Randy Johnson’s Milestone is Impressive Despite a Lack of Hype

“It’s been a long road. I guess the one word that would sum it all up is that I’ve persevered.” – Randy Johnson

A dreary day at Nationals Park may have very well been the setting for one of the most anti-climatic historical baseball moments.  Yesterday in front of his family and possibly a van full of others, Randy “Big Unit” Johnson became the 24th major league pitcher ever to claim his 300th career win.

The lead-up to the event received a surprising lack of media attention and real excitement in the baseball community.  The small gathering of Nationals fans chanting “Randy!” as San Francisco closer Brian Wilson struck out Wil Nieves for the final out did not exactly characterize your classic marquee baseball moment.  A situation like this, however, was nothing unusual for Johnson.

Just five years ago, Johnson threw a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field during his final season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  While the achievement was remarkable, Johnson had the bittersweet fate of accomplishing it during a road game.  The excitement around it and attention that it received was far more limited than if it had occurred at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix.

Johnson has also been mentioned very little lately since he ended his time with the New York Yankees.  His recent deals with the Diamondbacks and Giants received little buzz and were media afterthoughts during free agency.

To find an easy contrast for Johnson, one needs to look no further than Roger Clemens.  Similar pitchers in terms of experience, Clemens has always been the press release wonder boy whose exposure belittled Johnson’s fame to a certain degree. 

When Clemens was approaching 300 wins, it was nearly impossible to avoid the build up.  There were countdowns, constant news flashes, and countless memorabilia.  The stir over whether or not there could be a “300 wins” patch on his glove during games was classic Clemens.

Even Clemens free agency ventures were marketable ordeals.  His traveling circus of perk-ridden contracts, late arrivals, and ESPN-televised minor league tune-ups made Clemens more celebrity than ballplayer. 

Johnson is a far cry from any of this hysteria.

Johnson is something of a dull character.  He never produces sound bytes, rarely cracks a grin, and channels any and all of his energy to home plate.  He is the kind of personality that the press longs to delve into but typically ends up walking away from unsuccessfully in frustration.

His shallow public demeanor disheartened New Yorkers upon his signing with the Yankees and left the Big Apple tabloids scrambling for an Alex Rodriguezesque story.  All that they could attain was a quick video of Johnson swatting away the camera of a pesky follower.

Johnson’s quote about perseverance is simple but is truly a perfect way to describe his career.  It has not always been a beautiful masterpiece but he has continued a consistent path of efficiency.  As his natural abilities have deteriorated, he has found ways around a decline in velocity by altering his pitching style. 

As Johnson stepped onto the rain soaked field at the conclusion of yesterday’s 5-1 monumental victory, it was clear that something special had been achieved.  The achievement was not as dry as a simple number but rather in the context with which it came.  With his son Tanner sitting gleefully in the dugout and his immediate family in attendance, Johnson got to share an extraordinary moment in a rather intimate fashion.  He would speak about his late father and assure anyone that would listen that “the team” was still more important than this feat. 

However, just as things had seemed before, his moment was made subtle by a rain delay and an awkward double-header setup.  If this is Johnson’s last season in baseball, maybe something like this is a fitting moment of closure. 

At 45 years of age, Johnson has experienced a lengthy baseball career and has now placed himself on a very exclusive list.  The lack of hype around it does not seem very important after all.