Randy Johnson
From SoSH
| Born: | September 10th, 1963 |
| Birthplace: | Walnut Creek, CA |
| Height: | 6' 10" |
| Weight: | 225 lbs. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Left |
| Drafted: | 1985: 2nd round by Montreal Expos |
| College: | University of Southern California |
| High School: | Livermore High School (CA) |
| Teams: | NY Yankees 2005 - 2006 Arizona D'backs 1999-04, '07-Pres Houston Astros 1998 Seattle Mariners 1989-1998 Montreal Expos 1988-1989 |
Contents |
Overall Career
Randy Johnson was a multi-sport athlete at Livermore High School (California) and at the University of Southern California. His major league debut came September 15, 1988 for the Montreal Expos in which he picked up the victory after pitching 5 innings while allowing 2 earned runs. Johnson would be traded to the Seattle Mariners near the beginning of the 1989 season.
The early portion of Johnson's career was marked by a severe lack of control as he led the American League in walks in each season from 1990-1992. By 1993 Randy Johnson had learned to control his pitches better, something he credits to advice from Nolan Ryan, and became one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers baseball has ever seen.
In 1998 Randy Johnson, facing free agency, was traded by the Mariners to the Houston Astros where he closed out the season. When he became a free agent the following winter he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks where he would eventually win the 2001 World Series as co-MVP (with Curt Schilling).
Randy Johnson was traded to the New York Yankees following the 2004 season. Some believe that the aquisition of the aging Johnson reflected the desperation of the Yankees front-office following their devastating 2004 postseason collapse at the hands of the Boston Red Sox and reflected George Steinbrenner's wishes rather than a sound baseball decision. Johnson pitched well for the Yankees in 2005 but started to show the effects of age in 2006. In January 2007, the Yankees traded Johnson back to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Luis Vizcaino and three minor leaguers (Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson and Alberto Gonzalez).
Awards
- 1995 American League Cy Young Award winner
- National League Cy Young Award winner (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
- 2001 World-Series co-MVP
- 2002 Pitching Triple Crown
- 10-Time All-Star (1990, 1993-95, 1997, 1999, 2000-02, 2004)
Moment in the Sun
- One of three pitchers to strike out 20 players in one game (with Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood
- Threw a no-hitter on June 2, 1990
- Threw a perfect game on May 18, 2004
- Threw a fastball that struck and killed a dove in the seventh inning of a spring training game, on March 24, 2001.
- Shoved WCBS-TV cameraman Vinny Everett as he was leaving the physical to finalize his trade to the New York Yankees, on January 10, 2005.
- Filed suit against an ex-girlfriend in an attempt to recoup $97,000 in child support payments he's made for their 16 year-old daughter, with whom he's never spoken.
Transactions
- June 7, 1982: Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft, but did not sign.
- June 3, 1985: Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 2nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1985.
- May 25, 1989: Traded by the Montreal Expos with Gene Harris and Brian Holman to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later (Mike Campbell) and Mark Langston.
- July 31, 1998: Traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later (John Halama), Freddy Garcia, and Carlos Guillen.
- October 28, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
- December 10, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- January 11, 2005: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the New York Yankees for Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro, and cash.
- January 9, 2007: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Arizona Diamondbacks with cash for Luis Vizcaino, Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson and Alberto Gonzalez.
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
