117-539: The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young , who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after
234-481: A speed over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h; 150 ft/s), ex., Aroldis Chapman . Other common types of pitches are the curveball , slider , changeup , cutter , sinker , screwball , forkball , split-fingered fastball , slurve , knuckleball , and vulcan . These generally are intended to have unusual movement or to deceive the batter as to the rotation or velocity of the ball, making it more difficult to hit. Few pitchers throw all these pitches, but most use
351-417: A win against all 30 MLB franchises . Johnson enjoyed a career longevity uncommon to pitchers, with his signature fastball-slider combination remaining effective well into his 40s. Four of his six 300-strikeout seasons occurred after his 35th birthday. On May 18, 2004, at 40 years old, he threw Major League Baseball's 17th perfect game , and remains the oldest pitcher to accomplish the feat. Johnson retired at
468-543: A 16–1 loss against the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 American League Division Series . The only regulation game in which both pitchers of record were position players occurred on May 6, 2012, when the Baltimore Orioles' designated hitter Chris Davis was the winner in a 16-inning game against Boston while Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald took the loss. The pitcher's duty does not cease after he pitches
585-568: A 2.42 earned run average (ERA) in four games in 1988, but 1989 saw him slip to an 0–4 mark with a 6.67 ERA in seven games through May 7. On May 25, 1989, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a trade involving five pitchers that brought Mark Langston to Montreal. In 11 total games played with the Expos, he went 3–4 with a 4.69 ERA and one complete game in 55 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings with 51 strikeouts and 33 walks. After joining
702-439: A barbell. The emphasis on the workout should be on the legs and the core. Other body parts should be worked on but using lighter weights. Over lifting muscles, especially while throwing usually ends up in a strain muscle or possibly a tear. Other than the catcher, pitchers and other fielders wear very few pieces of equipment. In general the ball cap, baseball glove and cleats are equipment used. Pitchers may also keep with them at
819-523: A catcher for their team. The pitcher catcher combination results in many throws and may increase the risk of injury. 8) If a pitcher complains of pain in their elbow, get an evaluation from a sports medicine physician. 9) Inspire youth to have fun playing baseball and other sports. Participation and enjoyment of various activities will increase the youth's athleticism and interest in sports. To counteract shoulder and elbow injury, coaches and trainers have begun utilizing "jobe" exercises, named for Frank Jobe ,
936-511: A closer). A total of nine relief pitchers have won the Cy Young Award across both leagues. Steve Carlton in 1982 became the first pitcher to win more than three Cy Young Awards, while Greg Maddux in 1994 became the first to win at least three in a row (and received a fourth straight the following year), a feat later repeated by Randy Johnson . Twenty-two (22) pitchers have won the award multiple times. Roger Clemens currently holds
1053-502: A daughter from a previous relationship with Laurel Roszell named Heather Renee Roszell (born 1989). He is a resident of Paradise Valley, Arizona . During batting practice in 1988, the 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos , collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines , prompting his teammate to exclaim, "Damn! You're a big unit!" The nickname stuck. Throughout much of his career, Johnson held
1170-433: A defensive play. At that point, the pitcher has several standard roles. The pitcher must attempt to field any balls coming up the middle, and in fact a Gold Glove Award is reserved for the pitcher with the best fielding ability. He must head over to first base , to be available to cover it, on balls hit to the right side, since the first baseman might be fielding them too far to the baseman's right to reach first base before
1287-600: A few bullpen sessions he was cleared to start in game 3 of the ALDS; however, he gave up 5 runs in 5 2 ⁄ 3 innings and being saddled with the loss. In January 2007, the Yankees traded Johnson back to the Diamondbacks, almost two years to the day that Arizona had traded him to New York, for a package of Luis Vizcaíno , Alberto González , Steven Jackson , and Ross Ohlendorf . The Yankees' decision to trade Johnson
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#17327693248461404-587: A forfeit (the latter typically only happens in extra-inning games). Cliff Pennington of the Toronto Blue Jays , who pitched 1 ⁄ 3 of an inning in game 4 of the 2015 American League Championship Series en route to a 14–2 loss, was the only documented position player to pitch during the postseason , until Austin Romine of the New York Yankees pitched the ninth inning of Game 3 in
1521-549: A four-year contract, with an option for a fifth year, for $ 52.4 million, with the Arizona Diamondbacks , a second-year franchise. Johnson led the team to the playoffs that year on the strength of a 17–9 record and 2.48 ERA with 364 strikeouts, leading the majors in innings, complete games, and strikeouts. Johnson won the 1999 NL Cy Young Award and Warren Spahn Award as the best left-handed pitcher in MLB. Johnson became
1638-402: A game is centered on the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitcher's particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence the dynamics of the game and can often determine the victor. Starting with the pivot foot on the pitcher's rubber at the center of the pitcher's mound, which is 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) from home plate , the pitcher throws the baseball to
1755-529: A hopeless feeling. The first time you face him you feel like he's going to hit you right in the back of the neck when he throws it, like every pitch is going to hit you in the back of the neck. And it ends up down and away for a strike and you just have to trust it's going to be a strike, and heaven forbid he doesn't lose one out there and heaven forbid, there goes your cheek." Johnson has four children with his wife Lisa: Sammy (born 1994), Tanner (born 1996), Willow (born 1998), and Alexandria (born 1999). He also has
