1988–2009 · P

Randy Johnson

6' 10", 225 lbs·Lived to 63·Bats R / Throws L

Hall of Fame · 20155×Cy Young AwardAll-Star

The Almanac's Take

The Big Unit's 4,875 career strikeouts tell only part of the story — it's how he got them that made him transcendent. At 6-foot-10 with a sidearm delivery, Johnson created angles that simply didn't exist in baseball before him, turning his height into a geometric nightmare for hitters.

His 1997 season in Seattle represents one of the most dominant pitching performances in modern history. That 2.28 ERA came with a 192 ERA+, meaning he was nearly twice as effective as the average pitcher in his league. The 291 strikeouts that year were just a preview of what was coming in Arizona, where he'd peak with four straight Cy Young awards.

Five Cy Young awards across both leagues speaks to his adaptability and longevity. Johnson didn't just throw hard — he threw hard with precision from an unprecedented release point that left batters guessing until the very end.

Career Highs

2.28

Best ERA · 1997

Most W · 2002

372

Most K · 2001

0.900

Best WHIP · 2004

Career Arc · OPS

13 seasons

Career Arc · ERA

22 seasons

Statistical Comps

Chris Sale

99%

2025 season

K/9 11.8 · BB/9 2.3 · HR/9 0.79 · SP · FB 94.8 mph · Whiff% 28

Tyler Glasnow

99%

2024 season

K/9 11.3 · BB/9 2.4 · HR/9 1.01 · SP · FB 96.3 mph · Whiff% 28

Career · Hitting

22 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1988	MON	4	9	0	0	.111	.222	32
1989	MON	29	7	0	0	.143	.286	41
1990	SEA	33	0	0	0	—	—	—
1991	SEA	33	0	0	0	—	—	—
1992	SEA	31	0	0	0	—	—	—
1993	SEA	36	0	0	0	—	—	—
1994	SEA	23	0	0	0	—	—	—
1995	SEA	30	0	0	0	—	—	—
1996	SEA	14	0	0	0	—	—	—
1997	SEA	30	0	0	0	—	—	—
1998	HOU	34	39	0	2	.077	.179	24
1999	AZ	35	97	0	6	.124	.289	37
2000	AZ	35	83	0	8	.157	.376	48
2001	AZ	35	80	0	2	.100	.243	32
2002	AZ	35	89	0	8	.135	.330	44
2003	AZ	18	36	1	3	.194	.472	63
2004	AZ	35	80	0	6	.125	.329	43
2005	NYY	34	8	0	0	.000	.000	0
2006	NYY	33	6	0	0	.167	.333	43
2007	AZ	10	15	0	0	.067	.192	25
2008	AZ	30	50	0	5	.140	.364	49
2009	SF	22	26	0	0	.077	.188	25
Career		619	625	1	40	.125	—	—

Career · Pitching

22 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1988	MON	4	26.0	3	0	2.42	154	25	1.154
1989	SEA	29	160.7	7	13	4.82	77	130	1.512
1990	SEA	33	219.7	14	11	3.65	105	194	1.338
1991	SEA	33	201.3	13	10	3.98	98	228	1.505
1992	SEA	31	210.3	12	14	3.77	99	241	1.417
1993	SEA	35	255.3	19	8	3.24	129	308	1.112
1994	SEA	23	172.0	13	6	3.19	141	204	1.186
1995	SEA	30	214.3	18	2	2.48	179	294	1.045
1996	SEA	14	61.3	5	0	3.67	125	85	1.190
1997	SEA	30	213.0	20	4	2.28	192	291	1.052
1998	SEA	34	244.3	19	11	3.28	135	329	1.183
1999	AZ	35	271.7	17	9	2.48	190	364	1.020
2000	AZ	35	248.7	19	7	2.64	180	347	1.118
2001	AZ	35	249.7	21	6	2.49	177	372	1.009
2002	AZ	35	260.0	24	5	2.32	184	334	1.031
2003	AZ	18	114.0	6	8	4.26	103	125	1.333
2004	AZ	35	245.7	16	14	2.60	172	290	0.900
2005	NYY	34	225.7	17	8	3.79	113	211	1.126
2006	NYY	33	205.0	17	11	5.00	90	172	1.239
2007	AZ	10	56.7	4	3	3.81	117	72	1.147
2008	AZ	30	184.0	11	10	3.91	110	173	1.239
2009	SF	22	96.0	8	6	4.88	88	86	1.333
Career		618	4135.4	303	166	—	—	4875	—

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