Randy Johnson has one of those resumes that just numbs the senses. Whether you liked the guy or not--and this Fan never really did--the guy had a career that is the stuff of dreams when it comes to the back of a baseball card. After 22 seasons, the 46 year old pitcher retired on Tuesday. The announcement is a relief. No one wanted to watch Johnson continue to push himself as a relief pitcher, not even those of us who didn't like him. He made it to 300 wins (303 to be precise) and it's good enough. Good enough? Gracious, is that an understatement.
Randy Johnson is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Anyone who doesn't vote for him in five years should lose the right to vote. 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings for a career? A career WHIP of 1.171? A career ERA+ of 136? A .646 winning percentage? Second all time in strikeouts? The most strikeouts in a career for a lefty? Two no-hitters? A 3-0 World Series record with a 1.13 ERA? Okay, he wasn't so good in division or league championship series, but come on! Perhaps his greatest statistic? He gave up less than seven hits per nine innings for the season for eleven different seasons. Eleven.
Perhaps if all that isn't enough, Johnson arguably (Gammons-speak) had five seasons that could be considered among the 50 best seasons by any pitcher in the modern baseball era. In those five seasons (1995, 1997 and 1999-2002) he went 119-28! He struck out over 300 batters seven times including a remarkable run of six seasons in a row. He had 100 complete games and 37 career shutouts.
This Fan hopes Bert Blyleven gets in the Hall of Fame because he deserves it. But a pitcher like Randy Johnson makes him look sick. He was that good. Randy Johnson may have been better than Roger Clemens. Randy Johnson was nearly as good as Pedro Martinez in Pedro's most spectacular seasons, but Johnson did it longer.
Not many people love Randy Johnson. Maybe it's because he was one of the ugliest fellows that ever graced our television screens. Handsome, he was not. Plus he scowled a lot and looked mad a lot and seemed like a bit of a crank. Perhaps we are just biased against those who don't look like our ideals. It's too bad really, because perhaps we didn't appreciate one of the most amazing baseball players of our era.
Showing posts with label Randy Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randy Johnson. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Twenty Best Seasons of the Past Ten Years
It's funny how us humans view time. Since it is 2009 and we are twelve days from the calendar turning to 2010, many writers across the land are creating lists covering the past decade. You'll see the Top 100 Plays, the Top 100 Athletes, the Top 100 Movies, etc, etc. We seem to be a decadal people who think in terms of tens. You won't see a list of the Top 100 Plays in 2013, for example. But you will again in 2019. Strange. But, as a writer, you go with the flow. So, in honor of the weird human race that goes for such lists at the end of each decade, here are Major League Baseball's twenty best individual seasons for the decade of 2000-2009.
Batting:
1. Barry Bonds - 2001: Obviously, Bonds is going to be on this list at least five times. It's still a sad fact that Bonds entered the decade with eight straight seasons with an OPS over 1.000 and still felt he needed to do what he did. If he had just stayed the course of his already magnificent career, he wouldn't be the pariah he is now. Between 2000 and 2004, Bonds put together five of the greatest seasons in the history of baseball. Color them how you will. Deflate them how you want. But the numbers speak for themselves. The real tragedy of the entire run? That National League managers were allowed to walk Bonds intentionally 284 times in those five seasons. That act of cowardice is almost as big a blight on the game of baseball as what Bonds allegedly did to get the numbers he put together. Of the five season run, 2001 was the record breaking home run year. His OPS and OPS+ were higher other years, but 2001 was the year he was allowed to do the most damage, and damage he did.
2. Barry Bonds - 2004: He led the league in batting at .362. His OBP was over .600 (Egads!) and his slugging percentage was over .800. The numbers are unbelievable.
3. Barry Bonds - 2002: Led the league in batting at .370. His 268 OPS+ was the highest of his career.
4. Barry Bonds - 2003: Limited to only 130 games with injuries, Bonds still finished with an OPS+ of 231.
5. Albert Pujols - 2008: We interrupt this Barry Bonds run to give you the other great player of the decade. Pujols was unbelievable the entire time, but 2008 was the best when he finished with a 190 OPS+ as he went an incredible: .357/.462/.653. It might be the best untainted season since Ted Williams.
6. Barry Bonds - 2000: The first year of the great run started with 49 homers. Was it his last clean year or his first dirty one?
