His All-Star career extends far off the field, as well...made a $400,000 donation to the American Red Cross' relief efforts following the devastation in South East Asia...through his "Strikeout Homelessness" program, which he started while with the Mariners, has personally donated more than $300,000 to related charities and
organizations...with the Yankees, will continue his pledge of $1,000 per victory and $100 per strikeout to be distributed in tri-state area...in 2004-with 16 victories and 290 strikeouts-personally donated $45,000 to Arizona-area organizations in need...in addition, Randy has provided-through his contract with Nike-more than 3,500 pairs of footwear to the less fortunate during the holiday season...has also been very active in fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-in both Seattle and Arizona-over the last 11 years, raising more than $1-million through various efforts including his own annual golf tournament...was the 1999 recipient of the Bronze Sierra from the Arizona Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is also involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Salvation Army...was the Diamondbacks' 2002 nominee for Major League Baseball's annual Roberto Clemente Award...with Curt Schilling, was tabbed Sports Illustrated's Sportsmen of the Year following the World Series season of 2001...won the Warren Spahn Award as the most outstanding left-handed pitcher in the Majors for each of his first four seasons with the Diamondbacks, honoring the legacy of Oklahoman Warren Spahn...also won each of the first three Leroy "Satchel" Paige Legacy Awards, given annually to Major League baseball's "Pitcher-of-the-Year" by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City... was voted the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Sports Star-of-the-Year for 1993... once an avid photographer, had his work featured at Art Expo '90 in Los Angeles...following the 1990 season he made his first of two trips to Japan with fellow major leaguers, and combined with then-Angel southpaw Chuck Finley on a no-hitter on Nov. 11 in Tokyo...made a cameo appearance in the baseball movie "Little Big League"...once an avid photographer, had his work featured at Art Expo '90 in Los Angeles...following the 1990 season he made his first of two trips to Japan with fellow major leaguers, and combined with then-Angel southpaw Chuck Finley on a no-hitter on Nov. 11 in Tokyo...made a cameo appearance in the baseball movie "Little Big League"...attended the University of Southern California on a baseball/basketball scholarship, but concentrated solely on baseball after his sophomore season...was college teammate of Mark McGwire while with the Trojans...was originally drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the '82 June draft, but chose to attend USC...was a 1982 graduate of Livermore (CA) High School, where he tossed a perfect game in his final prep start.
2009
Johnson was key member of Giants' starting rotation for 1st half of season before suffering left shoulder strain on July 5 vs. Houston, which caused him to miss nearly 2 1/ 2 months...prior to injury, went 8-6 with 4.81 ERA (49er, 91.2ip) in 17 starts for San Francisco...overall, was 8-6 with 4.88 ERA (52er, 96.0ip) in 22 games (17 starts) in his 1st season as Giant...SF went 10-7 in his outings, winning 6 of his final 8 starting assignments...etched his name into baseball record books and entered one of games most exclusive clubs, winning his 300th career game on June 5 against Nationals in Washington in 2nd game of doubleheader...became 24th pitcher ever to accomplish feat, and possibly last to do it...became 6th left-handed pitcher to reach milestone (also Spahn, Carlton, Plank, Glavine and Grove) and was 1st pitcher since Tom Seaver in 1985 to earn his 300th win on his 1st try...also became 2nd-oldest pitcher to win 300, at 45 years and 267 days (Phil Niekro was oldest at 46 years, 188 days)...joined Steve Carlton and Gaylord Perry as only two pitchers that won their 300th game against organization they pitched for previously...Carlton and Johnson are only pitchers to win their 300th against organization they began career with...was 1st member of 300-win club to defeat all 30 current major league teams...was 7th pitcher that wore Giants uniform that was part of 300-win club, joining Mathewson (1900-1916), Spahn (1965), Keefe (1885-89, 1891), Carlton (1986), Perry (1962-71) and Welch (1883-92)...was also just 4th pitcher that accomplished feat as Giant (Keefe, Welch and Mathewson)...Mathewson was last pitcher to win 300 games wearing Giants uniform when he achieved it in 1912 for New York Giants...made his Giants debut April 8 vs. Milwaukee and received 1st loss of season after logging 5.0 innings and allowing 4 runs on 4 hits...allowed solo HR to Mike Cameron and 3-run shot to starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, his 1st HR surrendered to pitcher over his 22 major league seasons...opposing pitchers had totaled 448 at-bats and 506 plate appearances against Johnson prior to that roundtripper...with his Giants debut, became 1st 45-year-old pitcher in franchise history and oldest Giant in last 100 years, since 2nd baseman Arlie Latham played 4 games for New York in 1909 at age 49...dropped 2nd start of year against Dodgers in LA's home opener April 13, lasting just 3.2 innings while giving up 7 runs on 8 hits in SF's 11-1 loss...prior to start had been perfect 7-0 at Dodger Stadium...earned his 1st victory in Giants uniform against Diamondbacks April 19, combining with RHP's Bob Howry and Brian Wilson on 1-hitter in SF's 2-0 victory...Johnson carried no-hitter through 6.0 innings before allowing leadoff 2B to Augie Ojeda in top of 7th inning...marked 14th time in his career to hold opponent hitless through 1st 6.0 innings, twice as often as any other active pitcher (Tim Wakefield ranks 2nd with 7 such games) and highest total for any pitcher since Nolan Ryan held opponents hitless through at least 6.0 innings 31 times (Elias)...pitched 7.0-scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts in Giants' 3-2 win over Rockies May 1...according to Elias, in modern major league history, only two other pitchers as old as Johnson (45 years) threw game in which they pitched scoreless ball with 9 or more K's...in 1994, 46-year-old Charlie Hough threw 9.0-inning shutout with 9 punchouts for Florida vs. St. Louis, and in 1952, 46-year-old Satchel Paige threw 12.0-inning shutout, fanning 9 for St. Louis Browns against Tigers...earned his 298th career victory vs. Nationals at AT&T Park on May 11...logged just 5.0+ innings while allowing 4 runs on 8 hits with no walks and 9 K's in SF's 11-7 victory...gave up 3 solo homers (Belliard, Willingham and Zimmerman)...faced 6-foot-9 Daniel Cabrera in what was tallest pitching matchup in MLB history...previous mark was set Sept. 1, 2004 at Oriole Park, when Cabrera was opposed by 6-foot-9 Mark Hendrickson (Elias)...May 16 matchup of Johnson vs. NYM's Johan Santana featured two pitchers with 7 combined Cy Young Awards (Johnson with 5, Santana with 2)...according to Elias, last time two pitchers faced one another with that many Cy Young Awards was on July 19, 2006 when Houston's Roger Clemens (7) faced Chicago's NL Greg Maddux (4)...faced Mariners, whom he'd spent 10 seasons with, on May 22 at Seattle...did not receive decision in Giants' 2-1 loss in 12.0 innings...allowed only 1 earned run in 5.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 walks with 7 strikeouts...left to standing ovation in 6th inning...that May 22 start triggered strong run by Johnson, who went 5-1 with 2.85 ERA (15er, 47.1ip) and .216 avg. against (38-for-176) in 8 starts from May 22-June 30...Giants went 6-2 in that span...earned his 300th career victory in game 1 of doubleheader at Washington June 4...day after his 1st bid at 300 was postponed by rain, he carried no-hitter into 5th inning...pitching in both light and pelting rain, he made diving throw to 1st baseman Travis Ishikawa that retired Anderson Hernandez in 6th, and bruised his right shoulder, which forced him out of game after inning...he threw 78 pitches, 50 for strikes...in 8th inning, milestone was in doubt as Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman walked to load bases with 2 outs...closer Brian Wilson fired low 3-2 fastball to Adam Dunn, who took it for called strike 3...with 2 outs in bottom of 9th, everyone stood chanting 'Randy, Randy,' as Wilson struck out Wil Nieves to end game...after some 21 seasons and more than 22 hours of rain delays, Johnson celebrated his milestone victory and SF's 5-1 win over Washington...National Baseball Hall of Fame received bases and pitching rubber from his start...took loss July 5 vs. Houston, allowing 4 runs (3er) in Giants' 7-1 loss...departed after 3.2 innings with strained left shoulder, an injury that was later called torn rotator cuff...he suffered injury after striking out in 3rd inning...he flailed at low-and-outside pitch and immediately grabbed his shoulder in obvious discomfort...took mound for 4th inning, however allowed home runs to Hunter Pence and Jason Michaels...later in inning he fielded comebacker off bat of Roy Oswalt and his throw to 1st base flew wide for throwing error and he reached for his shoulder after making wild throw...threw one pitch to his next batter (Kaz Matsui), which was ball and after consulting with manager Bruce Bochy and Giants trainer Dave Groeschner, he walked off field for what turned out to be his final starting assignment of 2009...was placed on disabled list July 6 with left shoulder strain and was transferred to 60-day DL July 28...after long rehabilitation, was activated from 60-day DL Sept. 16 and was used as reliever during Giants' stretch run, appearing in 5 games and posting 6.23 ERA (3er, 4.1ip)...made 1st relief appearance Sept. 19 at Los Angeles-NL and faced just 3 batters, allowing back-to-back 2B's to Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier...marked his 1st relief outing since 2005 Division Series...also became oldest Giants reliever at 46 years old, surpassing Dolf Luque, who was 45 years of age in 1935...gave up solo HR to Arizona's Rusty Ryal Sept. 22, but registered 3 strikeouts in 1.0 inning...logged his final appearance of 2009 season in SF's last game Oct. 4 at San Diego...gave up an unearned run and was charged with blown save as Padres rallied to tie score at 3-3...however, Pablo Sandoval hit game-winning homer in 10th in SF's 4-3 win.