1872-653: A news story 15 years later remarked, "the event remains iconic, and the Big Unit says he gets asked about the incident nearly as much as he does about winning the World Series later that year with the Arizona Diamondbacks". Johnson struck out 20 batters in a game on May 8, 2001, against the Cincinnati Reds . Johnson recorded all 20 strikeouts in the first nine innings and was replaced before
1989-472: A no-hitter and a perfect game in his career (after Young, Bunning, Addie Joss , and Sandy Koufax ; since Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay have joined this group). Johnson struck out Jeff Cirillo of the San Diego Padres on June 29, 2004, to become only the fourth MLB player to reach 4,000 strikeouts in a career. He finished the 2004 season with a 16–14 record, though his poor record
2106-538: A one-year deal with his hometown San Francisco Giants for a reported $ 8 million, with a possible $ 2.5 million in performance bonuses and another $ 2.5 million in award bonuses. Johnson became the 24th pitcher to reach 300 wins , beating the Washington Nationals (the team that he first played for when they were known as the Montreal Expos ) on June 4 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. He became
2223-442: A pitch count that has not been reached in an MLB game since. It was during the 1992 off-season when Johnson returned home for Christmas only to lose his father to an aortic aneurysm . His father's death was so devastating that he decided to quit baseball, only to have his mother convince him otherwise. Johnson broke out in 1993 , posting a 19–8 record, 3.24 ERA and one save, his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308), and he
2340-406: A pitcher is left-handed or right-handed, respectively. In Major League Baseball , baseball rubbing mud is used to condition game balls before pitchers use them. A skilled pitcher often throws various pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well. The most basic pitch is a fastball , where the pitcher throws the ball as hard as possible. Some pitchers are able to throw a fastball at
2457-413: A pitcher was not allowed to win the award on more than one occasion; this rule was eliminated in 1959. After a tie in the 1969 voting for the Cy Young Award, the process was changed, in which each writer was to vote for three pitchers: the first-place vote received five points, the second-place vote received three points, and the third-place vote received one point. The first recipient of the Cy Young Award
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#17327693248462574-567: A pitching machine) in his hope that he would break Roger Maris's then-single-season record for home runs. He made a cameo appearance in a commercial for MLB 2K9 with teammate Tim Lincecum . Johnson made an appearance in a GEICO insurance commercial . In 2012, he appeared in a TV ad for Pepsi Max . In 2016, Johnson appeared in a TV ad for the Mini Clubman . In 2022, Johnson appeared with his former teammates Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as well as Hall of Famer David Ortiz in
2691-494: A player, he was especially known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider , a combination that remained effective throughout his lengthy career. While he initially struggled with control in his early seasons, Johnson subsequently established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, leading his league in strikeouts nine times, and in earned run average , winning percentage , and complete games four times each. Along with teammate Curt Schilling , Johnson
2808-539: A relief stint. In a freak accident on March 24, 2001, at Tucson Electric Park , during the 7th inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants , Johnson threw a fastball to Calvin Murray that struck and killed a dove . The ball was ruled dead, and it was ruled "no pitch". The event was not unique in baseball history, but it became one of Johnson's most-remembered baseball moments;
2925-466: A result of a pinch hitter being used in the late innings of a game, especially if the pitcher is in the batting lineup due to not having the designated hitter. A reliever would then come out of the bullpen to pitch the next inning. When making a pitching change a manager will come out to the mound. He will then call in a pitcher by the tap of the arm which the next pitcher throws with. The manager or pitching coach may also come out to discuss strategy with
3042-470: A result, the pitcher who starts a game often will not be the one who finishes it, and he may not be recovered enough to pitch again for a few days. The act of throwing a baseball at high speed is very unnatural to the body and somewhat damaging to human muscles; thus pitchers are very susceptible to injuries, soreness, and general pain. Baseball teams use two strategies to address this problem: rotation and specialization. To accommodate playing nearly every day,
3159-489: A season six different times, a Major League record tied with Nolan Ryan . Johnson is a ten-time All-Star , won the Cy Young Award five times, and is one of only two pitchers (the other is Greg Maddux ) to win the award in four consecutive seasons (1999–2002). Johnson won Cy Young Awards in both leagues. He is also one of five pitchers to pitch no-hitters in both leagues, and one of 21 pitchers in history to record
3276-488: A season by a pitcher. He also became the first pitcher in baseball history to post a 24–5 record. Johnson spent the majority of the 2003 season on the disabled list and was ineffective in the few injury-hampered starts he did make. He hit the only home run of his career on September 19, 2003, against the Milwaukee Brewers . Johnson was a .125 hitter over 625 career at-bats. On May 18, 2004, Johnson pitched
3393-498: A second career as a photographer. He had studied photojournalism at the University of Southern California, and photography remained a passion. He has done photography work for NFL games, a tour of the rock band Rush , and has done wildlife photography . In the prime of his career, Johnson's fastball was clocked as high as 102 mph (164 km/h), with a low three-quarters delivery (nearly sidearm). His signature pitch
3510-495: A senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to play baseball for the University of Southern California . While at USC, he also played two years of basketball . He was a starter at USC (where he was a teammate of Mark McGwire ) under coach Rod Dedeaux , but often exhibited control problems. After high school, Johnson