7. Albert Pujols - 2009: As good a year as Bonds in 2000.
8. Albert Pujols - 2003: Pujols had 212 hits (before he started getting walked a lot), hit over .350.
9. Travis Hafner - 2006: Many today forget what an offensive force Hafner was in the middle of the decade. He is an afterthought now, but in 2006, his numbers were huge: .308/.439/.659 all adding up to a 181 OPS+. Remarkable season.
10. Alex Rodriguez - 2007: A-Rod was sick for the Yankees that year. He hit 54 homers, drove in 156 while scoring 143. He hit .314 and had an unbelievable .645 slugging percentage.
Pitching
1. Pedro Martinez - 2000: Looking back at Pedro's best season, it seems impossible that he lost six games. The numbers are eye-popping. His strikeout to walk ratio was 8.88/1. His WHIP was .737. He walked 32 batters in 29 starts. In an offensive era, it might be the best pitching performance ever.
2. Roger Clemens - 2005: Pitching in Houston, Clemens had a season that is totally incongruous with his Win/Loss record. He finished at 13-8 but led the majors in ERA and ERA+. How good was Clemens that year? He gave up only 151 hits in 211 innings and gave up only 11 homers the entire season.
3. Pedro Martinez - 2003: He was much better than his 14-4 record. He led the league in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, WHIP and Hits per Nine Innings. His most unbelievable stat that season? He gave up only seven homers the entire season.
4. Zack Greinke - 2009: If ever a pitcher deserved a Cy Young, it was Greinke in 2009. He led the league in ERA, WHIP and Home Runs per Nine Innings. It was a phenomenal season.
5. Pedro Martinez - 2002: Yeah, it's hard to argue with a record of 20-4. He led the league in WHIP, Strikeouts, Hits per Nine innings and Strikeout to Walk Ratio. He also had the league's best ERA that season. Naturally.
6. Randy Johnson - 2002: Johnson was amazing in 2002. his 24-5 record is only the starting point. He pitched more innings, struck out more batters and faced more batters than anyone else in the decade that season. His run from 1999 to 2002 rivals only Pedro as one of the greatest pitching runs in history.
7. Randy Johnson - 2001: The Diamondbacks owe a large part of their World Championship on Johnson's shoulders. Only Nolan Ryan struck out more batters than Johnson's 374 that season. He also led the league that season in ERA and WHIP.
8. Johan Santana - 2004: In his only twenty win season, Santana led the league in ERA, Strikeouts and WHIP.
9. Chris Carpenter - 2009: After not pitching for two years due to injury, Carpenter came back and put together an incredible season. He went 17-4 and gave up only seven homers all season. He also led the league in ERA and ERA+. He should have won the Cy Young award.
10. Randy Johnson - 2000: Johnson struck out 347 batters while compiling a 19-7 record. He pitched eight complete games and led the league in ERA+.
Batting:
1. Barry Bonds - 2001: Obviously, Bonds is going to be on this list at least five times. It's still a sad fact that Bonds entered the decade with eight straight seasons with an OPS over 1.000 and still felt he needed to do what he did. If he had just stayed the course of his already magnificent career, he wouldn't be the pariah he is now. Between 2000 and 2004, Bonds put together five of the greatest seasons in the history of baseball. Color them how you will. Deflate them how you want. But the numbers speak for themselves. The real tragedy of the entire run? That National League managers were allowed to walk Bonds intentionally 284 times in those five seasons. That act of cowardice is almost as big a blight on the game of baseball as what Bonds allegedly did to get the numbers he put together. Of the five season run, 2001 was the record breaking home run year. His OPS and OPS+ were higher other years, but 2001 was the year he was allowed to do the most damage, and damage he did.
2. Barry Bonds - 2004: He led the league in batting at .362. His OBP was over .600 (Egads!) and his slugging percentage was over .800. The numbers are unbelievable.
3. Barry Bonds - 2002: Led the league in batting at .370. His 268 OPS+ was the highest of his career.
4. Barry Bonds - 2003: Limited to only 130 games with injuries, Bonds still finished with an OPS+ of 231.
5. Albert Pujols - 2008: We interrupt this Barry Bonds run to give you the other great player of the decade. Pujols was unbelievable the entire time, but 2008 was the best when he finished with a 190 OPS+ as he went an incredible: .357/.462/.653. It might be the best untainted season since Ted Williams.
