Joe Crede of the Chicago White Sox after being hit by a pitch.

In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP), or hit batsman (HB), is a batter or his equipment (other than his bat) being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.

Official rule[link]

Per baseball official rule 6.08(b), a batter becomes a baserunner and is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):

• is touched by a pitched ball outside of the strike zone,
• and he attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
• and he did not swing at the pitch.^[1]

If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. Rule 5.09(a) further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.^[2]

In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball is dead and a strike is called.^[3] If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone. In practice, umpires rarely make this call. Perhaps the most famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, when Don Drysdale hit Dick Dietz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch, Dietz proceeded to fly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 58 2/3 innings.^[4]

A hit by pitch can also be called on a pitch that has touched the ground. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it.

A batter hit by a pitch is not credited with a hit or at bat, but is credited with a time on base and a plate appearance; therefore, being hit by a pitch does not increase or decrease a player's batting average but does increase his on-base percentage. A batter hit by a pitch with the bases loaded is also credited with an RBI per MLB rule 10.04(a)(2).^[5] A pitch ruled a hit by pitch is recorded as a ball in the pitcher's pitch count, since by definition the ball must be outside the strike zone and not have been swung at.

The rule awarding first base to a batter hit by a pitch was instituted in 1887.^[6]

Tactical use[link]

Inside pitching is a common and legal tactic in baseball, and many players make use of brushback pitches, or pitches aimed underneath the chin, commonly referred to as 'chin music', to keep players away from the plate. "Headhunter" is a common term for pitchers who have a reputation for throwing these kinds of pitches. However, throwing at a batter intentionally is illegal, and can be very dangerous. When an umpire suspects that a pitcher has thrown at a batter intentionally, but is not certain, a warning is issued to the pitcher and the managers of both teams. From that point on, any pitch thrown at a batter can cause the pitcher and the manager (if believed to have ordered the pitch) of the offending team to be ejected immediately from the game. Serious offenses such as a ball thrown at the head (called a beanball) can result in the immediate ejection of the pitcher, and the manager if he ordered the beanball, even without a warning. If the umpire is certain that the pitcher intentionally hit the batter with the pitch, the pitcher is ejected from the game with no warning.

Often, if a player is acting rude or unsportsmanlike, or having an extraordinarily good day, the pitcher may intentionally hit the batter, disguising it as a pitch that accidentally slipped his control. Managers may also order a pitcher to throw such a pitch (sometimes called a "plunking"). These pitches are often aimed at the lower back and slower than normal, designed to send a message more than anything else. The opposing team usually hits a batter in retaliation for this act. The plunkings generally end there because of umpire warnings, but in some cases things can get out of hand, and sometimes they lead to the batter charging the mound, bench-clearing brawls, and several ejections. Such plunking duels are more common in the American League than in the National League^{[citation needed]}, because in the NL the pitchers must bat for themselves and open themselves up to direct retaliation (although hitting a fellow pitcher is a serious breach of baseball etiquette).

Records[link]

The all-time record for a player being hit by a pitch is held by Hughie Jennings, who was hit by 287 pitches between 1891 and 1903. The modern-day record is held by Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros, who had 285 as of the end of the 2007 season when he retired. Prior to Biggio, the modern-day record belonged to Don Baylor, who was hit 267 times.

The all-time single-season record also belongs to Jennings, who was hit 51 times during the 1896 season. Ron Hunt of the 1971 Montreal Expos was hit 50 times during that year, the modern-day record. The single-game record is three, held by numerous players.^[7]

The career pitching record for most hit batsmen is 205 by Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson. The season record is 54 by Phil Knell in 1891, and the game record is six, held by Ed Knouff and John Grimes.^[8]

Brady Anderson was the first, and currently only, player to be hit by the pitch two times in the same inning in an American League game. Five players have accomplished the feat in National League games.

Dangers[link]

To date, one Major League player has died as a result of being struck by a pitch: Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was hit in the head by Carl Mays on August 16, 1920, and died the next morning.

It is possible, however, to suffer serious injuries as a result of being hit by a pitch, even when wearing a helmet. On August 18, 1967, Red Sox batter Tony Conigliaro was hit almost directly in the left eye by a fastball thrown by Jack Hamilton of the California Angels. His cheekbone was shattered, he nearly lost the sight of the eye, was unable to play for over a year, and never regained his earlier batting ability. (Batting helmets at that time were not required to have an "ear flap"; indeed, it was not until 2002 that all major league batters were required to wear helmets with side protection.) On September 28, 1995, Kirby Puckett, of the Minnesota Twins, was struck in the cheek by a Dennis Martínez fastball, breaking his jaw and loosening two teeth. It would be his last game; during spring training the following year he developed glaucoma, which ended his career. Most recently, Mike Piazza, then of the New York Mets, was hit in the head by a pitch from Julian Tavarez of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 10, 2005. His helmet shattered, and he suffered a concussion. Other relatively minor injuries that are possible include broken fingers or hands, broken feet, broken ribs, injuries to the knee, or groin injuries.