3627-545: A slight change in his delivery; before the meeting, Johnson would land on the heel of his foot after delivering a pitch, and he therefore usually landed offline from home plate. Ryan suggested that he land on the ball of his foot, and almost immediately, he began finding the strike zone more consistently. In a September 27, 1992, game against the Texas Rangers , with Ryan the opposing starting pitcher, Johnson struck out 18 batters in eight innings while throwing 160 pitches,
Cy Young Award - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-595: A starting pitcher had more than twice as many strikeouts in a season (372) as hits allowed (181) (first accomplished by Pedro Martinez in the 2000 season with 284 strikeouts and 128 hits and later also accomplished by Max Scherzer in 2017, and both Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in 2019). He also became the second pitcher to strike out 300 more batters than he walked, walking 71 batters against 372 strikeouts (first accomplished by Sandy Koufax who struck out 382 batters against 71 walks in 1965). In 2002, Johnson won
3861-423: A subset or blend of the basic types. Some pitchers release pitches from different arm angles, making it harder for the batter to pick up the ball's flight. (See List of baseball pitches .) A pitcher throwing well on a particular day is said to have brought his "good stuff." Pitchers use several distinct throwing styles. The most common style is a three-quarters delivery in which the pitcher's arm snaps downward with
3978-417: A team will include a group of pitchers who start games and rotate between them, allowing each pitcher to rest for a few days between starts. A team's roster of starting pitchers are usually not even in terms of skill. Exceptional pitchers are highly sought after and in the professional ranks draw large salaries, thus teams can seldom stock each slot in the rotation with top-quality pitchers. The best starter in
4095-752: A young age, a practice that has been criticized by many coaches and doctors, with some citing an increase in Tommy John surgeries in recent years. Fleisig lists nine recommendations for preventative care of children's arms. 1) Watch and respond to signs of fatigue. 2) Youth pitchers should not pitch competitively in more than 8 months in any 12-month period. 3) Follow limits for pitch counts and days of rest. 4) Youth pitchers should avoid pitching on multiple teams with overlapping seasons. 5) Youth pitchers should learn good throwing mechanics as soon as possible: basic throwing, fastball pitching and change-up pitching. 6) Avoid using radar guns. 7) A pitcher should not also be
4212-457: Is a throw from the outfield to third base, he has to back up the play to third base as well. The physical act of overhand pitching is complex and unnatural to the human anatomy. Most major league pitchers throw at speeds of 70 to 100 mph (110 to 160 km/h), putting high amounts of stress on the pitching arm. Pitchers are by far the most frequently injured players and many professional pitchers will have multiple surgeries to repair damage in
4329-539: Is also the last pitcher to win 3 games in a single World Series. Johnson's Game 7 relief appearance was his second of the 2001 season; on July 19, a game against the Padres was delayed by two electrical explosions in Qualcomm Stadium . When the game resumed the following day, Johnson stepped in as the new pitcher and racked up 16 strikeouts in seven innings, technically setting the record for the most strikeouts in
4446-429: Is also the only pitcher to win the Cy Young Award with four different teams; nobody else has done so with more than two different teams. Justin Verlander has the most seasons separating his first (2011) and second (2019) Cy Young Awards. Only two teams have never had a pitcher win the Cy Young Award. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have won more than any other team with 12. There have been 21 players who unanimously won
4563-477: Is called a strike if any part of the ball passes through the strike zone and a ball when no part of the ball passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, but then stops the swing short. If the batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball. There are two legal pitching positions , the windup and the set position or stretch . Either position may be used at any time; typically,
4680-405: Is rare as these players are not truly trained as pitchers and risk injury. (For instance, in a 1993 game, Jose Canseco suffered a season ending arm injury after pitching 2 innings.) Plus, they tend to throw with less velocity and skill. For these reasons, managers will typically only use a position player as a pitcher in a blowout loss, or if they have run out of available pitchers in order to avoid
4797-486: Is the only pitcher who won multiple awards during the period when only one award was presented for all of Major League Baseball. Roger Clemens was the youngest pitcher to win a second Cy Young Award, while Tim Lincecum is the youngest pitcher to do so in the National League, and Clayton Kershaw is the youngest left-hander to do so. Clayton Kershaw is the youngest pitcher to win a third Cy Young Award. Clemens
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4914-492: The 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore, Maryland , in a famous incident, Johnson threw a fastball over the head of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman John Kruk . On October 3, Johnson entered the final game of the season as a defensive substitution, replacing Brian Turang in left field. This made him the tallest player to play the field in baseball history. After pitching well in the strike-shortened 1994 season, Johnson won
5031-658: The 1997 edition involving former Expos teammate Larry Walker , at that point with the Colorado Rockies . When Johnson had started an interleague game versus the Rockies on June 12, Walker chose not to play, explaining that "I faced Randy one time in spring training and he almost killed me." In the All-Star Game, Walker batted against Johnson, who theatrically threw over his head. Ever adaptable, Walker placed his batting helmet backwards and switched sides in
5148-613: The American League Cy Young Award in 1995 with an 18–2 record, 2.48 ERA and 294 strikeouts. His .900 winning percentage was the second highest in AL history, behind Johnny Allen , who had gone 15–1 for the Cleveland Indians in 1937. Johnson became the first regular starting pitcher in history to strike out more than a third of all batters faced. He also became the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to win
