Good Morning...40 y/o Pitches Perfect Game

[Okla-homey]

May 18, 2004: Randy Johnson throws perfect game at 40

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Five years ago, on this day in 2004, 40-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, leading his team to a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

A "perfect game" is when a pitcher faces a minimum 27 batters, recording 27 outs. Through the 2006 season, only 17 perfect games had been thrown, including 15 in the modern era (post-1900).

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Johnson, from Walnut Creek, CA and known for his overpowering fastball, struck out 13 batters in the game. He led the National League in strikeouts for the fifth time that year; he had previously won four strikeout titles in the American League, even though managers routinely stacked their lineups with right-handed hitters to combat Johnson’s utter dominance of left-handers.

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The 6-foot-10-inch "Big Unit" used his height and length to full advantage, striding towards the plate and throwing the ball sidearm, so that left-handers could not see the pitch until it was on top of them or past them.

Johnson had already thrown a no-hitter in 1990 for the Seattle Mariners; he missed a perfect game that day by walking seven batters. In 1995, still with Seattle, he won his first of five Cy Young Awards, given each year to the best American League and National League pitchers. His next four Cy Youngs came consecutively from 1999 to 2002, while he pitched for the National League’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

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In 2001, Johnson set a major league record with an average of 13.41 strikeouts per nine innings. He was also the fifth player to throw no-hitters in both the American League and National League after Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo.


Randy Johnson Awards

Cy Young Award 1995 AL
Cy Young Award 1999 NL
Cy Young Award 2000 NL
Cy Young Award 2001 NL
Cy Young Award 2002 NL
World Series MVP 2001 (with Curt Schilling)
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year 2001

Randy Johnson Franchise History

San Francisco Giants (2009-)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2007-08)
New York Yankees (2005-06)
Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004)
Houston Astros (1998)
Seattle Mariners (1989-98)
Montreal Expos (1988-89)

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World Series MVP 2001 (with Curt Schilling)

The oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues was 44-year-old Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan in 1991. It was the seventh no-hitter of Ryan’s career. He never threw a perfect game.

[SoonerStormchaser]

He also became the enemy of PETA when he schwacked a bird on live TV with a 98 mph fastball.

[OhU1]

Other than Nolan Ryan I believe Randy Johnson is the most dominating power pitcher of all time. If you want to gauge how hard a pitcher is to hit look at the batting average of hitters facing him. I think Ryan and Johnson held batters to under a .200 batting average.

Another interesting thing about both Ryan and Johnson is they both pitched past the age of 45. You would think firing 100 MPH fastballs would wear out an arm but not with those guys. Phil Niekro played to age 46 or so and looked 60. He threw a knuckle ball that you wondered whether it would make it to the plate.

[badger]

He also became the enemy of PETA when he schwacked a bird on live TV with a 98 mph fastball.

Possibly more amazing than his perfect game, because who knows if it will ever happen again:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WF85R1em7Zs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WF85R1em7Zs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Of course, I'd rather it not happen again, because I really like birds.

[JLEW1818]

I got his autograph in Arizona a few years back, during spring training.

It was just me and him in a parking lot, he was about to get into his car. (how i got to the players cars, is too long of a story)

Anyway, i yelled, Randy.. Randy..., he finally turned around, and i asked him for his autograph. He nodded his head. I handed him my pen and baseball.

he mumbled "take the cap off"

I said "what"???

He said "take the pen cap off"

I said "huhh" ?

HE SAID, "TAKE THE PEN CAP OFF YOUR PEN"

Finally i figured out what the big Sasquatch was saying.

Took my pen cap off my pen, handed it back to him.

I was like 12 at the time. So i was like oh sweet i got Randy Johnson's autograph, and stood face to face with him, with nobody else around..... even thought my face was about up to his belly button.

Later i then realized, he only put "51" (his number) on the ball.

I was pissed, and hated him ever since.

[C&CDean]

According to Mrs. Dean, RJ is the ugliest human being on the face of the planet - especially when he was sporting the All-Universe championship mullet.

[JLEW1818]

According to Mrs. Dean, RJ is the ugliest human being on the face of the planet - especially when he was sporting the All-Universe championship mullet.

agreed

seen better heads on a mule

[SoonerStormchaser]

Randy Johnson...proof that people can do awesome things into their forties. Just like my wife, who caught and married me in her 40's.

Let the jokes fly!

[badger]

It seems like a lot of baseball athletes hate the autograph thing, even if they are minor league, or still in college, or barely on either's rosters and are on the verge of getting cut, autographs are the bane of their existence.

The few times I've been up to AAA in Wisconsin, or have seen Drillers here in Tulsa, it seems like ever kid wants a ball player's autograph, even if they have no idea who the player is (or even if the player plays for the other team). On the same token, ball players will go to greater lengths in any sport I've watched to avoid giving their autograph. They will pretend they are deaf, they will engage in a very, incredibly interesting conversation with whoever is next to them, etc.

I'm not knocking them for it, it's just an observation... so don't feel too slighted, jlew. You probably got more of an autograph than Randy's gave out that entire season (for free) :D

[olevetonahill]

Possibly more amazing than his perfect game, because who knows if it will ever happen again:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WF85R1em7Zs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WF85R1em7Zs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Of course, I'd rather it not happen again, because I really like birds.


I had never seen that
Thanks fer the Vid :D

[olevetonahill]

According to Mrs. Dean, RJ is the ugliest human being on the face of the planet - especially when he was sporting the All-Universe championship mullet.

He is uglier than an armload of *** holes aint he :eek:

[John Kochtoston]

For the expressed purpose of splitting hairs, a perfect game is one where no batter safely reaches a base. It is theoretically possible to go 27 up, 27 down and still not be perfect.

And, for the record, Randy Johnson is so ugly, he could be a modern-art masterpiece.

[Frozen Sooner]

For the expressed purpose of splitting hairs, a perfect game is one where no batter safely reaches a base. It is theoretically possible to go 27 up, 27 down and still not be perfect.

And, for the record, Randy Johnson is so ugly, he could be a modern-art masterpiece.

Correct. You can walk a guy and get a double-play or something.

[Frozen Sooner]

And Randy Johnson is a dick, simply because he purposefully tanked his last season in Seattle so they'd trade him.

[JLEW1818]

yep, we got him in Houston at the trade deadline. He went like 12-1 for us. Then that next year signed with Arizona. And that is when I saw him. If i would have been older, i woulda talked **** to him, and the ran!!!!

But yah , he signed his number on the ball, got in his car, and just drove off...

I should threw it at his window!

[OhU1]

I handed him my pen and baseball.

he mumbled "take the cap off"

I said "what"???

He said "take the pen cap off"

I said "huhh" ?

HE SAID, "TAKE THE PEN CAP OFF YOUR PEN".

Randy Johnson refuses to remove pen caps. Sign an autograph - sure, all day long! Remove the cap off a pen? Randy don't play that.

[Sooner04]

yep, we got him in Houston at the trade deadline. He went like 12-1 for us.
And he lost to the Padres twice in the '98 NLDS.

And by all accounts he's a giant *********.

[JLEW1818]

And he lost to the Padres twice in the '98 NLDS.

And by all accounts he's a giant *********.

yep.

I blame the Houston offense for some of it though.

8 runs in 4 games, usually won't be very successful.

we lost the series 3-1

In the Astros 3 losses, they scored 1 run in each game. ha

[olevetonahill]

Randy Johnson refuses to remove pen caps. Sign an autograph - sure, all day long! Remove the cap off a pen? Randy don't play that.

Well hell bro
A man Gots to set ****ing Limits :D