2008
After returning from his 2nd back surgery in as many years to repair troublesome disc, posted an 11-10 record and 3.91 ERA in 30 starts to remain 5 wins shy of reaching 300th career victory...ranked 3rd among NL pitchers with 3.93 strikeout to walk ratio and 6th with 8.46 strikeouts per 9.0 innings...his 2.41 ERA (23er, 86.0ip) after All-Star Break ranked 5th among NL pitchers despite 5-3 record in 13 starts...struck out Brewers' Mike Cameron June 3 at Milwaukee to record his 4,673rd career strikeout and pass Roger Clemens for 2nd place on all-time strikeout list...struck out his 4,683rd batter in 1,000 fewer innings than Clemens...at age of 44, was 2nd-oldest player in Majors behind Philadelphia left-handed hurler Jamie Moyer (45)...made 2 rehab starts for triple-A Tucson prior to making season debut April 14 at San Francisco...earned no decision after allowing 3 unearned runs on 3 hits while walking 4 and striking out 7 batters in 5.0 innings...strung together 4-game winning streak during 5-game stretch April 25-May 18 while posting 4.82 ERA (15er, 28.0ip), striking out 24 and walking just 5 batters...his win on May 18 vs. Detroit was his 17th career interleague victory, ranking him 7th all-time since both leagues faced one another during regular season since 1997...lost 6 straight decisions from June 6-Aug. 1, his longest losing streak since suffering 8 consecutive defeats May 26-July 21, 1992...won 5 straight games July 6-Aug. 1, 5th-longest winning streak of his career...allowed only 5 earned runs in 32.1 innings while striking out 25 and walking only 2 during those 5 starts...became 5th-oldest pitcher to earn 4 consecutive wins, behind Phil Niekro (1984, 1985), Jamie Moyer (2008), Nolan Ryan (1992) and Jack Quinn (1928)...recorded career-high 5 straight no decisions Aug. 22-Sept. 18, despite posting 3.32 ERA (11er, 30.2ip) with 10 walks and 37 K's...recorded his 212th career double-digit strikeout game when he fanned 13 batters Aug. 22 vs. Florida, trailing only Nolan Ryan with 215 such contests...allowed an unearned run on 2 hits with 1 walk and 9 punchouts in his 100th career complete game to earn his 295th victory in season finale Sept. 28 vs. Colorado.
2007
His 2,907 strikeouts, 57 complete games and 22 shutouts are the highest totals in the Majors since 1997...over the same span, ranks second with 180 wins, tied for third with a 3.03 ERA (also John Smoltz), third in opponent average at .221
and fourth with 2,334.1 innings pitched...He is 16 wins shy of 300 wins in his career...he has the fourth-highest win total of all active pitchers, trailing Roger Clemens (354), Greg Maddux (347) and Tom Glavine (303)...Leads the franchise with 107 wins, 1,904 strikeouts, 1,446.1 innings pitched, 202 games started, 36 complete games, 14 shutouts and a 2.69 ERA over seven seasons with the D-backs...Struck out a season high 10 on May 20 at Pittsburgh, the 209th 10+ strikeout game of his career, ranking him second alltime behind Nolan Ryan who finished his career with 215...Was 4-0 over 5 starts from May 15 - June 10, holding a 1.52 ERA (5 ER in 29.2 IP) with 4 walks and 42 strikeouts...Won 3 consecutive starts from May 15 - May 30, combining for a 1.02 ERA (2 ER in 17.2 IP) with no walks and 25 strikeouts over that stretch...Started the season on the disabled list, rehabbing from off-season back surgery...Made a rehab start on April 8 at Visalia (A), allowing 2 runs off 4 hits over 6.0 innings, striking out 4...Had 2 more rehab starts at Tucson (AAA), tossing 6.0 innings in both outings, combining for 4 earned runs off 15 hits with 2 walks and 10 strikeouts...Reinstated from the disabled list on April 24, making his first start of the season for the D-backs that night vs. San Diego...allowed 6 runs over 5.0 innings, walking 4 while striking out 7 in the loss...Threw a season high 7.0 innings on May 4 vs. New York-NL, allowing 5 runs off 9 hits with 7 strikeouts, taking his second loss of the season...Earned his first win on May 15 at Colorado, tossing 6.0 shutout innings, allowing only 1 hit with 9 strikeouts for his first win of the season...Placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 15 with tightness in his back, retroactive to June 11...Reinstated from the disabled list on June 28 and started that night against Los Angeles...allowed 3 earned runs off 6 hits over 3.0 innings before coming out of the game with tightness in his back...Placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 3 and would be transferred to the 60-day disabled list on August 3 because of back surgery, missing the remainder of the season.
2006
The 43-year-old lefty suffered back problems throughout the entire season but still managed to finish the season with the second-most victories for the Yankees...the Big Unit had 17 wins for the second year in a row and it was the ninth time in his career that the lefty had at least that amount in a season...began the season well with two outings in which he lasted at least seven innings...he followed up his dominant performance in the Yanks' opener against the A's in Oakland in which he allowed one run and five hits in seven innings with eight innings in a 3-2 loss to the Angels in which he struck out eight and walked none...the tall southpaw won his next outing but then was hammered in Toronto when the Blue Jays chased Johnson from the game after three 1/3 innings in which he gave up nine hits and seven runs...he finished April with two more wins to improve to 4-2 for the month...Johnson started the month of May with a win against the Devil Rays but his seven-hit, five-run outing was a sign of things to come...he gave up seven runs, two earned, in three 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in his next start and then allowed four runs, six runs, and five runs in his next three games...the left-hander returned to form in his last start of the month on May 29th when he gave up only two hits in six scoreless innings in the Yanks' 4-0 win over the Tigers...Johnson went through the toughest stretch of the season during July when he compiled a 2-3 record with a 5.68 ERA in six starts but he did strike out a season-high 11 batters in eight innings of a 3-2 loss to the Mariners on July 19th...Johnson was surprisingly more effective in the second half of the season in which he went 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA, lasting at least six innings in all six starts...he began the month of September with a one-hit scoreless performance in seven innings of the Yankees' 8-3 win over the Royals in which he walked two and struck out eight...it appeared he would finish the season strong after that outing but then he gave up five runs in each of his last four starts, including his playoff loss to the Tigers in the ALDS...Johnson missed the last start of the regular season due to a herniated disc...underwent surgery on Oct. 26th to repair the problem.