5265-495: The American League and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter , a cause of some controversy. The National League adopted the designated hitter in 2022; as of 2024, the Japanese Central League is the highest level of competition to not use the designated hitter position. In most cases,
5382-636: The National League Cy Young Award voting, despite pitching only two months in the league, and helped Houston win their second straight National League Central division title. During the playoffs, however, the Astros lost the 1998 NLDS to the San Diego Padres , 3–1. Johnson started Games 1 and 4, both losses. He only gave up three earned runs combined in the two games, but received only one run in support (in Game 4). Johnson agreed to
5499-524: The New York Yankees . Johnson was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2015. The Diamondbacks retired his number on August 8, 2015. At the retirement ceremony, Johnson was presented with a replica of the drum set used by Neil Peart , drummer for the Canadian band Rush , during their 30th anniversary tour . Johnson has participated in over 40 trips with
5616-746: The Philadelphia Phillies in July 2000, and the two aces anchored the Diamondbacks rotation. In the fourth year of the franchise's existence, Johnson and Schilling carried the Arizona Diamondbacks to their first World Series appearance and victory in 2001 against the New York Yankees . Johnson and Schilling shared the World Series Most Valuable Player Award , the Babe Ruth Award , and were named Sports Illustrated magazine's 2001 " Sportsmen of
5733-521: The Phillies ' 59 wins for an all-time record ratio of 45.8%). The Diamondbacks traded Johnson to the New York Yankees for Javier Vázquez , Brad Halsey , Dioner Navarro , and cash in January 2005. Johnson pitched Opening Day for the Yankees on April 3, 2005, against the Boston Red Sox . Johnson was inconsistent through 2005, allowing 32 home runs; however, he regained his dominance in late 2005. He
5850-506: The San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park eight months following his back surgery. On June 3, 2008, Johnson struck out Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers for career strikeout number 4,673. With this strikeout Johnson surpassed Roger Clemens for the number two spot on the all-time strikeout leaders list. Johnson struck out 8 in the game but could not get the win as the Diamondbacks lost 7–1. Johnson got his 4,700th career strikeout on July 6, 2008. On July 27, 2008, Fred Lewis became
5967-679: The Southern League . In 1988, he pitched for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association . He made his major league debut on September 15, 1988, against the Pittsburgh Pirates , earning a 9–4 victory with a five-inning outing in which he gave up two runs with five strikeouts; his first victim was Orestes Destrade in the second inning. Johnson posted a record of 3–0 with
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#17327693248466084-1012: The United Service Organizations . He also supports initiatives to fight homelessness. In recognition of all his charitable efforts, he was the Hall of Fame recipient of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2019. In January 2015, Johnson was named a Special Assistant to the team president of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Derrick Hall . In 2020, The Athletic ranked Johnson at number 28 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski . In 2022, as part of their SN Rushmore project, The Sporting News named Johnson on their "Phoenix Mount Rushmore of Sports", along with Arizona Cardinals football player Larry Fitzgerald , Phoenix Suns basketball player Steve Nash , Phoenix Mercury basketball player Diana Taurasi . Since retiring from baseball, Johnson has pursued
6201-425: The catcher , who is positioned behind home plate and catches the ball. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the batter's box at one side of the plate, and attempts to bat the ball safely into fair play. The type and sequence of pitches chosen depend upon the particular situation in a game. Because pitchers and catchers must coordinate each pitch, a system of hand signals is used by the catcher to communicate choices to
6318-560: The 17th perfect game in MLB history . At 40 years of age, he was the oldest pitcher to accomplish this feat. Johnson had 13 strikeouts on his way to a 2–0 victory against the Atlanta Braves . The perfect game made him the fifth pitcher in Major League history (after Cy Young , Jim Bunning , Nolan Ryan , and Hideo Nomo ) to pitch a no-hitter in both leagues. He also became the fifth pitcher in Major League history to throw both
6435-559: The 4th or 5th starter. Typically, the further down in the rotation a starting pitcher is, the weaker he is compared with the others on the staff. The "5th starter" is seen as the cut-off between the starting staff and the bullpen . A team may have a designated 5th starter, sometimes known as a spot starter or that role may shift cycle to cycle between members of the bullpen or Triple-A starters. Differences in rotation setup could also have tactical considerations as well, such as alternating right- or left-handed pitchers, in order to throw off
6552-423: The 96 mph (154 km/h) range and his slider clocked at around 87 mph (140 km/h). Johnson also threw a split-finger fastball that behaved like a change-up, and a sinker to induce ground-ball outs. In a June 27, 2012, appearance on The Dan Patrick Show , Adam Dunn (a left-handed batter) was asked who the best pitcher he faced was. "Honestly, Randy Johnson when he was good. It's hopeless. It's like
6669-452: The Angels a 5–2 lead, but the Yankees were unable to come back in the series. After an inconclusive year in pinstripes, New York fans hoped that Johnson would return to his dominant style in his second Yankee season. Johnson began 2006 well, but then he struggled to find form. In between some impressive performances, he allowed 5 or more runs in 7 of his first 18 starts for the season. Johnson
6786-408: The Big Unit ", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks . At 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 metres) tall, Johnson was the tallest player in MLB history when he entered the league, contributing to his extremely intimidating persona and pitching style. As