Legal consequences[link]

Since inside pitching is a legitimate tactic in baseball, courts have recognized that being hit by a pitch is an inherent risk of the game, so that players cannot sue for any resulting injuries. On April 6, 2006, in a case arising from a game involving community college baseball teams, the Supreme Court of California ruled that baseball players in California assume the risk of being hit by baseballs even if the balls were intentionally thrown so as to cause injury.^[9] In the court's words: "For better or worse, being intentionally thrown at is a fundamental part and inherent risk of the sport of baseball. It is not the function of tort law to police such conduct."

Popular culture[link]

• In the 1989 film Major League it was announced of a fictional New York Yankees pitcher: "The Duke led the American League this year in saves, ERA, and hit batsmen. This guy once threw at his own kid at a father-son game."
• Satirical newspaper The Onion ran a story entitled "Craig Biggio Blames Media Pressure For Stalling At 285 Hit-By-Pitches" as Biggio closed in on the record of 287 hit-by-pitches.^[10]
• In The Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat", Homer Simpson is hit in the head by a pitch while playing for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, rendering him unconscious, but forcing in the winning run.
• In "Cheers" the slow-witted bartender known as "Coach" in one episode claimed to hold a minor league record for being hit by pitches. Being hit was a skill he cultivated, saying it was just as good as a hit.
• In "Futurama", the future equivalent of baseball (blurnsball) has Leela as the first female pitcher. She ends up hitting every batter at the plate (or "beaning" them) and goes down as the worst pitcher in history.
• In both versions of the movie Bad News Bears, coach Buttermaker makes use of several unorthodox tactics during the season final. One of them is instructing one of his players (Rudi Stein in the 1976 original and Daragabrigadien in the remake) to get hit on purpose in order to load the bases, knowing he has a very good batter coming up next (Engelberg and Leak, respectively).

See also[link]

• Beanball
• List of most hit batsman by MLB pitcher

References[link]

External links[link]

• List of all-time HBP leaders
• Article on changing HBP rates in The Hardball Times

Randy Johnson
Johnson pitching for the San Francisco Giants in 2009
Pitcher
Born: (1963-09-10) September 10, 1963 (age 48) Walnut Creek, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 15, 1988 for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 2009 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics
Win–loss record	303–166
Earned run average	3.29
Strikeouts	4,875
Teams
Montreal Expos (1988–1989) Seattle Mariners (1989–1998) Houston Astros (1998) Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2004) New York Yankees (2005–2006) Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2008) San Francisco Giants (2009)
Career highlights and awards
10× All-Star (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004) World Series champion (2001) 5× Cy Young Award (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) World Series MVP (2001) Triple Crown (2002) Pitched a no-hitter on June 2, 1990 Pitched a perfect game on May 18, 2004

Randall David "Randy" Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.

The 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) Johnson was celebrated for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game. He regularly approached, and occasionally exceeded, 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) during his prime. He also threw a hard, biting slider. Johnson won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.

Johnson finished his career first in strikeouts per nine innings pitched among starting pitchers (10.67), second all-time in total strikeouts (4,875; first among left-handed pitchers), third in hit batsmen (188), tenth in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.24), 22nd in wins (303), and 57th in shutouts (37). He pitched two no-hitters, the second of which was the 17th perfect game in baseball history.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles “Bud” Johnson.^[1] By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. He also played on a Bercovich team that assembled top players from throughout California. After high school he was drafted in 1982 by the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd round and offered $50,000 to sign. Instead, Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to USC, also playing 2 years of basketball. He continued to start at the University of Southern California under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems.

Major league career (1988–2009)[link]

Montreal Expos (1988–1989)[link]

Johnson was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1988, and pitched in a total of 11 games for the Expos in 1988 and 1989.

Johnson was among the most feared pitchers in baseball because of his dominant pitching arsenal (fastball, slider), augmented by his intimidating appearance (height, wild mullet hairstyle and mustache), and his angry, energetic demeanor on the mound.^{[citation needed]} Part of his early intimidation factor came from his dramatic lack of control.^{[citation needed]}

Seattle Mariners (1989–1998)[link]

After being traded to the Seattle Mariners by the Expos for Mark Langston during the 1989 season, Johnson led the AL in walks for three consecutive seasons (1990–92), and in 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.