6. Barry Bonds - 2000: The first year of the great run started with 49 homers. Was it his last clean year or his first dirty one?
7. Albert Pujols - 2009: As good a year as Bonds in 2000.
8. Albert Pujols - 2003: Pujols had 212 hits (before he started getting walked a lot), hit over .350.
9. Travis Hafner - 2006: Many today forget what an offensive force Hafner was in the middle of the decade. He is an afterthought now, but in 2006, his numbers were huge: .308/.439/.659 all adding up to a 181 OPS+. Remarkable season.
10. Alex Rodriguez - 2007: A-Rod was sick for the Yankees that year. He hit 54 homers, drove in 156 while scoring 143. He hit .314 and had an unbelievable .645 slugging percentage.
Pitching
1. Pedro Martinez - 2000: Looking back at Pedro's best season, it seems impossible that he lost six games. The numbers are eye-popping. His strikeout to walk ratio was 8.88/1. His WHIP was .737. He walked 32 batters in 29 starts. In an offensive era, it might be the best pitching performance ever.
2. Roger Clemens - 2005: Pitching in Houston, Clemens had a season that is totally incongruous with his Win/Loss record. He finished at 13-8 but led the majors in ERA and ERA+. How good was Clemens that year? He gave up only 151 hits in 211 innings and gave up only 11 homers the entire season.
3. Pedro Martinez - 2003: He was much better than his 14-4 record. He led the league in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, WHIP and Hits per Nine Innings. His most unbelievable stat that season? He gave up only seven homers the entire season.
4. Zack Greinke - 2009: If ever a pitcher deserved a Cy Young, it was Greinke in 2009. He led the league in ERA, WHIP and Home Runs per Nine Innings. It was a phenomenal season.
5. Pedro Martinez - 2002: Yeah, it's hard to argue with a record of 20-4. He led the league in WHIP, Strikeouts, Hits per Nine innings and Strikeout to Walk Ratio. He also had the league's best ERA that season. Naturally.
6. Randy Johnson - 2002: Johnson was amazing in 2002. his 24-5 record is only the starting point. He pitched more innings, struck out more batters and faced more batters than anyone else in the decade that season. His run from 1999 to 2002 rivals only Pedro as one of the greatest pitching runs in history.
7. Randy Johnson - 2001: The Diamondbacks owe a large part of their World Championship on Johnson's shoulders. Only Nolan Ryan struck out more batters than Johnson's 374 that season. He also led the league that season in ERA and WHIP.
8. Johan Santana - 2004: In his only twenty win season, Santana led the league in ERA, Strikeouts and WHIP.
9. Chris Carpenter - 2009: After not pitching for two years due to injury, Carpenter came back and put together an incredible season. He went 17-4 and gave up only seven homers all season. He also led the league in ERA and ERA+. He should have won the Cy Young award.
10. Randy Johnson - 2000: Johnson struck out 347 batters while compiling a 19-7 record. He pitched eight complete games and led the league in ERA+.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Randy Johson Reaches 300 Wins
Professional baseball writers and fans who would like to be writers both have one commonality that is hard to define or sometimes comprehend: 0ur fascination with numbers, and in particular, numbers that are designated as magical which comes from a lifetime of breathing in the shared experience we call Major League Baseball. Randy Johnson reached one of those magical numbers today.
Any baseball fan can rattle off those numbers. 300 wins. 500 homers. .300 lifetime batting average. 3000 hits. New ones are emerging. .400 On Base Percentage. 1.000 OPS. And yes, deep inside, we all know they are arbitrary. Well, the emerging ones aren't as much as the original ones. But you know. We all know.
It was Mother's Day a long, long time ago. Our family was celebrating and treating our mom to dinner out at our favorite restaurant. It was called the Emerson and they had the best open faced steak sandwiches. Mom always gave the little Fan half her plate. Well, that little Fan had to go to the bathroom and to get to the bathroom, you had to go through the bar. The bar had a television set (as they all do) and it was turned to the Yankee game. The little Fan stopped and watched for just a minute, forgetting for a moment that nature was calling. Mickey Mantle came up and that little Fan watched as the Mick hit his 500th homer.
