- 11:28 AM ET 06.06
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As I was watching Randy Johnson last night throw 6 lights out innings with just two hits and no earned runs to achieve his 300th career victory, I realized that I was most likely watching the last game that anyone will ever see this milestone be achieved. It's not like it hasn't been reach before. Twenty three other all-time pitching greats have reached the same high as RJ did last night, but here's why he will most likely be the last ever to enjoy the feeling of getting #300.
The members that Johnson joined in the 300 club had the skill, power, and attitude that got them to reach the incredible marker, and although Johnson has all of those attributes to be in this club, he had a much more difficult path on his journey. Back when cars were first starting to be invented and people's names ranged from Walter to Gertrude, Cy Young was doing his work on the rubber and putting up some impressive numbers. He accumulated a total of 512 wins over the course of his career with a 2.63 ERA in 22 seasons. How is this possible? With steroids out of the question and having very few ballplayers back then, the real answer was no one else could really pitch. To accommodate that, I don't think there were many Albert Pujols's stepping up into the batters box with a brand new Louisville Sluggers bat, batting gloves, and top notch gear, that make the ball go flying these days.
Coincedentelly, Johnson has been in the league for the same tenure as Young was, but just got to 300. Some may say that his career shouldn't be as hailed as Young's or any of the other members of the club, but I believe he should receive more credit for his work for the obstacles he has had to face. Over the past 40 years, managers have been resting their starters more for multiple reasons. One reason was once Tommy John surgery became a definite threat to young pitchers, they realized they could no longer have starters pitching every other day, throwing 6+innings, or their arms would wear out within a few years. Another reason was bullpens and relievers started becoming more reliable around the time of the 70's and 80's, so managers felt comfortable to go to the pen after a starter threw six innings, instead of pushing him an extra few batters which might ultimately decide if they get the win or not. A third reason is that tiny injuries that pitchers might have fought threw back in the olden days, are now far more analyzed by trainers, and recoveries usually bend towards the safe side rather than the risky one. These are just a few examples of how the quantity of opportunities that Johnson got was far less than Cy Young or any other 300 game winner dealt with and is why Johnson's feat is so remarkable.
Another reason why I think what Johnson did was so incredible was I don't think Christy Mathewson or Warren Spahn were facing any juiced up Mark McGuire's or Jose Canseco's in their careers. Johnson fought threw and successfully survived the steroid era of the 80's and 90's with 230 wins, 3,871 strikeouts, and never once mentioned in the mitchell report or any other steroid assumptions. Johnson was facing players bigger, stronger, and far superior than the ones that other star pitchers had and still managed to dominate in his prime. Players were more powerful whether it was from intense training, or just juicing up with those classic "prescription pills." Either way, Randy found a way to succeed and dominate through the steroid era.
The final reason why Johnson's career will be remembered is because he will most likely be the final one to be apart of this exclusive #300 club. All the road blocks that stood in Johnson's way to force him not to get to 300, are not getting any easier for pitchers these days. With batters hitting the weight rooms more and more, and managers giving their starters more rest in total, Johnson will most definitely be The End of an Era
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