6903-652: The Cy Young Award, and the only one until Félix Hernández took home the honor in 2010 . Johnson capped the Mariners' late-season comeback by pitching a three-hitter in the AL West's one-game playoff, crushing the California Angels ' hopes with 12 strikeouts. Thus unable to start in the 5-game ALDS series against the Yankees until the third game, Johnson watched as New York took a 2–0 series lead. He defeated
7020-411: The Cy Young Award, for a total of 13 wins. Specific General Pitcher In baseball , the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter , who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk . In the numbering system used to record defensive plays,
7137-609: The Cy Young Award, for a total of 28 wins. Six of these unanimous wins were accompanied by a win of the Most Valuable Player award (marked with * below; ** denotes that the player's unanimous win was accompanied by a unanimous win of the MVP Award). In the National League, 12 players have unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 15 wins. In the American League, nine players have unanimously won
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#17327693248467254-597: The Giants bullpen. On September 19, 2009, Johnson made his first relief appearance in 4 years, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 batters. At age 46, he was at the time the second oldest player in Major League Baseball, trailing only former Mariners teammate Jamie Moyer . On January 5, 2010, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. The Mariners invited Johnson to throw out
7371-517: The Mariners during the 1989 season , Johnson led the American League in walks for three consecutive seasons (1990–1992), and hit batsmen in 1992 and 1993. In July 1991, facing the Milwaukee Brewers , the erratic Johnson allowed 4 runs on 1 hit, thanks to 10 walks in 4 innings. A month later, a 9th-inning single cost him a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics . Johnson suffered another 10-walk, 4-inning start in 1992. His untapped talent
7488-465: The Mariners traded Johnson to the Houston Astros for three minor leaguers: Freddy García , Carlos Guillén , and John Halama . Johnson was a Mariner for nearly 9 years, his longest tenure with one team. In 11 regular-season starts with the Astros, Johnson posted a 10–1 record, a 1.28 ERA, and 116 strikeouts in 84 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings, and pitched four shutouts. Johnson finished 7th in
7605-480: The Yankees in Game 3 with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. When the series went the full five games, the Mariners having come back from a 2–0 deficit to win both games at the Kingdome , Johnson made a dramatic relief appearance in the series final, Game 5, on only one day's rest. Entering a 4–4 game in the ninth inning, Johnson pitched the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings. He allowed one run, struck out six, and held on for
7722-573: The Year ." For the first of two consecutive seasons, Johnson and Schilling finished 1–2 in the Cy Young balloting. Johnson also won his third consecutive Warren Spahn Award. Johnson's performance was particularly dominating, striking out 11 in a 3-hit shutout in Game 2, pitching seven innings for the victory in Game 6 and then coming on in relief the following day to pick up the win in Game 7. Of Arizona's eleven post-season wins in 2001, Johnson had five. He
7839-514: The age of 46, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 in his first year of eligibility. He is the first member of the Hall to be depicted in a Diamondbacks uniform on his plaque. Johnson was born in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California , to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles "Bud" Johnson. By the time he entered Livermore High School , he was a star in baseball and basketball . In 1982, as
7956-523: The award. If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared. From 1970 to 2009, writers voted for three pitchers, with the formula of five points for a first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote. Before 1970, writers only voted for the best pitcher and used a formula of one point per vote. The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young , who died in 1955. Originally given to
8073-444: The ball's release. Some pitchers use a sidearm delivery in which the arm arcs laterally to the torso. Some pitchers use a submarine style in which the pitcher's body tilts sharply downward on delivery, creating an exaggerated sidearm motion in which the pitcher's knuckles come very close to the mound. Effective pitching is vitally important in baseball. In baseball statistics , for each game, one pitcher will be credited with winning
8190-423: The ball. Unlike the other fielders, a pitcher and catcher must start every play in a designated area. The pitcher must be on the pitcher's mound , with one foot in contact with the pitcher's rubber , and the catcher must be behind home plate in the catcher's box . Once the ball is in play, however, the pitcher and catcher, like the other fielders, can respond to any part of the field necessary to make or assist in
8307-417: The batter-runner can. Except for the first baseman, the pitcher ordinarily has the shortest run to first base of anyone, and is the second-most-likely person to make a putout at first base by retrieving a fielded ball thrown by an infielder (typically a first baseman). On passed balls and wild pitches , he covers home-plate when there are runners on. Also, he generally backs up throws to home plate. When there
8424-421: The batters' box to stand right-handed for one pitch. He ended the at bat by drawing a walk. The incident momentarily drew mirth and laughter from players in both dugouts , fans and announcers, and, of course, comparisons to the at bat with Kruk in the 1993 All-Star Game. In spite of garnering a reputation of avoiding Johnson, Walker batted .393 (11 hits in 28 at bats) against him in his career, nearly double
8541-470: The ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners home opener at Safeco Field on April 12, 2010, and inducted Johnson into the Mariners Hall of Fame on January 17, 2012. The Diamondbacks invited Johnson and former teammate Curt Schilling to both throw out the ceremonial first pitches for the Arizona Diamondbacks ' recognition of the 10th anniversary of the 2001 World Series team that defeated
