When we talk about all-time great starting Pitching, you’re talking about guys who were DOMINANT for an extended period, and of course, when we talk about the greatest pitchers of all time, you better mention Randy Johnson. Randy Johnson pitched as dominant as you’d want for a career that lasted twenty-two years and pitched through the Steroid Era. 

Randy Johnson Career Statistics/Accolades (1988-2009):

303-166 W-L 3.29 ERA 4,135.1 IP 4,875 SO 1.171 WHIP

  • 10x All-Star
  •  5x Cy Young
  •  4x ERA Champ
  •  Pitching Triple Crown 2002
  •  2001 World Series Champion/MVP

Early Years

Coming up with the Montreal Expos and his early days with the Seattle Mariners, Johnson, who was 6ft 10in, the tallest player in MLB history when he debuted, was known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider, had the attributes of being dominant, but was Wild and had his struggles. For three straight seasons, 1990-92, Johnson led the league in batters Walked, Walking 416 batters during those three years. However, you get better the more you pitch; he was unstoppable once Johnson could control his Pitching.

Dominance

From 1993-2004, Johnson took home five Cy Young Awards, four consecutively. Also led the league in Strikeouts eight times, ERA four times, and three times in WHIP. Again, what makes this even more impressive is that Johnson pitched in the Steroid Era and threw well over 230 Innings a year consecutively. Entering his age 35 season, he signed a four-year $52.4M deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, perhaps the greatest free agency signing ever. His first four years in Arizona saw him win the Cy Young yearly, and the franchise winning its first World Series in 2001. In the 2001 World Series against the Yankees, it was all Johnson and Curt Schilling. In Game 2, Johnson struck out 11 batters in a 3-hit shutout. In Game 6, he went seven innings, earning his second win of the series, and then in Game 7, he came on in relief and earned the win. He and Schilling would each take home the Babe Ruth Award as the MVP of the World Series.

In regards to Pitching, the cerebral part of the game is just as important, if not more important, than the physical side. While your body may age, you grow mentally. Now granted, Randy Johnson was a freak and was physically built to be a dominant starting pitcher. Johnson had the luxury of pitching until he was the age of 45. Johnson sits behind Nolan Ryan for the most strikeouts in baseball history.

Legacy:

As a left-hander, Johnson rivals Warren Spahn as the greatest Left-Handed pitcher in baseball history. That Johnson was dominant during the Steroid Era; imagine how much better he would’ve been in a different era. Along with Greg Maddux, he holds the record for the most consecutive Cy Young Awards. Johnson and Maddux are in the all-time five-man starting rotation for their respective dominance in an era where most of baseball was involved with PEDs. Johnson accomplished everything any pitcher would want to achieve in a career with multiple Cy Youngs, ERA titles, a Perfect Game, a No-Hitter, and a World Series ring. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2015, wearing a Diamondbacks hat.

References:

  1. Randy Johnson via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Johnson#
  2. Randy Johnson Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsra05.shtml