But his untapped talent was volcanic: 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 a slight change in his delivery; before the meeting, Johnson would land on the heel of his foot after delivering a pitch, and as such, he 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.^[2] 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, a pitch count that has not been reached in an MLB game since.^[3]

Johnson broke out in 1993 with a 19–8 record, 3.24 ERA and his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308). 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 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.^[4] At 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.^[5] A similar incident would occur with Larry Walker in the 1997 All-Star Game.^[6]

After pitching well in the strike-shortened 1994 season, Johnson won 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, who also finished second in the 1993 and 1997 Cy Young voting, and third in 1994, was the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to win the award, and the only one until Félix Hernández took home the honor in 2010.

Johnson capped the Mariners' late season comeback by pitching a 3-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. Johnson beat the Yankees in Game 3 with 10 strikeouts in 7 innings.

When the series went the full five games, the Mariners having come back from an 0–2 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. Johnson's slow walk to the pitcher's mound from the left field bullpen electrified the sold-out home crowd. Entering a 4–4 game in the ninth inning, Johnson pitched the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings. He allowed 1 run, struck out 6, and held on for the series-ending win in Seattle's dramatic comeback.

Johnson posted an 0–6 playoff record in his next four playoff series, each of which his teams lost.

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.

As the 1998 season began, Johnson became upset that the Mariners would not offer him a contract extension; his contract expired after the season.^[7] Though the Mariners initially wanted to keep Johnson, turning down a trade offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers,^[8] they fell out of contention, going 8-20 in June.^[9] Minutes before the non-waiver trade deadline, on July 31, the Mariners traded Johnson to the Houston Astros for three minor leaguers, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and John Halama.^[9]

Houston Astros (1998)[link]

Upon arriving in Houston, Johnson caught fire. In 11 regular-season starts with the Astros, he had a 10–1 record, a 1.28 ERA, and 116 strikeouts in 84⅓ innings, and pitched 4 shutouts. Johnson finished 7th in the National League Cy Young voting despite pitching only 2 months in the league, and helped Houston win their second straight National League Central division title. During the playoffs, however, the Astros lost the 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).

Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2004)[link]

Johnson agreed to a four-year contract, with an option for a fifth year, for $52.4 million, with the Arizona Diamondbacks; a second-year franchise.^[10] 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.^[11] Johnson joined Gaylord Perry and Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers to have won the award in both the American and National Leagues. (Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay have since done the same).

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.^{[citation needed]} The Diamondbacks acquired Curt Schilling from the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2000, and the two aces anchored the Diamondbacks rotation.^[12]

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,^[13] and were named Sports Illustrated magazine's 2001 "Sportsmen of the Year." For the first of two consecutive seasons, Johnson and Schilling finished 1–2 in the Cy Young balloting.^[14] Johnson also won his third consecutive Warren Spahn Award.^[15] 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.

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 7 innings, technically setting the record for the most strikeouts in a relief stint.

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, but because the game went into extra innings, it was not categorized by MLB as an "official" 20-strikeout game.

In a freak accident on March 24, 2001, during the 7th inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants, Johnson threw a fastball that struck and killed a dove. The bird swooped across the infield just as Johnson was releasing the ball. After being struck by the pitch, the bird landed dead amid a "sea of feathers." The official call was "no pitch."^[16]

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.

In 2002, Johnson won the pitching Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins, ERA and strikeouts, and was voted his fourth consecutive Cy Young and Warren Spahn Awards.^[17] It was Johnson's fourth consecutive 300-strikeout season, a record.^{[citation needed]} He also became the first pitcher in baseball history to post a 24–5 record.^[18]

Johnson spent the majority of the 2003 season on the disabled list and was ineffective in the few injury-hampered starts he did make. One thing he did accomplish that year was hit his first career home run in a September 19, 2003 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was the only home run to date for Johnson, a career .125 hitter.

On May 18, 2004, Johnson pitched the 17th perfect game in baseball 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 defeat of 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. 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.^{[citation needed]}

He finished the 2004 season with a 16–14 record, though the Diamondbacks scored two or fewer runs in 17 of his 35 starts that season.^{[citation needed]} Johnson led the major leagues in strikeouts (with 290). 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 the Phillies' 59 wins for an all-time record ratio of 45.8%).