8658-407: The elbow and shoulder by the end of their careers. As such, the biomechanics of pitching are closely studied and taught by coaches at all levels and are an important field in sports medicine . Glenn Fleisig, a biomechanist who specializes in the analysis of baseball movements, says that pitching is "the most violent human motion ever measured." He claims that the pelvis can rotate at 515–667°/sec,
8775-422: The first left-handed batter to get four hits against Johnson in a game. In the first at-bat in this game, a fog horn went off as Johnson was releasing his pitch, causing him to throw an eephus pitch which fell for a strike. He finished the season with an 11–10 record and an ERA of 3.91, recording his 100th career complete game in a 2–1 victory over the Colorado Rockies . On December 26, 2008, Johnson signed
8892-421: The game, and he may be followed by various relief pitchers , such as the long reliever , the left-handed specialist , the middle reliever , the setup man , and/or the closer . In abbreviating baseball positions, P is used as a general designation for pitchers. SP and RP are sometimes used to differentiate starting and relief pitchers, respectively, while LHP and RHP are sometimes used to indicate if
9009-421: The game, and one pitcher will be charged with losing it. These are not necessarily the starting pitchers for each team; however, a reliever can win, and the starter would then get a no-decision. Pitching is physically demanding, especially if the pitcher is throwing with maximum effort. A full game usually involves 120–170 pitches thrown by each team, and most pitchers begin to tire before they reach this point. As
9126-430: The league in which their local team plays. A total of 30 writers vote for each league's awards. Writers cast their votes prior to the start of postseason play. As of the 2010 season, each voter places a vote for first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place among the pitchers of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes. The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins
9243-465: The mound a bag of powdered rosin . Handling the bag applies a small layer of the rosin to the pitcher's fingers in order to increase his grip on the ball. Currently there is a new trend of introducing a pitcher helmet to provide head protection from batters hitting line drives back to the pitcher. As of January 2014 , MLB approved a protective pitchers cap which can be worn by any pitcher if they choose. San Diego Padres relief pitcher, Alex Torres
9360-451: The movie Little Big League , playing himself. Johnson appeared in a Just for Men commercial where he had a grey beard and his neighbors told him "Your beard is weird." Johnson also appeared in a Right Guard commercial where he fired dodgeballs at Kyle Brandt , who represented odor. Johnson also appeared in several commercials for Nike in 1998. The spots comedically portrayed him taking batting practice (swinging ineptly at balls from
9477-411: The need for several days of rest between appearances. Relief pitchers are typically pitchers with "special stuff", meaning that they have very effective pitches or a very different style of delivery. This makes the batter see a very different way of pitching in attempt to get them out. One example is a sidearm or submarine pitcher. Position players are eligible to pitch in a game as well, this however
9594-409: The objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through the strike zone , swings the bat at the ball and misses it, or hits the ball poorly (resulting in a pop fly or ground out). If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it
9711-408: The other team's hitting game-to-game in a series. Teams have additional pitchers reserved to replace that game's starting pitcher if he tires or proves ineffective. These players are called relief pitchers , relievers , or collectively the bullpen . Once a starter begins to tire or is starting to give up hits and runs a call is made to the bullpen to have a reliever start to warm up. This involves
9828-664: The pioneer of the Tommy John procedure. Jobes are exercises that have been developed to isolate, strengthen and stabilize the rotator cuff muscles. Jobes can be done using either resistance bands or lightweight dumbbells. Common jobe exercises include shoulder external rotation, shoulder flexion, horizontal abduction, prone abduction and scaption (at 45°, 90° and inverse 45°). In addition to the Jobes exercises, many pitching coaches are creating lifting routines that are specialized for pitchers. Pitchers should avoid exercises that deal with
9945-426: The pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum . There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher , relief pitcher , middle reliever , lefty specialist , setup man , and the closer . Traditionally, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with
10062-409: The pitcher, but on his second trip to the mound with the same pitcher in the same inning, the pitcher has to come out. It is considered proper etiquette for the pitcher to wait on the mound until the manager arrives, whereby he then hands the manager the ball, and only then he is allowed to leave the field. Relief pitchers often have even more specialized roles, and the particular reliever used depends on
10179-461: The pitcher, who either vetoes or accepts by shaking his head or nodding. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select the starting catcher for a particular game based on the starting pitcher. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery . Although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins
10296-449: The pitching Triple Crown , leading the NL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, and was voted his fourth consecutive Cy Young and Warren Spahn Awards. It was Johnson's fourth consecutive 300-strikeout season with the Diamondbacks, and fifth consecutive overall, extending his own MLB record from the previous season in which he set the record for the most consecutive seasons with 300 or more strikeouts in
10413-540: The rate of all left-handed batters at .199. When the 1998 season began, Johnson was upset the Mariners would not offer him a contract extension, given his contract was expiring after the season. Though the Mariners initially wanted to keep Johnson, turning down a trade offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers , they fell out of contention, going 8–20 in June. Minutes before the non-waiver trade deadline, on July 31,
