Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David "Randy" Johnson, nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1988 to 2009 for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. His 303 career victories rank as the fifth-most by a lefthander in major league history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all-time behind Nolan Ryan and are the most by a lefthander. He holds five of the seven highest single-season strikeout totals by a lefthander...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth10 September 1963
CityWalnut Creek, CA
CountryUnited States of America
You get a little bit over the rubber, rushing a little bit, and then your arm seems to drop down. It's been a long process, a long year, a frustrating year. But that's been the problem and I'll continue to work on it.
Mechanically, I've struggled all year long with my arm angle, with my velocity and my effectiveness. That stems from poor mechanics. Tonight, I felt really comfortable on the mound.
It's been a long year, a frustrating year. But if that's been the problem, I'll continue to work hard on it. To pitch the way I did today, that's the reason why, I believe. Having inconsistent mechanics resulted in inconsistent velocity and inconsistent arm angles. The bottom line is, I've been inconsistent on the mound.
By staying back I was able to get the arm angle I need for my fastball and my slider, and I haven't had it consistently. To be able to throw 96 and 97 in the eighth inning after throwing 100 pitches is ... is ... me.
I feel comfortable right now. I just need to go out and pitch accordingly, get my innings in, get my arm strength, remain comfortable with my mechanics and then hopefully take it right into opening day.
I don't need to go out there all the time and throw seven or eight innings. You might like it. I might like it. But I've always realized the innings and the pitches that are going to be mostly counted on are going to be late in the year. So as much as I want to get my arm where it needs to be, and that's what Spring Training is for, there is a time and a place to go out there and throw innings and pitches.
I had a million-dollar arm, but I wasn't thinking enough about how to be a pitcher.
We won 55 ball games in eight years, and that's a good record for anybody. My only regret - that 4-5 season sticks in my craw. I'm retiring as a coach, and I feel good about my retirement.
We control our own destiny. I'm sure it'll come down to those last three games in Boston.
I've pitched some pretty meaningful games, and some games where if we lose, we're done, ... That wasn't the case, but it would have been more difficult. We're three games back right now. It's not insurmountable.
I've pitched some good games this year where I haven't been that animated, that locked in,
The stuff?s there, obviously. It?s been there all year. It?s been in hibernation.
I've been at this a long time, and it's time to sort of step back. I've been doing this for 34 years. When you're looking at the watch to see what time to end practice, that's pretty much an indication that it's time to sort of kick back.
They actually swung today. The sooner they get their swings down, the better for me as well. I'm not trying to break bats and strike people out, I'm just trying to throw my pitches and feel like I'm accomplishing something. The more I throw, the better my pitches will get.