2005
Was 17-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 34 starts. ... The 34 starts were the most by a Yankee since Mike Mussina started 34 games in 2001. ... The Yankees were 22-12 in games he started. ... Ranked second in the American League with 211 strikeouts, tied for second with four complete games, tied for third with 8.4 strikeouts per 9.0 IP and 34 games started, fourth with 17 wins, tied for fourth with 32 home runs allowed, fifth with a .243 opponents batting average and 225 2/3 IP, tied for seventh with 12 hit batsmen, tied for eighth with 1.9 walks per 9.0 IP, and 10th with a .680 winning percentage. ... His 2,748 strikeouts over the last 10 seasons (1996-2005) are the most in the Majors. ... Was 12-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 21 starts with John Flaherty as his catcher. ... Was 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 13 starts with Jorge Posada as his catcher. ... Has 263 career victories for sole possession of 37th place on Baseball's all-time list. Needs 1 win to tie Gus Weyhing for 36th place. ... Ranks third on Baseball's all-time strikeout list with 4,372 behind only Nolan Ryan, 5,714; and Roger Clemens, 4,502. ... Allowed a career-high 32 home runs in 2005 and established the single-season franchise record for LH pitchers (Dennis Rasmussen allowed 31 HR in 1987). ... On 8/21 vs. the Chicago White Sox at U. S. Cellular Field, recorded the complete-game loss in a 6-2 White-Sox win. Allowed four home runs in the fourth inning (including three straight for the first time in his career), becoming the 26th pitcher in Major-League history to allow four home runs in a single inning. ... On 9/26 at Baltimore recorded his fifth straight victory in an 11-3 Yankees win improving to 36-4 in 54 September appearances since 1993. ... In his last 13 starts of the season (from 7/26), left-handed batters hit .074 (4-for-54) with one extra-base hit (double) and no RBIs. ... Was 6-0 with a 1.92 ERA in his final eight starts of the season (from 8/26). ... Earned the win to clinch the A.L. East crown in his final start of the season on 10/1 at Boston, his fifth win in five starts against Boston in 2005. ... The last Yankee pitcher to go undefeated against the Red Sox in a season in which he beat them at least four times was Mel Stottlemyre in 1965 (5-0 in six starts).
2004
Rebounded from an injury-shortened '03 campaign with another impressive season that garnered him consideration for a sixth Cy Young Award...finished second in the 2004 National-League Cy-Young Award voting after posting a 16-14 record with a 2.60 earned run average and a Major-League leading 290 strikeouts in 35 starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks...was the ninth time in his career that he led the Majors in strikeouts (also 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002) and his ratio of 10.6 K's per 9-innings was second in the big leagues behind Pittsburgh's Oliver Perez (11.0)...his 2.60 ERA was second best among all Major-League pitchers, behind only San Diego's Jake Peavy (2.27) and he held opposing
hitters to a .197 batting average, second only to Minnesota's Johan Santana (.192) among all Major League starters...limited left-handed batters to a .163 average (24-for-147) while righties managed a .204 mark (153-for-751)...his 2.77 road ERA was second in the National League while his 2.47 ERA at Bank One Ballpark was fifth-best among all starters in their home stadium...his victory total was tied for eighth-highest for a pitcher on a team with 100+ losses and he also had the highest win total for a player on a club that lost 110+ contests...his 16 wins accounted for 31% of the Diamondbacks' 51 victories
in 2004, the highest percentage of a team's triumphs by a single pitcher since 1980 and the fifth-highest since divisional play began in 1969...charged with 14 losses on the year, he was given 2 runs or less of offensive support in 12 of those defeats...was one of six hurlers to make 35 starts, most in the Majors...tossed 4 complete games, tied for fourth in the National League and tied for seventh in the majors...added 13 more double-digit strikeout games to his career total...now has 204 career games with 10 or more strikeouts, second only to Nolan Ryan's Major-League record 215 and is 134-36 with 34 no decisions in those games...made his sixth
consecutive Opening Day start for the Diamondbacks in a 4/6 loss vs. Colorado, his 12th career season-opener...
tossed his fifth career two-hitter on 4/16 at San Diego, retiring the last 16 Padre hitters he faced in a 5-0
triumph...also delivered the biggest blow of the game at the plate, hitting a 2-run double in the sixth inning...
was 3-4 with a 2.83 ERA over his first eight outings of the year...on 5/18 at Atlanta, recorded the 15th perfect
game in modern day regular season history-16th including Don Larsen's work in the 1956 World Series-
striking out 13 batters in a 2-0 Arizona victory...it was the first no-hitter in Arizona's 7-year history and first
perfect game in the Majors since David Cone did so on 7/18/99 at Yankee Stadium vs. Montreal...was the first
in the National League since Montreal's Dennis Martinez did so at Dodger Stadium on 7/28/91...became the
oldest pitcher in history to record a perfect game at 40 years, 251 days, beating Cy Young, who was perfect on
May 5, 1904, at 37 years and 37 days...also tossed a no-hitter for Seattle in 1990, becoming one of five pitchers
to throw a no-hitter in each league, joining Young, Nolan Ryan, Jim Bunning and Hideo Nomo...now has
11 games of two hits or less (two no-hitters, four one-hitters and five two-hitters)...following his perfect game,
retired the first six Marlins he faced in a 5/23 win at Florida, but Abraham Nunez led off the third with a double
to snap streak of 39 consecutive batters retired, two shy of the Major League record set in 1972 by the Giants'
Jim Barr...was the third-longest such streak in history, falling an out shy of Tom Browning's 40 in a row in
1988...won six consecutive starts from 5/18-6/13, his longest winning streak since opening the 2002 campaign
with six straight triumphs in six April starts...posted a 2.68 ERA during the win streak, with five of those victories
coming on the road...streak ended in 6/18 loss vs. Tampa Bay, beginning a season-ending stretch during
which he received three runs or less of support in 18 of his final 21 starts...on 6/29 vs. San Diego, became
the fourth member of the 4,000-K Club, fanning the Padres' Jeff Cirillo on his final pitch of the evening for the milestone strikeout...was the quickest pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts, needing 607.1 fewer innings than the previous fastest, who was Ryan when he notched his 4,000th on 7/11/85...to reach 4,000 strikeouts, Johnson totaled over 900 fewer frames than Roger Clemens and an astonishing 1,750 less than Steve Carlton...was 1-5 with a 2.81 ERA over 9 starts from 6/18-7/30...was named to his 10th career All-Star Game and allowed three hits with one strikeout on 7/13 at Minute Maid Park in Houston...after opening the month with a victory, he was 0-3 in his last 5 starts during July, tossing a combined 15.0 shutout frames in a pair of no decisions on July 15 and 25...was 2-3 with a 2.45 ERA during August, including double-digit strikeout totals in four straight starts from 8/15-31...recorded a season-high 15 strikeouts on 8/31 vs. Los Angeles, his 29th career game with at least 15 strikeouts...celebrated his 41st birthday by recording a 2-1 win vs. San Francisco on 9/10, his 100th career win as a member of the Diamondbacks and most in franchise history...became the most prolific left-handed strikeout pitcher in Major League history on 9/15 vs. Colorado, passing Steve Carlton and moving into third-place on the all-time strikeout list (4,136)...tied Carlton with his fifth-inning strikeout of Brad Hawpe, then passed him when Vinny Castilla fanned in the seventh...was Johnson's 31st career game with 10+ strikeouts and no walks...closed the season by going 4-1 with a 1.46 ERA over his final 5 starts...was chosen by the Arizona Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America as the Diamondbacks' Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher, the first player to win both awards...completed his tenure in Arizona with a 103-49 record (.678)...with Arizona, totaled 1,832 strikeouts in 1,389.2 innings for a 11.9 strikeout per nine-innings ratio.
