Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
PHOENIX (AP) - Randy Johnson looked phenomenally strong for a 44-year-old pitcher. That wasn't enough, though, for the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks against resurgent San Francisco.
Arizona's bullpen blew a late lead and Randy Winn's ninth-inning home run gave the Giants a 4-3 victory on Thursday night that completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks.
"We got some breaks there in the eighth, but you take it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's a great series for us, a great way to finish a good road trip."
Johnson fanned nine to tie Roger Clemens for second in career strikeouts, but shrugged off the accomplishment. He noted he moved into second last year, then was injured and fell back to third with Clemens still pitching.
"It's kind of a moot point," Johnson said. "To win a ball game is the most important thing. To go out there and pitch a good ball game, and if we would have won, that would have been the big thing because we need a win right now."
Winn's second solo home run of the night allowed the Giants to finish their trip 6-3 and handed the Diamondbacks their season-worst fourth straight loss. He said he caught a sinking fastball from Qualls that didn't sink enough.
"He's a real good sinkerball pitcher. He's not a guy who gets the ball up in the zone," Winn said. "He's a guy that gets a lot of ground balls with the sinker. That one just happened to be up."
It was Winn's fourth career multi-homer game.
"He's so solid. I think he's one of the more underrated players in the game," Bochy said. "You don't hear much about him, but he quietly goes about his business and just plays great baseball."
Tony Pena walked in the tying run in the eighth, then Chad Qualls gave up the leadoff homer to Winn. Arizona was swept for the second time in three series and has dropped eight of 10.
"The way it's going right now, if we make a bad pitch or don't make a play, it ends up costing us," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "When you're playing well, sometimes you get away with those things."
Johnson, who left the game with a 3-2 lead after seven innings, has struck out 19 - in 13 innings - in his last two starts to tie Clemens with 4,672 strikeouts.
The tying strikeout came when Johnson fanned Dan Ortmeier for the third time of the night to start the seventh inning. Johnson drew a standing ovation as he left the field. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the inning with Arizona leading 3-2.
Johnson, who returned to the Arizona rotation after his second back surgery in as many years, allowed two runs on six hits and walked one.
"I believe that I'm getting to where I'm effective out there," he said. "I mean, I'm not washed up or anything like that."
But for his second start in a row, a strong effort led to no decision.
Justin Upton, 13 months old when Johnson made his major league debut on Sept. 15, 1988, hit a solo home run in the second, then tripled in the go-ahead run in the sixth for Arizona. Both hits came with two outs one game after Upton ended an 0-for-27 skid.
Pena walked pinch hitter Fred Lewis on five pitches with the bases loaded to deprive Johnson of his 289th career victory. The run was unearned because of first baseman Conor Jackson's fielding error.
Pena walked two and hit a batter in two-thirds of an inning.
Qualls (0-5) came on to strike out pinch hitter Steve Holm to end the inning but allowed Winn's homer to left on a 1-0 pitch in the ninth. Brian Wilson threw a perfect ninth for his NL-leading 16th save in 18 opportunities.
Tyler Walker (3-3) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the victory.
Both of Upton's hits came off Barry Zito, who allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Johnson retired the first nine he faced, five by strikeouts, before Winn's home run leading off the fourth. His third homer of the season came with a 3-2 count on the 10th pitch of his at bat.
Aaron Rowand doubled with one out, then scored on Omar Vizquel's two-out single to put San Francisco ahead 2-1.
Arizona tied it in the fourth. Orlando Hudson doubled down the left field line, then scored on Jackson's single.
Zito retired the first two batters in the sixth, then walked Mark Reynolds. Upton had an 0-2 count when he lashed an RBI triple into the right-center gap and Arizona led 3-2.
Notes
Vizquel will be honored in a pre-game ceremony in San Francisco on Friday for his 2,586 games at shortstop, most at the position in MLB history. ... Double plays erased Arizona base runners in the first two innings. ... Arizona has three of the five players with the most strikeouts in the NL - Upton (64), Reynolds (63) and Chris Young (57).
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8...n-D-backs-loss
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
this will probably bolster his HOF prospects....
