the Mariners traded him to the Houston Astros for their pennant drive.

If there is a criticism on Johnson as a Mariner, it was that he was 0-6 for Seattle in the playoffs.  While it is not relevant here, he did shake his post-season demons with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

Johnson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, three years after the Mariners selected him to their Hall of Fame.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Pitcher
  • Acquired: Traded from the Montreal Expos with Gene Harris and Brian Holman for Mark Langston and a Player to be Named Later (which would be Mike Campbell) 5/25/89.
  • Departed: Traded to the Houston Astros for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and a Player to be Named Later (which would be John Halama) 7/31/98.
  • Games Played: 274
  • Notable Statistics: 130 Wins
    74 Losses
    3.42 ERA
    266 Games Started
    51 Complete Games
    19 Shutouts
    3 Games Finished
    2 Saves
    1,831.1 Innings Pitched
    2,162 Strikeouts
    3.24 FIP
    1.250 WHIP
    2.45 SO/BB
    39.0 bWAR

    6 Playoff Games
    2 Wins
    3 Losses
    3.52 ERA
    5 Games Started
    1 Complete Game
    1 Game Finished
    38.1 Innings Pitched
    45 Strikeouts
    1.17 WHIP
    3.21 SO/BB
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Cy Young (1995)
    The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (1995)
    All-Star (1990, 1993, 1995 & 1997)
    Highest bWAR for Pitchers (1995)
    Lowest ERA (1995)
    Lowest WHIP (1995)
    Lowest H/9 (1992, 1993, 1995 & 1997)
    Highest SO/9 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 & 1997)
    Most Strikeouts (1992, 1993, 1994 & 1995)
    Most Complete Games (1994)
    Most Shutouts (1994)
    Highest SO/BB (1995)
    Highest ERA+ (1995)
    Lowest FIP (1994 & 1995)
    Highest Win Probability Added (1995)
    Highest Championship Win Probability Added (1995 & 1997)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a Pitcher (1993 & 1994)

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