2003
Randy was limited to 18 starts due to an injured right knee that sent him to the disabled list twice, including a stint after it was surgically repaired ... he finished the year 6-8, only his third career season with a winning percentage below .500 (1989 with Montreal and 1992 with Seattle) ... the injury snapped his streak of six straight seasons of at least 200.0 innings pitched and broke a Major League record string of five consecutive years with 300 strikeouts ... he had five starts with at least 10 strikeouts, raising his career total to 191 career double-digit K games, 24 shy of Nolan Ryan's Major League record 215 ... Johnson's year began with his first career Opening Day setback in 11 starts, dropping an 8-0 decision at home to the Dodgers, allowing five runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings ... he absorbed another defeat on April 11 vs. Milwaukee as he gave up 10 earned runs on 10 hits, his highest run total allowed since April 10, 1994, with Seattle, when Toronto scored 11 runs (10 earned) in a 12-6 contest ... Randy was 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA through his first three starts, allowing 16 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings before going on the shelf for the first time on April 12 due to swelling in his knee, his first disablement since 1996 with Seattle ... he was sidelined until the second game of an April 27 doubleheader at Shea Stadium, as the Big Unit fanned 12 over 6.0 innings of a 7-3 victory ... his efforts helped the Arizona staff record 27 K's on the day, a Major League record for strikeouts during a doubleheader ... swelling in the knee returned and it was determined that he should undergo arthroscopic surgery, which was performed on May 1 by team orthopedist Dr. Michael Lee, who removed floating bits of cartilage debris in the knee, repairing a small meniscus tear and smoothing down the rough edges behind Johnson's kneecap ... Randy made a trio of minor league rehab starts, one for Triple-A Tucson, Double-A El Paso and Lancaster (A), going a combined 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 15 and walking only 1 over 14.0 innings ... after missing 12 weeks of Major League action, Johnson ran into tough luck in his first 3 starts back, going 0-2 despite posting a miniscule 0.90 ERA ... in his return, he dropped a tough 3-2 decision in San Diego on July 20, allowing 2 runs (one earned) on six hits over 6.0 innings ... on July 25 vs. Los Angeles he allowed only a second inning homer to Jeromy Burnitz, but the contest eventually went 15 innings, with Arizona prevailing 2-1 ... Randy had another hard luck performance on July 30 in Florida, allowing a pair of unearned runs in 6.0 innings of a 3-1 loss to Dontrelle Willis ... R.J. recorded back-to-back wins on Aug. 5 and 10, knocking off Montreal and the Mets, respectively ... he was again plagued by limited run support in a 2-1 loss at home to the Giants on August 30, yielding solo home runs to Rich Aurilia and Barry Bonds ... Johnson matched up against a pitcher nearly half his age in his next start, the night before his 40th birthday, Johnson lost a 4-1 contest to the Dodgers who sent Edwin Jackson to the mound on his 20th birthday ... Randy he finished the season by going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA over his final 3 starts ... his first start as a 40-year old was a memorable occasion on September 14, tossing his fourth career one-hitter, first as a D-Back, in blanking the Rockies 5-0 in Bank One Ballpark ... he walked one and fanned 12 for his 88th career complete game and 35th shutout with the lone hit a one-out single in the fifth by Rene Reyes, who was promptly picked off as Johnson faced just one man over the minimum, issuing a fourth-inning walk to Garrett Atkins, who was left stranded ... it was his first one-hitter since July 16, 1998 in the Kingdome as a member of the Mariners against Minnesota ... it was the sixth one-hitter in Arizona's six-year history ... Randy also had a pair of hits in his September 14 win, the second time during the 2003 season that a pitcher had more hits in a game than he surrendered, as the Mets' Steve Trachsel had two knocks in a one-hitter on August 18, also vs. the Rox ... Johnson followed with another memorable outing in his next start on September 19 in Milwaukee, as the newly-turned 40-year old lined a Doug Davis delivery into the Brewer bullpen in leftfield for his first home run in 437 career at bats ... RJ's blast, which came off of a borrowed bat from Raul Mondesi, made him the oldest player in Major League history to hit his first home run, eclipsing Bill McGhee of the Philadelphia A's, who went deep on September 3, 1944, at the age of 38 years, 364 days ... Johnson was not involved in the decision, a 3-2 triumph after allowing two runs over 6.0 innings with 10 K's ... he closed the year with a victory at Coors Field on September 24, his eighth straight winning decision against the Rockies, giving up a 2-run homer to Juan Uribe over 6.0 innings as the D-Backs won 6-3 ... Johnson recorded his 1,500th strikeout as a Diamondback on August 30, joining Ryan as the only pitchers with at least 1,500 K's with two different clubs ... Johnson fanned 2,162 as a member of the Mariners and has since recorded 1,542 with Arizona ... Ryan fanned 2,416 with the Angels, then posted 1,866 strikeouts with Astros on the way to 5,714 lifetime K's.
How obtained:
Signed as a free agent, December 1, 1998.
2002
Randy's 2002 campaign was proof that age is only a number as the record-setting southpaw delivered his first
career "Triple Crown" of pitching to unanimously win a fourth consecutive Cy Young Award, the second hurler ever to win
4 in a row matching Greg Maddux (1992-95), while RJ's 5 career Cy's are only one shy of Roger Clemens' record...it was
the 11th unanimous selection in history, first since Maddux in '95, the same year of Randy's first Cy Young while with
Seattle...the Big Unit, who earned team Pitcher-of-the-Year honors from the Arizona chapter of the BBWAA and was tabbed
the top National League lefthander on The Sporting News All-Star team...he won a club record and personal best 24 games
while posting a 2.32 ERA and 334 strikeouts, the ninth time he's led the majors in K's...he is only the second National
League pitcher since 1973 to lead in all 3 categories, joining the Mets' Doc Gooden in 1985 (24-4 with a 1.53 ERA and
268 K's)...as for the Big Unit, he broke his own club ERA record for a starting pitcher, eclipsing the 2.48 mark he had
in 1999, and recorded his lowest single-season ERA since a 2.28 mark in 1997 with Seattle...he jumped from ninth to
fourth on the all-time strikeout list, passing Walter Johnson, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver and Bert
Blyleven...he finished the campaign with 3,746 strikeouts in just 3,008.1 career innings, a ratio of 11.2 K's per
9-innings which is higher than any of the 3 pitchers still stationed in front of him (Nolan Ryan-9.6; Steve Carlton-7.1
and Clemens-8.6)...Randy became the first pitcher in big league history to fan at least 300 men in 5 straight seasons
and tied Ryan as the only hurlers in the game's storied history to record 6 career 300-strikeout seasons...the Big Unit
was joined in the 300-K club for 2002 by Curt Schilling, making them the first teammates in major league history to each
record 300 strikeouts in the same season...he and Schilling have each won 45 games over the last 2 seasons, equaling Jim
Palmer's 2-year total from 1975-76 and the most by N.L. hurlers since Steve Carlton won 47 with Philly (1971-72)...to
further illustrate Randy's dominance during the 2002 season, 4 of his 35 starts totaled 26 earned runs in just 23.0
innings, allowing 5, 6, 7 and 8, losing 3 of those outings...in his other 31 starting assignments, the Big Unit was 24-2
with a remarkable 1.56 ERA, allowing only 41 earned runs in 237.0 innings...the Big Unit's regular season began and
ended nearly flawlessly, winning the National League Pitcher-of-the-Month award for April by going 6-0 with a 1.37 ERA,
becoming the first pitcher to win 6 games prior to May 1 twice in his career (2000) while the only other 2 hurlers ever
to accomplish the feat once were Vida Blue (1971) and Dave Stewart (1988)...R.J. set the tone for 2002 with a complete
game, 2-0 victory in the season opener on April 1 over San Diego, tossing a 6-hitter...it was his first of a league
leading 8 complete games and ran his Opening Day record to 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 10 career starts (19 earned runs in
72.0 innings)...his second route-going effort of the year was on April 21 at home against Colorado, giving up an
unearned run on 2 hits in a 7-1 win, establishing a season-high with 17 strikeouts...he later added another 17-strikeout
game on September 14 vs. Milwaukee, while also fanning 15 once and 16 once...he has recorded 28 career games with at
least 15 strikeouts, which are 3 more than Ryan accrued during his 27-year major league career...Johnson had 15
double-digit strikeout games giving him 186 in his career, just 29 behind Ryan's major league record 215...the Big Unit
has posted a 125-31 record with 30 no decisions when he fans at least 10 in a game...though dominant for the majority of
the campaign, the turning point to Randy's season came after a rough afternoon in San Diego on July 21 when he was
tagged for 8 earned runs in just 5.0 innings, losing an 11-9 decision...his season ERA rose from 2.61 to 2.99 after that
outing, but it also served as a wake-up call and he rose to the occasion...he closed the season by posting an 11-1
record and 1.31 ERA in 12 starts after the aberration in Qualcomm Stadium, allowing just 15 earned runs in 103.1 innings
while recording 142 strikeouts...amazingly 6 of those runs scored in a 5.1-inning stint at home against San Francisco on
August 30, his only loss in that stretch, meaning he gave up only 9 earned runs in the 98.0 innings of his other 11
starts for a remarkable 0.83 ERA... Johnson finished out the season with a 5-0 September, giving up only 3 earned runs
in 41.0 innings for a 0.66 ERA, earning the N.L. Pitcher of the Month honor again...his 2002 September combined with his
September work since 1993 with Seattle and Houston has produced a 28-1 record and 2.01 ERA in 39 appearances (38 starts)
totaling 65 earned runs in 291.2 innings while fanning 401 hitters... Randy posted a 13-1 mark with 5 no decisions when
taking the ball after an Arizona loss this year...as if his mound work weren't enough, Randy finished the year with 12
hits, while tying his own club record for RBI by a pitcher with 8, a half-dozen of which came during a 4-game hitting
streak from August 25-Sept. 9...he was named to his ninth All-Star team, but chose not to attend due a sore back, the
result of a collision with San Francisco's David Bell on July 6...Randy had his 5-game post-season winning streak snapped with a 12-2 loss in the NLDS series opener against the Cards in Bank One Ballpark...he worked 6.0 innings allowing 10 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) with 2 walks and 4 K's.