New York Yankees (2005–2006)[link]

Johnson with the Yankees

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 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 was ranked at Number 60.^{[citation needed]}

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. In Game 5 in Anaheim, Johnson made an effective relief appearance after Mike Mussina gave up 5 runs and 6 hits to give 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 was more effective in the second half. Johnson finished the season with a 17–11 record, a subpar 5.00 ERA with 172 strikeouts. It had been 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 had caused him to miss his last start of 2006. After being given epidural anesthesia and a few bullpen sessions he was cleared to start in game 3 of the ALDS, however he gave up 5 runs in 5²⁄₃ innings.

Second stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2008)[link]

Johnson pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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.^{[citation needed]} The Yankees' decision to trade Johnson was primarily based on his pre-season request to be traded after the death of his brother. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was very sympathetic to Johnson's grief and agreed to trade him back to the Diamondbacks so that Johnson could be closer to his family in Phoenix.^{[citation needed]}

Johnson missed most of April rehabbing 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 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.^{[citation needed]}

Johnson made his season debut on April 14, 2008 against 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} He finished the season with a 11–10 record and an ERA of 3.91, recording his 100th career complete game in a 2–1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.^[19]

San Francisco Giants (2009)[link]

On December 26, 2008, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the 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.^[20][21] Johnson became the twenty-fourth pitcher to reach 300 wins, beating the Washington Nationals on June 4 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.^[22] He became 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.^[23] Johnson was activated by the Giants on September 16, 2009, and assigned to the Giants bullpen.^[24] On September 18, 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 Jamie Moyer.^{[citation needed]}

On January 5, 2010, he announced his retirement from professional baseball.^[25] The Mariners invited Johnson to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners home opener at Safeco Field on April 12, 2010^[26] and inducted Johnson into the Mariners Hall of Fame on January 17, 2012.^[27] The Diamondbacks also invited Johnson and former teammate Curt Schilling to both throw out the ceremonial first pitches for the Arizona Diamondbacks' 10th Anniversary of the 2001 World Series team that defeated the New York Yankees after September 11, 2011.

Pitching style[link]

In the prime of his career, Johnson's fastball was consistently clocked over 100 mph (160 km/h), even as high as 102 mph (164 km/h).^[28] His signature pitch is a slider that breaks 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 believe they were thrown a fastball until the ball breaks just before it crosses home plate. Right-handed hitters have swung through and missed sliders that nearly hit their back feet.^[29] Johnson dubbed his slider "Mr. Snappy".^[30] In later years, his fastball declined to 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.^[31]

"Big Unit" nickname[link]

During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!"^[32] The nickname stuck.

Throughout much of his career, Johnson held the title of tallest player in MLB history. Former pitcher Eric Hillman and current pitchers Andrew Sisco and Chris Young have also been measured at 6'10". The title of tallest player is now held by Johnson's former Diamondback teammate Jon Rauch, a relief pitcher who is 6'11".

Accomplishments[link]

Johnson throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners home opener at Safeco Field in 2010

• Pitched a no-hitter for Seattle on June 2, 1990, against Detroit
• 10-time All-Star (1990, 1993–95, 1997, 1999, 2000–02, 2004)
• Led the league in strikeouts nine times (1992–95, 1999–2002, 2004)
• Led the league in ERA four times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002)
• 5 time Cy Young Award winner (1995, 1999–2002)
• Holds the record for most strikeouts in a relief appearance (16 against San Diego on July 18, 2001)
• World Series co-MVP (Curt Schilling, 2001)
• Pitched a perfect game against Atlanta (May 18, 2004)- oldest pitcher to do so in major-league history
• Collected his 300th win in a 5–1 victory against the Washington Nationals on June 4, 2009
• Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team (2009)
• Has defeated every major-league team at least once
• Struck out 20 batters on May 8, 2001 against Cincinnati Reds
• Struck out 4,875 batters; 2nd most all-time (Nolan Ryan, 5,714)
• Named to the Mariners Hall of Fame

Acting career[link]

Johnson guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Bart Has Two Mommies", which aired on March 19, 2006. Johnson appeared in the movie Little Big League, playing himself.

Johnson 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 a pitching machine) in his hope that he would break Roger Maris' 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.^[33]

Johnson has been featured as a playable character in various Backyard Baseball games.

Personal life[link]

Johnson has four children with his wife Lisa: Sammi (born 1994), Tanner (born 1996), Willow (born 1998), and Alexandria (born 1999). He also has a daughter from a previous relationship, Heather Renee Roszell (born 1989).^[34] He is a resident of Paradise Valley, Arizona.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Randy Johnson

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Randy Johnson at the Internet Movie Database
• Randy Johnson Video on ESPN Video Archive
• Box score of Johnson's perfect game
• Randy Johnson Video on FoxSports Video Archive
• CBS Player Page
• Randy Johnson: Countdown to 300 Wins