Randy Johnson Finally Says Goodbye

Randy Johnson Retires. A headline most would have expected several years ago, but he wasn’t ready to close the door on his life’s work. Now, we are saying goodbye to one of the most intimidating left-handed pitchers of all time. His long hair and 6’10”, 225 pound frame instilled fear in every hitter stepping into the batter’s box. Once the hitter began to relax at the plate, Johnson would throw his fastball inside and scare the hitter again to keep him off balance. Johnson can retire happy, having won almost every award possible in his 22-year career.

Johnson’s career numbers are unbelievable. In 22 seasons, Johnson had a record of 303-166 with 4,875 K’s in 4,135 1/3 innings, second only to the great Nolan Ryan and first among lefties. A sure-fire Hall of Famer, Johnson is a 10-time All-Star, has a World Series ring, a Co-MVP award, and has a no-hitter and perfect game on his stat sheet. The most impressive thing to me was that, despite injuries, Johnson pitched well into his 40’s and was still able to get batters out.

In his later years, Johnson reinvented himself, as many power pitchers are forced to do as they get older. His perfect game came with the D-Backs, an incredible feat at any age, but made even more special and significant because he was 40 years old. Johnson played the game hard and fought with raw emotion whenever it was his turn in the rotation. His story is inspiring and it is sad to see him leave the game, but he certainly has entertained all of us over the past 22 years. Good luck Randy, baseball won’t be the same without you.