Hall of Fame case: Randy Johnson towers above standard
At a time when hitters were terrorizing pitchers, Randy Johnson turned the intimidation back on them.
There wasn't a more feared pitcher in the majors during his heyday – from 1993-2002 – than the Big Unit, who came after batters with a nasty disposition, throwing howling fastballs from a 6-10 frame with a three-quarters-to-sidearm motion. The mere sight was enough to make some of the game's most powerful – and in many cases, artificially bulked-up – sluggers recoil. The video of Johnson scaring the bejesus out of John Kruk during the 1993 All-Star Game remains a classic.
Johnson struggled mightily with his mechanics in his early years with the Montreal Expos and Seattle Mariners, but an adjustment suggested by Nolan Ryan and then-Texas Rangers pitching coach Tom House late in the 1992 season helped turn the wild lefty into arguably the most dominant pitcher of his generation.
In the 10-year period that started in 1993, Johnson went 175-58 with a 2.73 ERA, averaging 293 strikeouts and 219 innings a season and finishing in the top 3 in the Cy Young Award voting an astounding eight times. He won pitching's top prize in both leagues.
The case for: Johnson was the last pitcher to win 300 games – in his final season of 2009, with the San Francisco Giants – and may hold that distinction for a long time. His five Cy Young Awards – four of them in a row, from 1999-2002, with the Arizona Diamondbacks – rank second all-time behind Roger Clemens' seven. Johnson is also second on the career strikeout list behind Ryan with 4,875, and led his league in that department nine times.
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Among Hall of Famers, Johnson's winning percentage of .646 would rank eighth. He also threw a perfect game in 2004 at age 40, becoming by far the oldest pitcher to achieve the feat. Though he wasn't as successful in the postseason, where he went 7-9 with a 3.50 ERA, Johnson helped the Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series, sharing MVP honors with fellow Arizona starter Curt Schilling.
Johnson's remarkable evolution as a pitcher was especially notable in his bases on balls. In the last 15 of his 22 seasons, he averaged 11 strikeouts against only 2.5 walks per nine innings, and he pitched until age 46.
The case against: Like Sandy Koufax, Johnson took quite a while to harness his overpowering stuff. It wasn't until his fifth full season, at 29, that he got his walks under 4.5 per nine innings, and he led the AL in total walks three years in a row before that.
Johnson's career ERA of 3.29 is on the high side for a Hall of Famer, but his adjusted ERA of 135 – the measure takes into account the pitcher's home ballpark and the average ERA of the league he pitches in – would put him among the top 15 of those enshrined in Cooperstown.
Lookalikes: Among his contemporaries, Clemens provides the most logical comparison – though from the right side – because of their similar overpowering style, longevity and collection of Cy Youngs. But whereas Clemens' legacy was tarnished by suspicions and accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Johnson's reputation remains intact. He ranks right up there with the likes of Lefty Grove, Tom Seaver, Bob Feller, Jim Palmer and Tom Glavine among the greats.
X Factors: While the Kruk moment remains memorable for its comedic value, Johnson also left an indelible mark in the game with his competitiveness. The most vivid example came in the 2001 World Series when, the day after pitching seven innings in a Game 6 victory that tied the series against the New York Yankees, Johnson came out of the bullpen to earn the win in the clincher with 1 1/3 hitless innings.
Consensus: Johnson is the surest bet on a ballot bursting with worthy candidates. Being a member of the 300-win club pretty much makes him an automatic, but then the Cy Youngs and strikeouts further burnish his case. Welcome to the Hall, Randy. Watch your head so you don't bang it against the door frame.
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