2001
The legendary career of the Big Unit took another historic turn in 2001 as he etched his name alongside baseball's elite all-time pitchers ... voted by the BBWAA to his third consecutive Cy Young Award,fourth in his illustrious career, Randy is the fourth pitcher to win the honor at least 4 times joining Greg Maddux, Steve Carlton and Roger Clemens ... Johnson established a career-high 21 wins while leading the majors in strikeouts for the eighth time in his career with 372 over 249.2 innings ... his strikeout per 9-inning ratio of 13.4 ranks as the best single-season mark in major league history eclipsing Pedro Martinez's previous record of 13.2 with the Red Sox in
1999 ... the Big Unit's final ERA of 2.49 was good for his second ERA title in the last 3 seasons ... his 372 K's also established a career best, the third best single-season total in major league history,just 11 K's behind Nolan Ryan's all-time mark of 383 ... Randy also had his third consecutive year with 23 double-digit strikeout games, tying a major league record he already shared with Ryan ... Johnson's strikeout total combined with Curt Schilling's 293 made them the top tandem in big league history, fanning 41 more than Ryan and Bill Singer when they K'd 624 with the Angels in 1973 ... Johnson concluded his remarkable year by going 16-2 with a 2.21 ERA in his last 24 appearances, allowing 42 earned runs over 171.0 innings ... his 21st and final win of the year was also the 200th of his career as RJ defeated the Rockies by a 10-1 count, allowing a run on 4 hits over 7.0 frames ... he became the 98th pitcher in big league history to reach the 200-win mark, fourth active hurler (Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine) ... Randy was 12-1 in his last 13 decisions dating back to a win over Colorado on June 29 ... he went 2-0 in September to up his record for that month to 23-1 dating back to 1993 with a 2.23 ERA in 34 games (62 earned runs in 250.2 innings) ... he recorded at least 16 K's in a game on 4 occasions, 3 of which were of record proportion ... he fanned 20 on May 8 at home against Cincinnati joining Roger Clemens (twice) and Kerry Wood as the only hurlers to strikeout 20 in a 9-inning span ... unfortunately, Randy left the game in a 1-1 deadlock with the Diamondbacks eventually posting a 4-3 win in 11 innings ... his first 16 strikeout game occurred in a rare relief appearance when he took the ball the day after the July 18 contest in San Diego was suspended due to an electrical box explosion in the light ring that darkened Qualcomm Stadium in the third inning ... in relief of Schilling, Randy worked the final 7.0 innings allowing an eighth inning single for San Diego's only hit in the game while fanning 16 of the 23 men he faced to establish a major league record for K's in a relief appearance (Walter Johnson had 15 in 11.1 innings in 1913) ... RJ also set a National League mark for relievers with 7 straight strikeouts, his second of 3 outings that featured 7 straight K's ... the Big Unit's third 16-K game also found its way into the record book on August 23 in Pittsburgh, working 7.0 innings in a 5-1 loss, his only setback in his last 18 trips to the hill ... his first inning strikeout of Jack Wilson was RJ's 1,000th in less than 3 full seasons as a D'Back ... he fanned Wilson again in the sixth to become his 300th victim of the 2001 season, the first time in history that a pitcher recorded at least 300 K's in 4 straight seasons ... the sixth inning was also when Randy tied a big league record with 3 K's on 9 pitches, the 23rd time it has occurred in N.L. history, 33rd time in the majors ... RJ opened the year 12th on the all-time strikeout list but his career total of 3,412 catapulted him into the ninth spot passing Hall of Famers Bob Gibson,Ferguson Jenkins and Phil Niekro during the 2001 season ... Randy appeared in 17 games after an Arizona defeat, going 10-2 featuring an 8-0 mark and 1.21 ERA in his last 13 post-loss outings, giving up just 13 earned runs in 96.2 innings ... Johnson had a team record 8-game winning streak from June 29-August 18, spanning 10 games ... he upped his career record on Opening Day to 4-0 in 9 starts with a 3-2 win in Los Angeles on April 3 ... he finished second in the N.L. by limiting opposing hitters to a composite .203 average ... he was touched for 19 homers on the year, but only 5 in his last 15 appearances, spanning 110.0 innings ... RJ started the All-Star Game in Seattle, his eighth overall trip to the Midsummer Classic, second straight start ... the Big Unit's 373 strikeouts came while walking only 71 hitters, a differential of 301 which is the second best in major league history ... when Sandy Koufax set the N.L.strikeout record with 382 in 1965 he walked only 71 men,a difference of 311.
2001 Postseason Highlights: Randy had a career full of mound accomplishments for his regular season work, but until he flourished in the post-season he would always have his critics ... he was able to silence those critics with his work in the 2001 fall season, culminated by being named the Co-MVP of the World Series with mound-mate Curt Schilling ... it could not have ended any better for the duo who combined to go 9-1 with a 1.30 ERA in a dozen outings ... the Fall Classic ended with Randy as the starter in the 15-2 runaway triumph in game #6, then he returned to the hill less than 24 hours later in relief to record the final 4 outs prior to Arizona's amazing come-from-behind effort to win game #7 and the World Series title ... he became the first pitcher in 55 years to post a win as a starter in game #6 and reliever in game #7 since St.Louis' Harry Brecheen (1946) ... the Big Unit became the first 5-game winner in post-season history and the 13th pitcher to win 3 times in the same World Series, first since Detroit's Mickey Lolich (1968) ... RJ's first-ever World Series experience began with an efficient 4-0 win in game #2, going the distance on a 3-hitter with a walk and 11 K's, the 47th double-digit strikeout game in Series history ... it was the first Fall Classic complete game since Greg Maddux vs. Cleveland in game #1 of the '95 Series,and first complete game shutout since Schilling's game #5 triumph over Toronto in 1993 ... the 3-hitter also marked the fewest hits allowed in a World Series complete game shutout since Orel Hershiser 3-hit the A's in game #2 in 1988 ... the blanking of the Yankees was the first time the Bronx Bombers had been victimized by a complete game shutout in World Series competition since the Dodgers' Don Drysdale fired a 3-hitter in game #3 of 1963 ... Randy returned to the hill in game #6, a 15-2 triumph allowing 6 hits over 7.0 innings ... his first inning strikeout of Derek Jeter was RJ's 412th overall strikeout of the year (372 regular season/40 post-season) surpassing Sandy Koufax for the highest combined single-season total in big league history (Koufax had 382 regular season/29 World Series in 1965) ... Randy was also a factor at the plate in game 6, delivering a run scoring single during Arizona's 8-run explosion in the third inning ... he also scored twice,the first pitcher to do so in a World Series game since Bob Gibson in game #4 of the '68 series against Detroit ... Johnson followed the next night with his impressive 1.1 inning relief stint, his first post-season bullpen work since going 3.0 frames against the Yankees in game #5 of the '95 Division Series while with Seattle ... Randy's game 6 and 7 performances made him the first hurler to start a World Series game and pitch in relief in the next game since Baltimore's Dave McNally in 1971 vs.Pittsburgh, when he started game #5 and relieved in games 6 and 7 ... all told,the Big Unit compiled a 1.04 ERA allowing 2 earned runs in 17.1 World Series innings,limiting the Yankees to a .150 average (9-for-60) with 3 walks and 19 K's ... his 5-game post-season winning streak began in the NLCS against Atlanta,winning game #1 by going the distance allowing 3 hits with a walk and 11 K's in posting a 1-0 win, the exact pitching line he later recorded in game #2 of the World Series ... RJ allowed a first inning single to Chipper Jones then fired 7.0 straight hitless innings to set an NLCS record, an inning more of consecutive no-hit ball than Jack Billingham recorded with Cincinnati in game #1 of the '73 series vs. the Mets ... Randy also tied the overall LCS mark set by the Orioles' McNally in game #2 of the '69 ALCS vs. Minnesota ... he followed with a win in the N.L. pennant clincher in game #5 at Turner Field, working 7.0 frames allowing 2 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and 8 K's, a 3-2 decision ... one of the biggest moments of the post-season, yet lost in the World Series hype was the last pitch that Johnson threw in the NLCS, fanning Brian Jordan with the bases loaded and 2-out in the seventh inning to maintain the 3-2 lead ... B.K. Kim entered in the eighth and retired 6 of 7 men he faced to record the save and send the D'Backs to the Fall Classic ... Randy's 19 K's in his 2 starts against the Braves set an NLCS record, 2 more than the Mets' Tom Seaver in 1973 ... RJ's lone Division Series appearance awoke the critics as his post-season losing streak extended to 7 games (8 starts) with a 4-1 loss in game #2 against the Cards ... he gave up 3 runs over an 8-inning stint, but a 2-run opposite field first inning homer by Albert Pujols provided St. Louis and Woody Williams with the early lead ... Randy's 5-game winning streak
after the loss to the Redbirds featured a 1.08 ERA allowing 4 earned runs over 33.1 innings with 6 walks and 38 K's ... despite the highly publicized 7-game slide, the Big Unit has a lifetime 2.82 ERA in 15 career post-season appearances, going 7-7 while fanning 120 men in 102.0 innings.