10530-434: The record for the most awards won, with seven – his first and last wins separated by eighteen years. Greg Maddux (1992–1995) and Randy Johnson (1999–2002) share the record for the most consecutive awards won with four. Clemens, Johnson, Pedro Martínez , Gaylord Perry , Roy Halladay , Max Scherzer , and Blake Snell are the only pitchers to have won the award in both the American League and National League; Sandy Koufax
10647-414: The reliever starting to throw practice balls to a coach in the bullpen so as to be ready to come in and pitch whenever the manager wishes to pull the current pitcher. Having a reliever warm up does not always mean he will be used; the current pitcher may regain his composure and retire the side, or the manager may choose to go with another reliever if strategy dictates. Commonly, pitching changes will occur as
10764-544: The retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league. Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Local BBWAA chapter chairmen in each MLB city recommend two writers to vote for each award. Final approval comes from the BBWAA national secretrary-treasurer. Writers vote for either the American League or National League awards, depending on
10881-417: The season was among the NL's top ten strikeout pitchers. But on July 3, his surgically repaired disc from the previous season was reinjured. Johnson had season-ending surgery on the same disc, this time removing it completely. Reporting that the procedure went "a little better than expected", Arizona hoped that Johnson would be ready for the 2008 season. Johnson made his season debut on April 14, 2008, against
10998-531: The series-ending win in Seattle's dramatic comeback. Johnson was sidelined throughout much of the 1996 season with a back injury, but he rebounded in 1997 with a 20–4 record, 291 strikeouts, and a 2.28 ERA (his personal best). Between May 1994 and October 1997, Johnson had gone 53–9, including a 16–0 streak that fell one short of the AL record. Johnson had two 19-strikeout starts in 1997, on June 24 and August 8. Another colorful All-Star Game moment proceeded in
11115-428: The seventh left-handed pitcher to achieve the 300-win milestone and the fifth pitcher in the last 50 years to get his 299th and 300th win in consecutive starts, joining Warren Spahn , Steve Carlton , Gaylord Perry , and Tom Seaver . Johnson was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder on July 28, 2009. Johnson was activated by the Giants on September 16, 2009, and assigned to
11232-473: The single best pitcher in the major leagues, the award changed its format over time. From 1956 to 1966, the award was given to one pitcher in Major League Baseball. After Frick retired in 1967, William Eckert became the new Commissioner of Baseball. Due to fan requests, Eckert announced that the Cy Young Award would be given out both in the American League and the National League . From 1956 to 1958,
11349-600: The situation. Many teams designate one pitcher as the closer , a relief pitcher specifically reserved to pitch the final inning or innings of a game when his team has a narrow lead, in order to preserve the victory. More recently, teams began experimenting with an opener , a relief pitcher who starts a game but only pitches at least the first inning. Other relief roles include set-up men , middle relievers , left-handed specialists , and long relievers . Generally, relievers pitch fewer innings and throw fewer pitches than starters, but they can usually pitch more frequently without
11466-474: The start of the tenth, but because the game went into extra innings, he is ineligible to share the nine-inning game strikeout record. On August 23, 2001, Johnson struck out three batters on nine pitches in the 6th inning of a 5–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the 30th pitcher in major league history to pitch an immaculate inning . Johnson's 2001 season was the 2nd time in MLB history where
11583-430: The table including the one for Johnson with Seattle general manager Woody Woodward and one for Rickey Henderson with Oakland general manager Sandy Alderson . When Gillick was unable to contact Woodward he agreed to utilize the deal with Alderson. When Woodward returned Gillick's call he said he would agree to the deal for Johnson. However, Gillick gave his word to Alderson even though the deal had not been finalized. At
11700-434: The team's rotation is called the ace . He is usually followed in the rotation by 3 or 4 other starters before he would be due to pitch again. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, the ace is usually the pitcher that starts on Opening Day. Aces are also preferred to start crucial games late in the season and in the playoffs; sometimes they are asked to pitch on shorter rest if the team feels he would be more effective than
11817-533: The third pitcher in history, after Gaylord Perry and Pedro Martínez , to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues; Martínez won the AL Cy Young in the same season that Johnson won its NL counterpart. Johnson finished 2000 with 19 wins, 347 strikeouts and a 2.64 ERA, and won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award and Warren Spahn Award. The Diamondbacks acquired Curt Schilling from
11934-532: The title of tallest player in MLB history. Former pitchers Eric Hillman , Andrew Sisco , Andrew Brackman , and Chris Young have also been measured at 6'10". After his retirement, the title of tallest player was held by Johnson's former Diamondback teammate Jon Rauch , a relief pitcher who is 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m). Johnson guest-starred in The Simpsons episode " Bart Has Two Mommies ", which aired on March 19, 2006. Johnson appeared in
12051-1053: The trunk can rotate at 1,068–1,224°/s, the elbow can reach a maximal angular velocity of 2,200–2,700°/s and the force pulling the pitcher's throwing arm away from the shoulder at ball release is approximately 280 pounds-force (1,200 N ). The overhead throwing motion can be divided into phases which include windup, early cocking, late cocking, early acceleration, late acceleration, deceleration, and follow-through. Training for pitchers often includes targeting one or several of these phases. Biomechanical evaluations are sometimes done on individual pitchers to help determine points of inefficiency. Mechanical measurements that are assessed include, but are not limited to, foot position at stride foot contact (SFC), elbow flexion during arm cocking and acceleration phases, maximal external rotation during arm cocking, horizontal abduction at SFC, arm abduction, lead knee position during arm cocking, trunk tilt, peak angular velocity of throwing arm and angle of wrist. Some players begin intense mechanical training at
