Teams:
Montreal Expos (1988-1989)
Seattle Mariners (1989-1998)
Houston Astros (1998)
Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004)
New York Yankees (2005-2006)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2007-2008)
San Francisco Giants (2009)
Career Statistics:
W-L: 303-166
W-L %: .650
ERA: 3.29
Strikeouts: 4,875
BB: 1,497
CG: 100
SHO: 37
IP: 4,135.1
WHIP: 1.171
Randall David Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California and attended Livermore High School, where he starred in baseball and basketball. As a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings pitched, and threw a perfect game in his final high school start. He went on to play for the USC Trojan under legendary coach Rod Dedeaux, but he sometimes exhibited control issues.
His control problems followed him to the major leagues where was drafted by the Montreal Expos with the 65th pick overall in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft. He only managed a 3-4 record during his time with the Expos, and was traded to the Seattle Mariners in the 1989 season. He proceeded to lead the American League in walks for three straight seasons (1990-1992), and in hit batsmen in '92 and '93. On two separate occasions in 1991 and 1992, he walked 10 batters during 4 innings of work.
However, he showed flashes of his untapped potential, pitching a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers, losing a no-hitter in the ninth inning of a game against the Oakland Athletics in 1991, and striking out Wade Boggs three times in a game. He often states that working with Nolan Ryan helped him with his control issues, as Ryan didn't want Johnson to take as long to figure certain things out as he did.
He had a breakout year in 1993, with a 19-8 record and a 3.24 ERA and 308 strikeouts. In May 1993, he once again lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning against the Oakland A's. In 1995, Johnson won the AL Cy Young Award, posting an 18-2 record, 2.48 ERA, and 294 strikeouts. His .900 winning percentage that season was the second highest in AL history. Johnson was confined to the dugout through much of the 1996 season due to a back injury, but rebounded quickly in '97 with a 20-4 record, 2.28 ERA, and 291 strikeouts. On both June 24 and August 8, Johnson struck out 19 batters in a single game. His statistics the following season were subpar (9-10 with a 4.33 ERA). On July 31, the Mariners traded Johnson to the Houston Astros.
Johnson's season picked up after arriving in Houston. For the rest of the season, he posted a 10-1 record, a 1.28 ERA, and 116 strikeouts. Though he helped the Astros reach the NLDS that season, they did not provide him with any run support in the two games he pitched in the series, and they ended up losing to the San Diego Padres. In 1999, Johnson signed a four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a second-year franchise. It immediately paid dividends, as he posted a 17-9 record, 2.48 ERA, and 364 strikeouts, won the NL Cy Young, and led his team to the NLDS (though they were defeated by the New York Mets). In 2000, Johnson finished with a 19-7 record, 347 strikeouts, and a 2.64 ERA, and won his third Cy Young.
On May 8, 2001, Johnson struck out 20 batters in a single game, though he has not been credited with tying the record due to the fact that the game went into extra innings. However, all of his strikeouts occurred in the first nine innings of the game. Randy Johnson and teammate Curt Schilling led the Diamondbacks to their first ever World Series in 2001, and ended up defeating the Yankees 4-3. Johnson and Schilling were awarded co-World Series MVP's, with Johnson winning the NL Cy Young.
In 2002, Johnson won the pitching Triple Crown, posting a 24-5 record with a 2.32 ERA, and 334 strikeouts, and won his fourth consecutive Cy Young. It was also his fourth consecutive season with 300 or more strikeouts. Johnson spent most of the 2003 season on the disabled list and was largely ineffective in the few starts he did manage. In 2004, Johnson had another dominating season, though his 16-14 record did not necessarily reflect it. He did manage a 2.60 ERA and 290 strikeouts, but his team was not able to offer him much run support. On May 18, 2004, he recorded his first perfect game (17th in history) in a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
On January 6, 2005, Johnson was traded to the New York Yankees. He struggled through the first half of his first season with the Yanks, but regained his composure and ended up with a 17-8 record, a 3.79 ERA, and 211 strikeouts. The 2006 season was more of the same, with Johnson faltering in the first half, but making a comeback towards the end of the season. His final tally for 2006 was 17-11, a 5.00 ERA, and 172 strikeouts. It was later revealed that Johnson had been suffering with a herniated disc in his back.
On January 5, 2007, at Johnson's request, the Yankees traded him back to the Diamondbacks so that he could be nearer his family (his brother had just died). Since he was rehabbing his back, Johnson did not make his first start until April 24, 2007. His first start was shaky, but he gradually regained his form before reinjuring his back on July 3. He then had season-ending surgery to remove the offending disc. He had a subpar season in 2008 with a 11-10 and an ERA of 3.91.
On December 26, 2008, Johnson was traded to the San Francisco Giants. On June 4, 2009, Johnson won his 300th ballgame. However, his injury woes continued as he was placed on the disabled list July 28, 2009 because of a torn rotator cuff. He finished the season with an 8-6 record, a 4.88 ERA, and 86 strikeouts. On January 5, 2010, Johnson announced his retirement. He and his wife and children live in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
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