2000
Honored with his second successive Cy Young Award and third of his career...led the majors in strikeouts for the third consecutive season with 347, while topping the National League in winning percentage (.731) and tying for the league's top spot in complete games (8), shutouts (3) and starts (35...earned second straight club Pitcher-of-the-Year honor by area BBWAA...appeared headed for his second straight ERA title but his hopes were derailed on final day of the season allowing 8 earned runs in just 3.1 innings against the division champion Giants. that raised his season mark from 2.38 to 2.64 and placed him second to the Dodgers' Kevin Brown...became the 12th pitcher in major league history to reach the 3,000 career strikeout mark when he fanned Florida's Mike Lowell in the fourth inning on September 10 in Pro Player Stadium...Johnson struck out Luis Castillo in the first inning for his 300th of the year joining Nolan Ryan as the only 2 pitchers in history to fan 300 batters in 3 consecutive seasons...R.J. and Ryan are also the only 2 hurlers to achieve at least 1,000 K's in a 3-year stretch, with Johnson fanning 1,038 in his last 3 seasons (Ryan fanned 1,079 from 1972-74)...started season by winning co-N.L. Player-of-the-Week honors (with Montreal's Vladimir Guerrero) allowing 2 earned runs in first 17.2 innings, both solo homers in the season opening win over Philadelphia...he followed with a 1-0 win over the Pirates, the first of 2 shutouts in April...went 6-0 in April with a 0.91 ERA, allowing just 5 earned runs in 49.1 innings while recording 64 K's...earned N.L. Pitcher-of-the-Month honors for April after becoming just the third pitcher in history to win 6 games before May 1, joining Vida Blue (1971) and Dave Stewart (1988)...Randy also won N.L. monthly honors for July, 1999...he struck out 36 batters without issuing a walk over 102 at bats over his first 4 starts...continued strong start into May, matching Brian Anderson's team mark by winning his 7th consecutive start on May 5...went 3-1 in May, allowing 10 earned runs in 46.1 innings, a 1.94 ERA, with 7 of the 10 runs he allowed coming via solo homers...moved into 12th on the all-time career strikeout list when he passed Jim Bunning with strikeout No. 2,856 vs. Colorado on June 25...started the year 16th on the list, also passing Frank Tanana, Cy Young and Mickey Lolich...after passing Lolich, Johnson ranks second among lefthanders, trailing only Steve Carlton (4,136).
..had an 11-1 record and 1.40 ERA through first 14 starts and was 15-2 with a 2.01 mark at the All-Star break, earning the starting nod for the National League, his seventh Midsummer Classic selection, sixth appearance and third starting assignment...he worked a scoreless first inning, recording a strikeout and allowing a double to eventual MVP Derek Jeter...tied his and Ryan's major league record for double-digit strikeout games with 23, the second consecutive year for Johnson...included was a season-high 14 strikeouts in milestone game on September 10 in Florida...finished year with 148 career games with 10 or more K's, second to Ryan's 215...went 5 consecutive starts without a victory (2 losses, 3 no decisions) from July 25-August 14...snapped the drought on August 20 with a 6-hit complete game win over the Cubs...set a club record for pitchers with 8 RBI, breaking the mark he set the previous season (7)...had a 5-game hitting streak from April 14-May 5, going 6-for-17 (.353) with a double and 4 RBI.
1999
Randy made his first season in Arizona a memorable one, earning the Cy Young Award for the second time in his career, and in doing so joined Gaylord Perry and Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in history to win the coveted honor in each league...the top strikeout performer in the majors during the decade of the 90's, R.J. added to those numbers with a career-high in K's, posting 364, the fourth best single-season total in major league history, just 3 shy of Nolan Ryan's 1974 mark for third highest...Randy also set personal bests in complete games (12) and innings pitched (271.2), leading the majors in each category...it was the sixth time he has led the majors in strikeouts, the third time that he's surpassed the 300-K mark...it was only fitting that the ace of the staff was on the hill for the division clincher in San Francisco on Sept. 24, allowing 3 unearned runs in the first inning, then limiting the Giants to just 2 hits the rest of the way in an 11-3 win...the road to the Cy Young Award began on opening day in L.A. with a no decision vs. the Dodgers...the Unit then began displaying the strikeout skill that has made him one of the most dominant pitchers in history, fanning 15 men in an 8-3 win at Atlanta on April 10, setting a team record for K's in just his second start...little did anyone know that the 15-K performance would be the first of 23 double-digit strikeout games for R.J., tying Nolan Ryan's major league record for most in a season, 2 more than the previous N.L. mark set in 1965 by Sandy Koufax...the Big Unit also set a big league record by achieving the 300-strikeout mark faster than any hurler in history, fanning the Marlins' Kevin Millar for the milestone 'K' on August 26 in his 29th start, 2 starts quicker than any other pitcher...while strikeout statistics are nice, game results are what put clubs in contention, and Randy made a statement with wins in 5 consecutive starts from May 25-June 14, posting a 2.08 ERA during the streak, allowing 9 earned runs in 39.0 innings, while fanning 55...he opened the streak with league Player-of-the-Week honors, winning on May 25 & 30 at home over San Diego and in New York, respectively, allowing 1 run over 17.0 innings...the 4-0 win over the Friars was a 6-hitter and the first of 2 shutouts he tossed in '99...his other shutout was a focal point to Arizona's winning of the West, as the Unit returned to Seattle on July 20 tossing an 8-hitter to appropriately record the first-ever blanking in Safeco Field, a 6-0 victory, his second shutout of the year and 25th career, 19 of which came in a Mariners' uniform...entering play that night, Arizona was 2 1/2 games behind in the West, but his win ignited a 10-1 run that reversed the standings to a 2 1/2-game lead, and a season-ending stretch in which the club finished 51-17 to run away with the title...Randy's pair of shutouts weren't the only ones involving him that made news in '99, as one of the more publicized losing streaks occurred immediately after his 5-game winning streak...the Unit tied an improbable major league record by coming up on the short end of 4 consecutive shutouts from June 25-July 10...the oddity of the streak was that the D'Backs were no-hit by the Cards' Jose Jimenez in the first loss, then subsequently beaten on a 1-hitter, 2-hitter and 3-hitter in succession...it marked the 10th time in major league history that a starter was blanked in 4 consecutive appearances, joining Willie Hernandez (1980 Cubs), Jim McAndrew (1968 Mets), Ray Sadecki (1968 Giants), Chuck Estrada (1962 Orioles), George O'Donnell (1954 Pirates), Paul Derringer (1933 Reds), Hub Pruett (1932 Boston Braves), Jesse Petty (1927 Brooklyn Dodgers) and Irv Young (1907 Boston Braves)...as for Randy's work during all of this, he did not surrender more than 2 runs in any of the 4 starts, posting a 1.41 ERA, allowing 5 earned runs in 32.0 innings, fanning 54 and going 0-4...included was his 2,500th career strikeout in the no-hit loss to the Cards, getting Eric Davis in the ninth inning...that was followed by a 2-0 loss in Cincy on June 30, breaking his own club record with 17 K's, starting a streak of 3 games in which he totaled 43 strikeouts, tying Doc Gooden's 3-game N.L. record set in 1984...he was also impressive enough to earn a spot on his sixth career All-Star team, first as a National Leaguer, working a perfect inning in Fenway Park...Randy recovered nicely from the run of opposing shutouts, finishing the year by going 8-2 in his last 15 starts, posting a 1.89 ERA, with 25 earnies in 119.0 innings while recording 153 K's...the second half featured league Pitcher-of-the-Month honors for July, despite a 2-3 record, he had a 1.13 ERA (6 ER in 48.0 IP) while recording 64 strikeouts...he also garnered another N.L. Player-of-the-Week award for August 16-22...as has been the case throughout his career, few lefthanders faced Randy, and when they did, few had success limiting them to a .103 average (9-for-87) with no homers, while righties hit .219 (198-for-906), as the overall opposing mark finished at .208, second only to Atlanta's Kevin Millwood in the N.L....at the plate after a 2-for-28 start with the stick, the Unit showed another side of his game, going 6-for-19 (.316) over a 6-start stretch from May 20-June 14, including a 4-game streak.
