Rick Flair and Hulk Hogan had a similar thing going on. They just always looked old. There are pictures of them as teenagers and they look like they're in their 30s.
Randy could’ve won a couple more cy young awards if he had any run support his last few years in AZ because his ERA was less than 2 but would lose many games he started by scores of 1-0, 2-1, etc. his stats were so good, but since the team couldn’t score, it effected his standing for awards. It’s nice when people mention him like here. He was an amazing pitcher and I’m glad I got to watch him play in AZ.
Yup I was lucky to see alot of randy Johnsons starts from 2001-2004 & so many starts he would pitch 8-9 innings giving up 1-2 runs & still lose. That's how he ended up winning a cy young with only 16 or 17 wins. But I think he won 4 straight with the d-backs & only missed one season.
I'll never forget how pumped my dad was when the Astros signed Randy Johnson. It was a late move so most people found out about it early in the morning. ..."those jerseys" are 🔥
I had that moment where I said "Randy Johnson played for the Astros?" then remembering seeing that run as it happened. I forget how dominate this run was. Thanks for the nostalgia!
i recognized it immediately! glad to see it still has its fans! i still play it to this day. the japanese got a bunch of versions of it-- iiuc, they're still making them for the japanese market!
Randy remembered his two months in Houston, as he cited those as his most dominant stretch after he won his 300th game and later in his Hall of Fame speech. Unfortunately the fact that Randy continued his postseason losing streak to go along with the Astros getting booted out in the Division Series so unceremoniously probably led to the dominant stretch being forgotten. Also it seems Randy never forgotten the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Sterling Hitchcock and the Padres, as he would face Hitchcock three times in the two ensuing seasons of 1999 and 2000 and won all three starts. It was of little consolation to the Astros as Randy was with the Diamondbacks in those years, but I'll bet it felt good to the Big Unit.
Randy actually was even better that second start. Spiers had a bad error, the team had a few that game 4. Randy got the loss technically, but it wasn't his fault. Now game 1, that was an unfortunate pitcher's duel that Randy barely lost.
I went to a Braves game in the middle of that Johnson Astros run. He outdueled Greg Maddux, who was tagged for three homers from Biggio, Bagwell and Sean Berry. Andruw Jones hit a homer off of Billy Wagner in the 9th to make it 4-2 but that was it.
I was sitting by the bullpen watching him warm up the first time he pitched in Houston. Standing next to his 6'10" self was the 6'8" Scott Elarton. The two tallest pitchers I'd ever seen, now playing for the same team.
I remember that year for the Astro’s. I was 20 and Randy was so dominating for Houston. When they lost in the playoffs he called the killer bees the killer flea’s. 😂
How about that 2008 second half? I remember CC, Teixeira, and Manny going off after getting traded, but I didn't realize just how valuable they were. What a great season.
I remember that trade. I was so excited. Unfortunately they weren't able to do anything with that roster they had. But I went to that first game Randy Johnson pitched in the Astrodome for the astros. The crowd was psyched.
Love how the Big Unit was in his late 30s when he was with the D Backs too. I mean Pedro Martinez will always be my favorite pitcher of all time, but Randy Johnson and his Mr. Snappy 92 mph slider that moved more than most curve balls was just insane. And that man was more intimidating than ANY of the numerous pitching aces in the late 90s/early 00s.
I was so angry when the Astros didn't even try to resign Randy... in their eyes.. Jose Lima and Mike Hampton.. were enough. Everyone from Houston remembers Lima more for his Casa Ole commercials than his actual pitching.
My mom and i met Randy when we lived in Tucson, he came into her business and everyone including myself knew who he was, the DBacks just won the series. She immediately bombed the conversation with him by saying “wow you’re tall”.
Maddux had a lower career ERA, and the lowest playoff ERA of any ace in the 90s. Maddux was the man, but Randy was definitely top 5. Smoltz was a better playoff pitcher too.
@@jaimelannister1797 no way! Curt was the number one pitcher for Arizona that year! The cardinals beat Randy. It should have been over in 5. Curt Schilling pitched more innings but gave up fewer runs than Randy in the playoffs. Curt pitched games 1,4, and 7. Against the cardinals (who were better than my braves that year), Curt pitched games 1 and 5. They won 1-0 and 2-1 lol. No Schilling, no NLCS
@@jaimelannister1797 yes, but that WS MVP was given to Randy because he helped finish game 7. Without Curt, they don't get out of the NLDS. Also, the Dbacks closer is to blame. If it ends in 5, Unit doesn't even get a third decision
I remember the Astro run in 1998. He got Cy votes eventho he was in the league 2 months. He just ran into Kevin Brown (who was on a mission that year) and postseason wonderboy Jim Leyritz.
That was an amazing run. I remember taking my son to go see him pitch in the dome his first game there after his arrival. We had an amazing team, but sadly, just couldn’t get the bats going at all in the postseason.
