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
I've pitched some good games this year where I haven't been that animated, that locked in,
Typically the northern and western side of the Sacramento Valley enjoys a head start in ground prep and planting over other areas of the valley. My son and I drove up I-5 to Willows and were amazed at the amount of water and its depth out in the fields. Usually this time of the year in this part of the valley, tractors are everywhere preparing the fields for planting.
Last year was a good learning process. I learned a lot about what I need to adjust to this coming year. That's why I'm coming into this year feeling a lot more relaxed.
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.
The more consistent I get, the more comfortable I get, it's fun to go out there and be that locked into a game. It's been a while. I've pitched some good games this year where I haven't been locked in. That's the ingredient I've been missing.
I'm increasingly more comfortable this year because everything is where it needs to be right now as opposed to last year. Overall I feel good. I'm excited about where I'm at right now. Hopefully everything will go well and smooth for the team, but that's not always the case.
Maybe I've lost a little, but I think everyone does over time. People have been writing that I'm getting old every year, and eventually they're going to be right. There's nobody in this game that's doing the same things they once did in the peak years of their career.
If you're worried about what happened last year, I mean I suppose there's certain things you could take from last year that will help you this year. I think you've got to put everything aside from last year. This is a new year.
I love this kind of stuff. Obviously, it's starting to pan out to be the kind of year I was hoping for. Even in my best years, I've had some bad games. I'm extremely focused and realize I have one more start.
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.
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.