DIVISION SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Randy appeared once in the post-season, absorbing an 8-4 loss in the series opener in Bank One Ballpark...he was charged with 7 earned runs on 8 hits over 8.1 innings, walking 3 and striking out 11...he left the game with the bases loaded and the score tied at 4-4 in the ninth, but an Edgardo Alfonzo grand slam staked New York to the decision...he allowed a pair of home runs, including a blast by John Olerud, the first home run that Randy has surrendered to a lefthanded hitter since the 1997 regular season.
1998
A record setting 10-year career with the Seattle Mariners came to an abrupt end just prior to midnight at the end of the trade deadline, joining a pennant race in Houston...R.J. was 9-10 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 starts for the Mariners, then enjoyed a reversal of fortune after joining the Astros, going 10-1 with a minuscule 1.28 ERA in 11 starts...he totaled a then career-high 329 strikeouts, accruing 213 in Seattle and 116 with the Astros...Randy wrapped up the '98 season with 20 double-digit strikeout games...though Randy only spent 2 months in the N.L., his 4 shutouts with Houston ranked second to Greg Maddux, who led the league with 5...Johnson was acquired on July 31 with Houston clinging to a 3 1/2-game lead in the Central...after the deal, the Astros enjoyed the best overall month in franchise history, going 22-7 in August, upping the division lead to 11 games...after a debut win in Pittsburgh, Randy blanked the Phils on 5 hits in the Astrodome on August 7 in front of the fifth largest crowd to witness a regular season game in the Astrodome (52,071)...an August 17 loss to the Phils snapped a streak of 19.0 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest shutout streak by a Houston pitcher in '98...he rebounded by closing the regular season with wins in his final 7 starts, posting a 1.16 ERA (7 earned runs in 54.1 innings)...included in the streak was a 2-0 win in Houston over the Pirates, a 7-hitter in which he did not allow a walk and fanned 16, the most ever by a Houston lefthander, and the most since a 16-K performance by Nolan Ryan on Sept. 9, 1987 vs. S.F....he earned N.L. Pitcher-of-the-Month honors for August, going 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA in 6 starts, leading the league in shutouts (3) and strikeouts (61)...after a win in Atlanta over Greg Maddux on Sept. 2, Randy fired his fourth straight shutout in the Dome, 1-0 over Cincinnati on Sept. 7...he posted his eighth win in a Astro uniform on Sept. 12 vs. St. Louis, a 3-2 triumph that ended his consecutive scoreless inning streak in the Astrodome at 36.0, allowing both runs in the first inning...all told, in 5 starts in the Dome during the regular season, Johnson held the opposition scoreless in 42 of the 43 innings he pitched, allowing 2 earned runs (0.42 ERA)...he wrapped up September the same way he ended August, winning the N.L. Pitcher-of-the-Month award, going 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA (6 ER in 38.1 IP)...though he finished the Seattle chapter of his career by going 9-10 prior to the trade, he had provided Mariner fans with some solid memories before departing, tossing consecutive shutouts on July 11 & 16 over Anaheim and Minnesota, totaling 6 hits and 26 K's.
DIVISION SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: All Randy had to show for a pair of starts against San Diego were great numbers and a pair of tough losses...he went up against Kevin Brown in the opener in Houston, losing 2-1, allowing 2 runs over 8.0 innings, while fanning 9...he then worked what ended up as the series finale, losing 6-1 to Sterling Hitchcock, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits over a 6-inning stint, with 8 K's
1997
Randy rebounded from an injury shortened year in '96, to set a personal and Seattle franchise record with 20 victories...he led the A.L. in opponents' batting average (.193), winning pct. (.833) and K's per 9-innings (12.3), while ranking 2nd in the circuit in ERA (2.28), strikeouts (291) and wins...he finished 2nd to Roger Clemens in the BBWAA's Cy Young Award balloting...the staff stopper, Randy went 12-1 with 4 no decisions when pitching after a Mariner loss...he had a streak within a streak from May 13-June 19, a stretch that witnessed a 7-game win streak (8 starts), but included was a 5-game period in which he allowed only 1 earned run over 40.0 innings (0.23 ERA)...he had a streak of 31.0 straight scoreless innings, the 2nd best shutout string in franchise history, halted by an Eric Young solo homer on June 13 in the Kingdome...included in the shutout inning streak was a complete game win over Toronto, a 2-hitter, his first route-going effort since Oct. 2, 1995 vs. California...the 7-game winning streak was halted by Oakland on June 24, a 4-1 decision that featured 19 K's by Johnson in a complete game effort that also featured a 538-foot home run by his former college teammate Mark McGwire...R.J. matched the major league record and set an A.L. mark for K's in a game by a lefthanded pitcher, while also tying the big league mark for K's in a loss...Johnson earned A.L. Pitcher-of-the-Month honors for June (4-1 and 0.92 ERA)...he was tabbed the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game at Cleveland, working 2.0 shutout innings, his 2nd Midsummer Classic start...he fired career shutout #17 on August 8 vs. Chicago, a 5-hit, 5-0 win, in which he fanned 19, tying his own A.L. record for K's in a game by a southpaw...it was only the 8th 19-K (9-inning) game in history, the first time it was done by the same hurler twice in a season...he was forced out of an August 20 start vs. Cleveland in the 7th inning with tendinitis in the middle finger of his throwing hand...it marked the only time he left a game in the middle of an inning in '97...he worked 2.0 innings of relief on Sept. 27 vs. Oakland to pick up 20th victory, his first career relief win...he fanned 3, featuring his 2,000th career strikeout (Ben Grieve), just the 49th hurler in history to crack the 2,000-K mark.
1996
The good news was that he was unbeaten (5-0), the bad news was that he worked only 14 times (8 starts) due to a lower back injury that eventually required season-ending surgery...he was Seattle's opening night starter for an unprecedented 5th time, giving up just 3 hits over 7.0 innings with 14 K's in a no decision...he entered an April 26 start in Milwaukee with a 4-0 mark, but just 3.2 innings into the affair, Randy departed with lower back pain...the pain lingered as he was capable of only 2.0 frames in his next start vs. Texas on May 1...he waited 11 days for what turned out to be his final start of the year, going 5.0 innings in a win over Kansas City to up his mark to 5-0...Randy was placed on the D.L. on May 13 with an irritated nerve in his lower back...he was on the 60-day disabled list, making 1 rehab appearance for Everett (A), fanning 5 in 2.0 hitless inningsb&was activated from D.L. on August 6, and worked 2.0 scoreless frames of relief that day vs. Cleveland...he fanned 8 in 4.0 innings on August 13 vs. KC, earning his 2nd career save...he gave up 6 earned runs over his final 2 outings, including a grand slam to Darren Bragg on August 24 at Boston, the first homer surrendered to a lefthanded hitter since 1992...Johnson was placed on the D.L. on August 27 and underwent surgery (a micro endoscopic discecktomy) to correct an extruded disc herniation in his lower back on Sept. 12, a 2-hour procedure performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles.
1995
Randy went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA to win the only Cy Young Award in Seattle history, garnering 26 of 28 first place votes...he was also named to The Associated Press and The Sporting News All-Star Teams, and was named the A.L. Pitcher-of-the-Year by The Sporting News... and, he finished 6th in the league MVP balloting...the first Mariner to ever win the ERA title, he also led the A.L. in winning pct. (.900), strikeouts (294), K's per 9-innings (12.35) and batting average against (.201), while ranking 2nd in wins...he won his 4th consecutive league strikeout crown, while establishing an A.L. record for best winning pct. in a season (minimum 20 decisions), breaking Ron Guidry's .893 mark (25-3) for the 1978 Yankees...Randy also set a major league mark for K's per 9-innings with a ratio of 12.35, breaking Nolan Ryan's 11.48 mark in 1987 with Houston...he held lefthanded hitters to an overall .129 average (11-for-85)...Seattle was 27-3 in his 30 starts...highlights included a 6-0, 1.83 beginning to the year (9 starts), matching Rick Honeycutt's 6-0 start in 1980...he tossed a 3-0, 2-hitter, at Baltimore on June 5, retiring the final 17 men in order...he equaled a career-high with a 160-pitch complete-game at Cleveland on July 7, the first time he did not walk a man in a complete game...was named to his 4th All-Star team and named the starting pitcher, a Seattle first, working 2.0 hitless frames in Arlington...in his first start after the break, he tossed a 3-hitter in a 3-0 win over Toronto on July 15, recording 16 K's...incurred his 2nd (and final) loss of the year on August 1 at California...missed 3 starts over a 4-week stretch due to inflammation in his left shoulderb&finished strong, earning A.L. Pitcher-of-the-Week honors for Sept. 18-24, going 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA, fanning 25 in 15.1 inningsb&was 7-0 with a 1.45 ERA for his final 10 starts, including a 3-hit, complete game in the 1-game playoff on October 2 vs. California for the A.L. West crown...
