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
It's spring training and we want to see what's working, there's going to be games or innings where I decide to just work on this pitch or that pitch, even if we get racked around. Six games, there's not a lot of time to work on everything. I've got a job to do and I just need to go out there and do things and get ready to do it when the bell rings.
I want to pitch the way everyone expects me to pitch. And when I don't pitch that way, I get upset.
I'll continue to throw and get ready. Whenever they have me slotted to pitch in my first game, I'll be looking forward to it.
It took me a long time to really find my mechanics, ... But that's the pitcher everybody expected, and that's the pitcher I expected.
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.
Actually, it's the last place my dad saw me pitch, so it has always had a little bit of meaning when I pitch there.
I don't get worked up against who I'm pitching against.
I feel pretty good overall. When I'm out there throwing batting practice, it's just what it is, batting practice. To work on my pitches and trying to get something out of it a little bit as far as some intensity.
I feel like I'm 24 again. I had the game taken away from me last year. I feel rejuvenated. I've got peace of mind knowing that the knee is fine, and I'm looking forward to going out there because it's like I dropped off the radar. I was a pretty good pitcher before last year, you know.
When things are working, it's the greatest thing. When I'm out there pitching and I have a catcher putting down the finger for the pitch I want to throw and I've already got that gripped, that's a great rapport.
It's frustrating. We're in the heat of the pennant race, and I feel good. To pitch like that but then have one inning, that's frustrating. I was cruising along the first three innings, then you saw what happened.
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.
It's been a long and frustrating year. But if that's been the problem, hopefully I'll continue to work hard on it and pitch the way I did today.
This is the kind of game I expect to pitch and people expect me to pitch. I feel more confident with everything.