He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. Professional career Drafts and minor leagues Īfter high school, Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1982 MLB draft, but did not sign. He was a starter at USC (where he was a teammate of Mark McGwire) under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems. While at USC, he also played two years of basketball. Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to play baseball for the University of Southern California. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. Johnson was born in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles "Bud" Johnson. He is the first member of the Hall to be depicted in a Diamondbacks uniform on his plaque. Johnson ultimately retired at the age of 46, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility. On May 18, 2004, at 40 years old, he threw Major League Baseball's 17th perfect game, and remains the oldest pitcher to accomplish this feat. Four of his six 300-strikeout seasons occurred after his 35th birthday. Johnson enjoyed a career longevity uncommon to pitchers, with his signature fastball-slider combination remaining effective well into his 40s. He is also one of five pitchers to pitch no-hitters in both leagues, and one of 21 pitchers in history to record a win against all 30 MLB franchises. Johnson won Cy Young Awards in both leagues. Johnson is a ten-time All-Star, won the Cy Young Award five times, and is one of only two pitchers (the other is Greg Maddux) to win the award in four consecutive seasons (1999–2002). Johnson's 303 career victories are the fifth-most by a left-hander in MLB history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 2002. Along with teammate Curt Schilling, Johnson was one of two World Series Most Valuable Players in 2001 in the Series, Johnson won three games and led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series victory over the New York Yankees in the fourth season of the team's existence. While he initially struggled with control in his early seasons, Johnson subsequently established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, leading his league in strikeouts nine times, and in earned run average, winning percentage, and complete games four times each. He is particularly known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider, a combination that remained effective throughout his lengthy career. Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed " The Big Unit", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.Īt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), Johnson was the tallest player in MLB history when he entered the league, contributing to his extremely intimidating persona and pitching style. October 4, 2009, for the San Francisco Giants September 15, 1988, for the Montreal Expos
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