Im 33 and have known of baseball since the late 90s and actually watching it since around 2000 so I def had no idea Randy even pitched for the Astros let alone pitched amazing... I only found out that he had pitched for Seattle like 7 or 8 years ago lol... I really just remember him from the Dbacks and Yankees
The 1998 season was a testament to Gerry Hundsicker’s skill. Adding Alou and Carl Everett to the team at the beginning of ‘98, coupled with the trade for Randy, made this the best Astros team up to that point. It was an incredible disappointment losing to the Padres, a clearly inferior team. Almost as demoralizing as losing in 1980 or 1986.
the padres finished 98-64, just four games back, and their division wasn't may have been a tad stronger. Not an easy win at all imo. Tony Gwynn, Caminiti, Greg Vaughn, Leyritz, pretty good team. HOF Trevor Hoffman as closer. Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby, Sterling Hitchcock. Equal 1-3
I think people forget this period of Randy’s career because he basically ended up doing this to the entire league as a d’back for the next 4-5 years, though not to this extreme. Arizona randy was probably the most dominant pitcher that I ever saw. Period. And yes, I’m including 99-00 Pedro as well. Everytime I saw him pitch, I had a reasonable expectation of a no-hitter. His slider was up there with Pedro’s change and maddux’s 2-seamer as the most difficult pitches to hit and do anything with (honorable mention to Kevin brown’s sinker: so many groundballs……lol). God I miss how varied the pitching styles were during this era…..
@Bread And Circuses sorry I meant that era. You had pitchers with distinctive styles. You had your flamerthrowers like randy and Pedro, your control artists like maddux, groundball savants like Kevin brown, etc. Basically there was more variety in how pitchers pitched and could be successful. Now these days everyone wants to throw hard af and just overpower hitters. And yes, I was born in 1989, don’t know what that has to do with anything lol
Fantastic Video, I would add that inflation in sports contracts has probaby inflated more than general inflation. DBacks contract could possibly equate to closer to 32m - 35m AAV
I remember it well. I knew the Padres were in trouble in game 1, but when 2 gunslingers go against each other someone has to lose. I was completely surprised that Hitchcock was able to pitch so well. He continued his success against Atlanta in the NLCS by winning 2 games and the NLCS MVP award. And pitched 6 innings with 1 ER in the WS against the Yankees. Sometimes an average pitcher can shine in the post season. I'm sure that was the highlight of his career.
@@chazzx1018 dude I wasn't even alive then, I have no idea what the mood was like in SD at the time, my childhood idol was pitching for the team with my favorite player of all time so I figured spirits must've been pretty high in SD. Also notice how I said the 98 playoffs, they had to win games to get to the world series, no? This year was the first actual playoff run I got to witness in SD and it was electric out here, so I figured SD must've been buzzing at the time even if we didn't win the world series.
@@thelonelyphish they had a good run, but that ending destroyed any good spirits. I was 21 at time, it killed me. Especially because it was the Yankees
This video does miss out on one other big thing about the Randy Johnson trade. Freddy Garcia was actually the idol of Felix Hernandez, and him being on the Mariners was actually a big reason Hernandez signed with the Mariners.
Better not be shitting on those glorious 90s unis. Those unis (and Jeff Bagwell) were the reason I even got into baseball. I wish they would wear them as throwbacks every now and again.
Playoff success will always be remembered over regular season success, Johnson will always be remembered first as D-Back then as a Mariner, Astro, etc. It's why I think that after this 2nd title and Cy Young, if JV signs with Houston for his (most likely) final contract he'll probably have a good chance of ending up with star and an H on his Cooperstown plaque instead of a D.
@@KevinSorbo. So him going into the HoF with a Diamondbacks logo on his plaque (literally the first D-Back hall of fame inductee) is because people remember him as a Mariner?
It may feel like it because he started later, but in 1998 Johnson was 34 when he got traded. He certainly wasn't at a "young" point in his career as you say at 1:49.
Johnson's wife is from Arizona, so the Dbacks had the upper hand over other teams in order to sign him. I don't think it was a lack of interest by the Astros (I'm an Astros fan and was back then too), it was a desire to pitch where he lived.
Supposedly the Yankees had actually offered up Mariano Rivera to Seattle for Randy but they turned it down in favor of the Houston deal. And that wasn't even the first time Rivera nearly got traded to Seattle. Before 96, NY nearly sent him away for journeyman shortstop Felix Fermin.
Idk bro….cc sabathia was a very very great win now move as well….but I remember this trade….it was around the time where I was starting to fall in love with baseball ❤️
How was his ERA so high in that stretch with the Astros at the beginning? 3.5? That's not high for a decent pitcher but for Randy that's high, especially when u shut out teams like that. Weird
A little perspective on the argument on the 3 major sports. Randy Johnson could likely dunk a basketball. But not one NBA basketball player can throw a 100 MPH fastball.