DIVISION SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Randy continued to excel in the post-season, winning game #3 vs. the Yankees, allowing 2 runs over 7.0 innings...came back on a day's rest to work in relief in game #5, fanning 6 in 3.0 innings as Mariners advanced to ALCSb&
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: he had a no decision in game #3 vs. Cleveland, allowing a run over 8.0 innings, a game that Seattle won, 5-2 in 11 innings...he was the losing pitcher in game #6, giving up 3 runs in 7.1 frames...R.J. had off-season surgery on his right knee performed by Dr. Larry Pedegana.
1994
Finished 3rd in the A.L. Cy Young balloting, leading the majors with 204 K's, while topping the junior circuit in K's per 9-innings (10.7), complete games (9) and shutouts (4)...Randy was Seattle's opening day starter in Cleveland on April 4, and with President Bill Clinton in attendance, he had a no-hitter until Sandy Alomar Jr. singled in the 8th inning...he wound up with a no decision, an eventual 4-3 Seattle loss in 11...became the Mariners' all-time strikeout leader by fanning Mike Huff for #1,079, surpassing Mark Langston...missed a turn in early May due to a medial meniscus cartilage tear in his right knee...returned to work on May 15, beginning a 7-game winning streak...included were 3 consecutive shutouts from May 25-June 4, winning at Oakland (1-0, 4-hitter on May 25), at Minnesota (12-0, 2-hitter on May 30) and vs. Toronto (2-0, 6-hitter on June 4)...the win over the Jays included 15 K's, the big league high in '94...needless to say, he was the A.L. Pitcher-of-the-Week for May 30-June 5...he ran the scoreless streak to 29.0 innings before unusual circumstances brought it to an end...in the 3rd inning of a June 10 start at the Kingdome, a power outage forced a 20-minute delay, then after play resumed, the A's scored a run on back-to-back doubles...Johnson was clocked with a 100 mph fastball in the 9th inning of a game vs. Chicago on June 25...his 4-3 win in Boston on July 7 was his 75th in a Seattle uniform, breaking Langston's team mark...was named to his 3rd All-Star team, working an inning and allowing a run in Pittsburgh...dy had his 2nd 15-K game of the year in the season finale on August 11, fanning Ernie Young on what wound up being the final pitch of the strike-shortened season.
1993
Led the majors for the 2nd straight year with a club record 308 K's, 36 more than the old mark held by Mark Langston...Randy was the first pitcher to top the 300-K plateau since Nolan Ryan in 1989 (301) and the first lefthander since Steve Carlton in 1972 (310)...Johnson won the A.L. strikeout crown by 112 K's, the 5th largest margin in history...he also topped the majors in batting avg. against (.203), fewest hits per 9-innings (6.52), K's per 9-innings (10.9) and hit batters (16)...his 19 wins tied Langston's then-club record, posting 19th in final start on October 1 at Minnesota...ended year with an 8-game winning streak, spanning last 11 games, with a 2.11 ERA and a save...year began with an 8-1 win on opening night vs. Toronto, fanning 14...had 2nd career 1-hitter on May 16 at Oakland, a 7-0 win, also with 14 K's, taking perfect game through 7.1 frames, then having no-no broken up by Lance Blankenship blooper to right with 1 out in the 9th...earned a spot on the All-Star team with 10-5 mark through 19 starts prior to break...had 2.0 perfect innings in Midsummer Classic at Camden Yards, including a memorable strikeout of Philly's John Kruk...Johnson volunteered to work in relief following Norm Charlton's season-ending injury and earned first big league save vs. Baltimore on August 16, fanning 4 of 6 men he faced in 1.1 innings...it was his 2nd career relief appearance, snapping a streak of 146 straight starts...Mariners scored 13 runs in his 8 losses, including 1 run or less in 4 of the setbacks...he recorded career strikeout #1,000 fanning Chuck Knoblauch on July 28 (the same night that Ken Griffey Jr. homered for 8th straight game)...R.J. finished 2nd to Chicago's Jack McDowell in Cy Young balloting, receiving 6 first place votes...he also appeared in a game an an outfielder, though he did not have any chances.
1992
Randy fanned 241 men, becoming just the 3rd Mariner to win the A.L. strikeout title (Alan Bannister and Mark Langston)...Johnson also led the league in lowest batting avg. against (.206) and hit batsmen (18)...he fired back-to-back shutouts on April 11 vs. KC and April 20 vs. Minnesota, fanning 11 and 10, respectively...he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Mike Greenwell on May 31, bruising his left elbow...after 10 days of rest, he attempted a return to action on June 10 at Texas, but pain persisted and he was placed on the D.L. until June 27...Johson snapped a personal 8-game losing streak with an 8-5 win vs. New York on July 26...tied Ron Guidry's then-A.L. record for K's by a lefthanded pitcher with 18 strikeouts on Sept. 27 at Texas...despite record-tying performance, he left after 8.0 innings and 160 pitches with score tied 2-2...over a 3-game stretch from Sept. 16-27, he went 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 45 K's, the 2nd highest 3-game strikeout total in major league history.
1991
Despite early-season back problems that led to a 3-6 start, Randy finished 2nd in the A.L. with 228 K's, while going 13-10 overallb&best outing of the year was August 14 vs. Oakland, a 4-0 win featuring 12 K's, taking no-hitter into the 9th before Mike Gallego singled for A's lone knock...he had arthroscopic surgery after the season to repair a lateral release and a patellar shaving to remove a rough area on the back of his kneecap.
1990
The Unit made headlines with the first shutout of his career, also the first no-hitter in Mariner history, a 2-0 victory on June 2 vs. Detroit...he walked 6 and fanned 8, as the accomplishment earned him A.L. Player-of-the-Week honors...he followed that on June 7 with a 2-1 complete game victory in Chicago, fanning 10 and retiring the last 20 men in order...he wound up 5-0 with a 2.40 ERA in June, winning the A.L. Pitcher-of-the-Month award...was 9-3 with a 3.68 ERA at the All-Star break, earning a spot on the A.L. roster, though he did not pitch in the game...he dropped 4 straight starts following the break, despite a 3.41 ERA, as the Mariners were outscored 19-2, including 3 consecutive shutouts.
1989
He began the year with Montreal and went 0-4 with a 6.67 ERA in 7 games (6 starts), with the Expos scoring 7 runs in the 4 losses...was optioned to Indianapolis (AAA) on May 9, then was included in blockbuster trade with Seattle on May 25, joining the Mariners with pitchers Brian Holman and Gene Harris in exchange for pitcher Mark Langston and a player to be named (Mike Campbell)...made his Mariner debut on May 30 at Yankee Stadium, winning a 3-2 decision, working 6.0 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits.
1988
Spent the majority of the year with Indy, going 8-7 in 20 games (19 starts)...he combined with Pat Pacillo on a no-hitter on August 6 in Nashville, but ended up with the loss, working 7.0 innings, with the deciding run scoring on a first inning walk, followed by 2 stole bases and a groundout...he was out of action from June 14-July 31 with a hairline fracture of the 5th metacarpal on his right hand...was named the #3 major league prospect in the American Association by Baseball Americab&was recalled by the Expos after the A.A. playoffs, and won major league debut on Sept. 15 vs. Pirates...he fanned 11 in first career complete game vs. Chicago on Sept. 20.
1987
Spent the entire season with Jacksonville, leading the Southern League with 163 strikeouts...he held opposing batters to an aggregate .204 average...he was 6-0 with 65 K's and only 17 hits allowed in his first 8 starts, totaling 46.0 innings...he was the S.L. Player-of-the-Month in May and closed the year ranked by Baseball America as the #2 prospect in the league.
1986
Randy was 8-7 in a league leading 26 starts for West Palm Beach, and finished 2nd in the F.S.L. with 133 K's...he caught the eye of the Baseball America folks for the first of 3 straight years, earning #3 prospect status.
1985
Signed with the Expos as their 2nd choice in the June draft and reported to Jamestown, going 0-3 in 8 starts.