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
And that's an incredibly silly question. There is absolutely no reason that Randy Johnson shouldn't be an absolute no-questions asked Hall of Famer.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HoustonGM
And that's an incredibly silly question. There is absolutely no reason that Randy Johnson shouldn't be an absolute no-questions asked Hall of Famer.
someone asked a question????
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yankee hater
Yeah, first or 2nd ballot.
yeah but I assumed you were asking a retorical question in the sense you were not questioning he would get in just when...anyway I'd say 1st ballot in my humble opinion. what about you?
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
My point is, even if you think there is some difference in the ballot a player goes in on (I don't. You either belong in the HOF or don't to me), that should not at all be a question with Randy Johnson.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Rowand made a sweet diving catch in that game last night. That was a fun game to watch, fortunately Zito didn't suck as bad as he has in the past.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rogue9
Rowand made a sweet diving catch in that game last night. That was a fun game to watch, fortunately Zito didn't suck as bad as he has in the past.
i missed it, I was out by 9 pm est. Is it on ESPN for replay?
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HoustonGM
My point is, even if you think there is some difference in the ballot a player goes in on (I don't. You either belong in the HOF or don't to me), that should not at all be a question with Randy Johnson.
15th :p i say 1st ballot.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yankee hater
But you said hall of famer, not first ballot. No one said he wouldnt make the hall.
Absolute, no questions asked = first ballot
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yankee hater
Ok, see? That was easy. We already knew your stance that if a player should be in then they should be in first ballot. It doesn't mean we endorse that view, however.
Oh. my. god.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoustonGM
My point is, even if you think there is some difference in the ballot a player goes in on (I don't. You either belong in the HOF or don't to me), that should not at all be a question with Randy Johnson
Those that think there is a difference on the ballots think so because they think first ballot is reserved for the absolute best players, the inner-circle type guys, correct? Is that a false assumption? If not, that is my point. Randy Johnson is without a doubt one of those players.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Randy Johnson sucks. Rick Krivda was much better :)
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yankee hater
He is a lock anyway - the only question is first or second ballot.
How could he not be 1st Ballot ? 5 Cy Youngs (another 3 2nd places), he will be 2nd in all Ks and most likely over 300 wins. and despite his Wildness Rep he has a better career K:BB ratio than guys like Smoltz, Clemens, Koufax, Blyleven and Carlton.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gRYFYN1
How could he not be 1st Ballot ? 5 Cy Youngs (another 3 2nd places), he will be 2nd in all Ks and most likely over 300 wins. and despite his Wildness Rep he has a better career K:BB ratio than guys like Smoltz, Clemens, Koufax, Blyleven and Carlton.
His "wildness rep" is due to the fact that he was incredibly wild early in his career - take a look at 1990-1992. After 1992, his control progressively got better, peaking in 2004-2005
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HoustonGM
His "wildness rep" is due to the fact that he was incredibly wild early in his career - take a look at 1990-1992. After 1992, his control progressively got better, peaking in 2004-2005
I know that, but when most people think about Johnson they think of him being wild.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gRYFYN1
I know that, but when most people think about Johnson they think of him being wild.
I figured you knew that, but was just pointing it out anyway, you know, for those people:p
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wassit3
i missed it, I was out by 9 pm est. Is it on ESPN for replay?
Probably, it was a great catch. I am not an ESPN guy so I don't know.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HoustonGM
Oh. my. god.
Those that think there is a difference on the ballots think so because they think first ballot is reserved for the absolute best players, the inner-circle type guys, correct? Is that a false assumption? If not, that is my point. Randy Johnson is without a doubt one of those players.
My take on it is a bit different. I think that in most years, there are 12-15 guys on the ballot who should go in, but each voter can only vote for a maximum of 10. So if you have a vote, you should vote for the best 10 on the ballot in a given year. So you could leave a guy off your ballot this year, because you think he's worthy, but there are 10 guys who are better, but then next year he's one of the top 10. Or vice-versa.
In Johnson's case, I don't see much chance that he wouldn't be one of the 10 best eligible players in his first year on the ballot.
Re: Big Unit ties Rocket for 2nd on career K's list
You think there are 12-15 guys who should go in on every ballot?
That is the only reason, I think that a guy should be left off your ballot even if you think he belongs in the HOF - there are 10 other players that you think are more worthy. However, I don't think there's very many years that have 10 players that belong in the Hall.