12168-489: The windup is used when the bases are empty, while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed. A balk can be called on a pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is one who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed. Generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts . A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks. Nearly all action during
12285-544: Was Don Newcombe of the Dodgers. The Dodgers are the franchise with the most Cy Young Awards. In 1957, Warren Spahn became the first left-handed pitcher to win the award. In 1963, Sandy Koufax became the first pitcher to win the award in a unanimous vote; two years later he became the first multiple winner. In 1978, Gaylord Perry (age 40) became the oldest pitcher to receive the award, a record that stood until broken in 2004 by Roger Clemens (age 42). The youngest recipient
12402-435: Was Dwight Gooden (age 20 in 1985). In 2012, R. A. Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the award. In 1974, Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the award. In 1992, Dennis Eckersley was the first modern closer (first player to be used almost exclusively in ninth-inning situations) to win the award, and since then only one other relief pitcher has won the award, Éric Gagné in 2003 (also
12519-425: Was 5–0 against the Yankees' division rival Red Sox and finished the season 17–8 with a 3.79 ERA, and was second in the AL with 211 strikeouts. In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their 1999 book Baseball's 100 Greatest Players . Johnson did not make the original edition, but for the 2005 update, with his career totals considerably higher and his 2001 World Championship season taken into account, he
12636-494: Was a slider that broke down and away from left-handed hitters and down and in to right-handed hitters. The effectiveness of the pitch is marked by its velocity being in the low 90s along with tight late break; hitters often believed they were thrown a fastball until the ball broke just before it crossed home plate. Right-handed hitters have swung through and missed sliders that nearly hit their back foot. Johnson dubbed his slider "Mr. Snappy". In later years, his fastball declined to
12753-622: Was also the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts in a single season . In May 1993, Johnson again lost a no-hitter to a 9th-inning single; again, the opponent was the Oakland Athletics. He also recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Minnesota Twins ' Chuck Knoblauch . Prior to the trade deadline, Johnson was nearly dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Karsay and Mike Timlin . Toronto general manager Pat Gillick had two separate transactions on
12870-522: Was explosive: In 1990, Johnson became the first left-hander to strike out Wade Boggs three times in one game, and a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers attested to his potential. Johnson credits a session with Nolan Ryan late in the 1992 season with helping him take his career to the next level; Ryan has said that he appreciated Johnson's talent and did not want to see him take as long to figure certain things out as he had taken. Ryan recommended
12987-490: Was more effective in the second half. Johnson finished the season with a 17–11 record, a subpar 5.00 ERA with only 172 strikeouts. It was revealed at the end of the 2006 season that a herniated disc in Johnson's back had been stiffening him and it was only in his second to last start of the season that he decided to get it checked. This exposure caused him to miss his last start of 2006. After being given epidural anesthesia and
13104-556: Was one of two World Series Most Valuable Players in 2001 ; in the Series, Johnson won three games and led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series victory over the New York Yankees in the fourth season of the team's existence. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 2002. Johnson's 303 career victories are the fifth-most by a left-hander in MLB history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers. He recorded 300 strikeouts in
13221-437: Was partially due to a lack of run support as his ERA that year was 2.60. Johnson led the major leagues in strikeouts (with 290) and finished second to Roger Clemens for the Cy Young Award. In the games where Arizona scored three or more runs, Johnson was 13–2. As his team only won 51 games that year, his ratio of winning 31.3% of his team's games was the highest for any starting pitcher since Steve Carlton in 1972 (who won 27 of
13338-477: Was primarily based on a pre-season conversation he had with Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman about the importance of being closer to his family in Phoenix after the death of his brother. Johnson missed most of April, rehabilitating his injured back before returning on April 24, 2007. Johnson allowed six runs in 5 innings and took the loss, but struck out seven. He returned to form, and by his tenth start of
13455-545: Was ranked at Number 60. Johnson was a disappointment in Game 3 of the 2005 Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , allowing 5 runs on 2 home runs in 3 innings. He avoided being charged with the loss when the Yankees rallied, but eventually lost. In Game 5 in Anaheim, Johnson made an effective relief appearance with 4 1/3 scoreless innings after Mike Mussina gave up 5 runs and 6 hits to give
13572-776: Was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1982 MLB draft , but did not sign. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft . In 1985, he pitched for the Jamestown Expos of the New York-Pennsylvania League . In 1986, he pitched for the West Palm Beach Expos of the Florida State League . In 1987, he pitched for the Jacksonville Expos of
13689-452: Was the first player in MLB to wear the protective cap. One style of helmet is worn on top of the ballcap to provide protection to the forehead and sides. In softball , a full face helmet is available to all players including pitchers. These fielder's masks are becoming increasingly popular in younger fast pitch leagues, some leagues even requiring them. Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "
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