But it's just a number. Just like 300 is just a number. Where did it get started that the number 300 would be the dividing line between immortality and almost? And don't say it doesn't mean anything. Try telling that to Bert Blyleven and Tommy John who both just missed that magical number. Try convincing them that despite their 118 and 110 ERA+ (respectively) they are not in the Hall of Fame when Phil Neikro (115), Don Sutton (108) and Gaylord Perry (117) are in because they reached 300 wins.
And now Randy Johnson has done it and is a lock on the Hall (unless some PED thing comes along - Don't get the Fan started on THAT subject). But in Johnson's case, there is no doubt. He was already heading to Cooperstown. Johnson has it all. A 138 ERA+, 4500+ strikeouts in a little over 4000 innings pitched, a .646 winning percentage and 100 career complete games all scream Hall of Fame to anyone who would listen. He didn't need to reach 300, but he did. And for some arbitrary, arcane reason, that's very cool.
There aren't a whole lot of people cheering though, not nearly as many as when the Mick hit his 500th or Tom Seaver won his 300th. The perspective is that Johnson is an aloof jerk. He has the reputation for getting mad at his fielders when they don't make plays. He certainly got a bad reaction for his time in New York and a comment or two from Joe Torre in his book. But big deal. Mantle was an alcoholic. Wade Boggs cheated on his wife and got caught. Ty Cobb was the meanest SOB on the planet. They all got their due and it certainly doesn't seem fitting that Johnson doesn't get his.
All this Fan knows is that there was no way that the Diamondbacks won that 2001 World Series without him. He was amazing and dominant and heart rending for any Yankee fan. He made 595 starts in his 20 full seasons in the majors, or 29.5 starts per season. He was ugly in appearance and in demeanor. But his pitching was thrilling for a very long time.
Yeah, it's an odd thing, our worship for this magical number. But it's our odd thing. And a very special pitcher of our era has reached that number. Good for him! And good for us.
Any baseball fan can rattle off those numbers. 300 wins. 500 homers. .300 lifetime batting average. 3000 hits. New ones are emerging. .400 On Base Percentage. 1.000 OPS. And yes, deep inside, we all know they are arbitrary. Well, the emerging ones aren't as much as the original ones. But you know. We all know.
It was Mother's Day a long, long time ago. Our family was celebrating and treating our mom to dinner out at our favorite restaurant. It was called the Emerson and they had the best open faced steak sandwiches. Mom always gave the little Fan half her plate. Well, that little Fan had to go to the bathroom and to get to the bathroom, you had to go through the bar. The bar had a television set (as they all do) and it was turned to the Yankee game. The little Fan stopped and watched for just a minute, forgetting for a moment that nature was calling. Mickey Mantle came up and that little Fan watched as the Mick hit his 500th homer.
But it's just a number. Just like 300 is just a number. Where did it get started that the number 300 would be the dividing line between immortality and almost? And don't say it doesn't mean anything. Try telling that to Bert Blyleven and Tommy John who both just missed that magical number. Try convincing them that despite their 118 and 110 ERA+ (respectively) they are not in the Hall of Fame when Phil Neikro (115), Don Sutton (108) and Gaylord Perry (117) are in because they reached 300 wins.
And now Randy Johnson has done it and is a lock on the Hall (unless some PED thing comes along - Don't get the Fan started on THAT subject). But in Johnson's case, there is no doubt. He was already heading to Cooperstown. Johnson has it all. A 138 ERA+, 4500+ strikeouts in a little over 4000 innings pitched, a .646 winning percentage and 100 career complete games all scream Hall of Fame to anyone who would listen. He didn't need to reach 300, but he did. And for some arbitrary, arcane reason, that's very cool.
There aren't a whole lot of people cheering though, not nearly as many as when the Mick hit his 500th or Tom Seaver won his 300th. The perspective is that Johnson is an aloof jerk. He has the reputation for getting mad at his fielders when they don't make plays. He certainly got a bad reaction for his time in New York and a comment or two from Joe Torre in his book. But big deal. Mantle was an alcoholic. Wade Boggs cheated on his wife and got caught. Ty Cobb was the meanest SOB on the planet. They all got their due and it certainly doesn't seem fitting that Johnson doesn't get his.
