Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson was one of the greatest power pitchers in history, and played a huge part in the only championship in Diamondbacks history.
Johnson began his career with Montreal in 1988, but after struggling to find his control, he was traded to the Mariners in 1989. During his first 3 seasons in Seattle, he led the league in walks allowed, a dubious distinction for a pitcher, and not generally a sign of future greatness.
Late in the 1992 season, he sought out Nolan Ryan to ask for advice, and Ryan helped him find the flaw in his delivery, and his entire career changed. He had led the league in both strikeouts and walks in 1992, but he would never lead the league in walks again, while finishing as the strikeout leader 8 more times.
In 1993 he became the top pitcher in the game, almost overnight, leading the league with 308 strikeouts, the first of many times he would reach 300. He was on pace for another 300-strikeout season in 1994 before the season ended early due to a strike.
He took his game to another level in 1995, and was finally recognized with his first Cy Young. He fell just short of 300 strikeouts, but still led the league, and also led the league in ERA at 2.48 and had an 18-2 record, good for the second-best win percentage in history. In his first career playoff series that year, he won two games against the Yankees, striking out 16 in 10 innings, including 3 innings in relief in the deciding Game 5.
A back injury limited him to 8 starts in 1996, but he came back to form in 1997 with 291 strikeouts, but requested a trade in 1998 when the Mariners refused to offer him an extension, and he got his wish minutes before the trade deadline, being dealt to the Astros. He had a 10-1 record in Houston, with a 1.28 ERA. He had the most strikeouts of any player in the league, though it didn't count as leading the league because it was split between the two leagues.
After his short stint in Houston, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had just finished their first season. In his first 4 seasons in Arizona, he had 4 of the best pitching seasons in history, surpassing 300 strikeouts each time, setting an all-time record with 5 seasons in a row. He also won the Cy Young in all 4 seasons, tying Greg Maddux's record for consecutive Cy Young awards.
Johnson was incredible in the 2001 postseason, striking out 19 with a 1.13 ERA in 2 wins against the Braves in the NLCS, then pitching even better in the World Series. He struck out 19 against the Yankees as well, with an ERA of 1.04, while winning Games 2 and 6, then getting another win in relief in Game 7 as the Diamondbacks won their first and only championship, and he was named co-MVP of the Series, along with Curt Schilling.
In 2002 he won the pitching Triple Crown, winning 24 games, striking out 334, and recording an ERA of 2.32, which made him an easy choice for his 5th Cy Young, the second-most of any player in history. He missed most of the following season with various injuries, ending his streak of great seasons.
He had one more great season still in the tank, though, and he pulled it out in 2004, when he was 40 years old. He won the strikeout title yet again, became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a perfect game, and became the 4th pitcher ever to reach 4000 strikeouts. He finished as the Cy Young runner-up, the third time he had just fallen short of the award.
Over the final 5 years of his career, he reached some impressive milestones, including the 300 win mark, and passing Roger Clemens to take over 2nd place on the career strikeout list, behind his mentor, Nolan Ryan. He pitched his final game at age 46, and was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
In addition to the record for consecutive 300-strikeout seasons and consecutive Cy Youngs, Johnson also holds the record for most strikeouts per 9 innings, with 10.61. He also holds the record for most strikeouts in a game by a lefty, with 20, and has 5 of the top 11 strikeout seasons in history. He was a very deserving World Series MVP in 2001, and one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
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