All this Fan knows is that there was no way that the Diamondbacks won that 2001 World Series without him. He was amazing and dominant and heart rending for any Yankee fan. He made 595 starts in his 20 full seasons in the majors, or 29.5 starts per season. He was ugly in appearance and in demeanor. But his pitching was thrilling for a very long time.
Yeah, it's an odd thing, our worship for this magical number. But it's our odd thing. And a very special pitcher of our era has reached that number. Good for him! And good for us.
The Great. The Sad. And the Ugly
Thursday night in the majors showed how great and how awful major league baseball can be. There was greatness. There was sadness. And there was a whole lot of really, really ugly. Many of you can probably guess who fits in what category.
The Great
Randy Johnson won his 300th game in style. He gave up only two hits and one run. Granted, it was the Nationals, but, heck, it counts. If anything, that's impressive because the Nationals can hit.
Chris Carpenter is now 4-0. He pitched a complete game masterpiece against the Reds. One run, three hits and no walks. What he is doing is mind blowing. Remember, he missed almost all of 2007 and 2008. He pitched a total of 21 innings for two years. And then he comes back like this? Who does that? Nobody does that. Nobody misses that much time and comes back like this. His WHIP is under 1. His ERA is under 1. His batting average against is under .200. His strikeout to walk ration is 5.6/1. He's given up only one homer. It's all very overwhelming.
The Sad
Dontrelle Willis had the following pitching line against the Red Sox: 2.1 0 5 5 5 3. No hits, five walks, five runs. All of us were hoping and it's just sad that he has come to this.
The Kansas City Royals were such a good story at the start of the season. They started at 18-11 and would have been even better if not for a guy named Farnsworth. Since then, they have gone 5-17 and are falling faster than a piano thrown off of the Empire State Building. Tonight was the epitome of it all. Gil (ga) Meche pitched a good game. His walks were alarming, but he left with a 2 to 1 lead. Jamey Wright came in and gave up a two-run home to B. J. Upton and it turned into another loss. How sad.
The Nationals lost two games of a double-header to the Giants. In the two games, they scored two total runs on nine hits. They have now won only 26% of their games. At their current pace, they will end up with a 43-119 record.
The Ugly
Mike Pelfrey pitched 3.2 innings. He gave up nine hits, four walks and eight earned runs. Against Pittsburgh no less.
Wandy Rodriguez, who was having a good year up until his last start, pitched five innings, gave up ten hits, two walks, seven runs and four homes. Ugh!
Carmona pitched two innings, gave up five hits, three walks, two homers and seven runs.
The Great
Randy Johnson won his 300th game in style. He gave up only two hits and one run. Granted, it was the Nationals, but, heck, it counts. If anything, that's impressive because the Nationals can hit.
Chris Carpenter is now 4-0. He pitched a complete game masterpiece against the Reds. One run, three hits and no walks. What he is doing is mind blowing. Remember, he missed almost all of 2007 and 2008. He pitched a total of 21 innings for two years. And then he comes back like this? Who does that? Nobody does that. Nobody misses that much time and comes back like this. His WHIP is under 1. His ERA is under 1. His batting average against is under .200. His strikeout to walk ration is 5.6/1. He's given up only one homer. It's all very overwhelming.
The Sad
Dontrelle Willis had the following pitching line against the Red Sox: 2.1 0 5 5 5 3. No hits, five walks, five runs. All of us were hoping and it's just sad that he has come to this.
The Kansas City Royals were such a good story at the start of the season. They started at 18-11 and would have been even better if not for a guy named Farnsworth. Since then, they have gone 5-17 and are falling faster than a piano thrown off of the Empire State Building. Tonight was the epitome of it all. Gil (ga) Meche pitched a good game. His walks were alarming, but he left with a 2 to 1 lead. Jamey Wright came in and gave up a two-run home to B. J. Upton and it turned into another loss. How sad.
The Nationals lost two games of a double-header to the Giants. In the two games, they scored two total runs on nine hits. They have now won only 26% of their games. At their current pace, they will end up with a 43-119 record.
The Ugly
Mike Pelfrey pitched 3.2 innings. He gave up nine hits, four walks and eight earned runs. Against Pittsburgh no less.
Wandy Rodriguez, who was having a good year up until his last start, pitched five innings, gave up ten hits, two walks, seven runs and four homes. Ugh!
Carmona pitched two innings, gave up five hits, three walks, two homers and seven runs.
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