Big Hurt Retires

[jarrod2323]

the freakishly tall & skinny dude will be missed

Randy Johnson looked so awkward on the mound early in his career, that shaggy hair dangling down his neck as he fired a blazing fastball in every direction but the strike zone.

Now, after 22 major league seasons, The Big Unit is walking away from baseball as one of the game's greatest pitchers.

The 6-foot-10 Johnson announced his retirement on a conference call Tuesday, a decision that had been expected from the overpowering left-hander who reached 300 wins last June.

"I really wanted to go out on my terms," Johnson said. "I just feel like there's not a lot more for me to do in this game. I just think it's a natural progression when you play this long. Eventually you have to say it's time."

A Storied Career

At age 46, Randy Johnson has called it quits. In 22 seasons, the Big Unit has celebrated five Cy Young Awards, 10 All-Star nods, one World Series championship and 303 wins. Here's a look at his career by team:
Team Years W-L ERA
SEA 10 130-74 3.42
ARI 8 118-62 2.83
MON 2 3-4 4.69
NYY 2 34-19 4.37
SFG 1 8-6 4.88
HOU 1 10-1 1.28

A five-time Cy Young Award winner, the 46-year-old Johnson accomplished just about everything in his remarkable career that a player hopes for in baseball.

He owns a World Series ring and co-MVP honors, and was a 10-time All-Star. He threw two no-hitters, including a perfect game, and ranks second on the career strikeout list.

Johnson finishes with a record of 303-166 and 4,875 strikeouts in 4,135 1/3 innings for Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, the New York Yankees and San Francisco. His strikeouts are the most by a left-hander and second to Nolan Ryan's 5,714.

"It's all been a bit of a whirlwind. I never really got caught up in what I did," Johnson said. "I never really dwelled on my achievements. They're nice. Maybe now I'll be able to reflect on them."

Johnson overcame several injuries to keep pitching effectively into his mid-40s. He said before last season ended that he looked forward to going home to Arizona and spending time with his family before making a decision about his future.

"It's taken this long into January because I definitely wanted to just kind of relax from the season being over and make sure I had a clear head when I made this decision, and that I would be making it wholeheartedly and would be sticking to it," he said.

Johnson went 8-6 with a 4.88 ERA in 17 starts and five relief appearances for San Francisco last season despite missing more than two months with a strained left shoulder that also had a tear in the rotator cuff. He returned in late September as a reliever, a role he couldn't see himself embracing in order to keep pitching.

His final strikeout came on the season's final day at San Diego, against Adrian Gonzalez to end the seventh inning. Johnson said he developed a better appreciation for relief pitchers last year.

"My 40s have really been learning years," he said. "The last five years of my career, there's been a lot there to sift through, a lot of ups and downs, some great moments in my career and some moments that got my head scratching."

Johnson came out of a game July 5 against Houston with an injury, the first serious shoulder problem of his career. He felt something in his arm on a swing during that start but initially tried to pitch through it. He left the game after committing a throwing error in the fourth inning.

He was on the disabled list from July 6 to Sept. 16, marking the 10th DL stint of Johnson's career. He had four knee operations and three back surgeries, but worked his way back each time.

"This isn't a tall man's sport -- basketball is," Johnson said.

But by the time he was done, he had a Hall of Fame resume.

Johnson signed with his hometown Giants before last season to try to help them reach the playoffs. They stayed in the NL wild-card chase well into September but missed the postseason for a sixth straight year.

Pitching in San Francisco, Johnson was only about 40 miles west of where he grew up in Livermore.

He largely stayed to himself in his final season, insisting the 300-win milestone wasn't his top priority. Then on June 4 at Washington, he became the 24th pitcher in big league history to accomplish the feat.

Johnson pitched his first no-hitter in 1990, won 19 games with 308 strikeouts in 1993 and led the Mariners to their first playoff berth with an 18-2 record in 1995. He finished his 10-year stint in Seattle with a 130-74 record before being traded to Houston in 1998.

He signed as a free agent with the Diamondbacks before the following season, beginning one of the most dominating runs a pitcher has ever had. Johnson won the Cy Young in each of his first four seasons with Arizona, capturing the coveted pitcher's triple crown in 2002 with a 24-5 record, 2.32 ERA and 334 strikeouts.

His most memorable moments were in 2001, when he came out of the bullpen to beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series to give the Diamondbacks the title. He went 3-0 in the Series, sharing the MVP award with Curt Schilling.

At age 40, Johnson pitched a perfect game against Atlanta.

He didn't have as much success after leaving Arizona for the first time following the 2004 season. He won 34 games in two seasons with the Yankees, although the tenure was marred by a run-in with a camera man and postseason struggles.

He returned to Arizona in '07 and won 15 games in two years while struggling with back problems.

"I never thought I was going to play this long. I'm blessed that I did," he said, adding that he plans to coach someday.

Johnson has a one-year service agreement to work in some capacity for the Diamondbacks.

 

[Blake]

Hell of a <Censored>ing player, this sucks.

 

[.GR]

Do I even need to say Hall of Fame?

 

[RipCity32]

Bout time lmao.

But for real, hell of a career. Glad to say I saw him pitch in my lifetime.

 

[jarrod2323]

me, too!!!

 

[RipCity32]

GOAT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeSm6ya4ww8...feature=related

 

[playmaker7]

I wanted him back as the vet in the staff

Retiring a Giant though so its all good. Gonna miss him

 

[Gtown81]

one of the best, sucks to see him go, but if he played another season he'd either do alright or get injured for half the season

 

[snipezo]

Congrats to him for a great carrer.

 

[Blake]

I feel so old, all these guys I loved growing up and would put on my teams in video games are now old and retiring.

<Censored>. My. Life.

 

[jarrod2323]

I feel so old, all these guys I loved growing up and would put on my teams in video games are now old and retiring.

<Censored>. My. Life.

you feel old? :headsmack:

 

[Mexi]

i saw him play the dodgers the last 2 weeks of the season
he came out the pen in a blowout

i felt bad. it was not the Big Unit. it was really sad to watch

but he had an excellent career

 

[playmaker7]

There was no room in the rotation for him and he said he didn't want to come back in a bullpen role...that was assuming they'd re-sign Penny though . Guess he's done for good now unless he pulls a Favre

 

[cruzg24]

Damn one of the greatest left handers to ever play the game, he will be sorely missed.

 

[elcheato]

Sad to see him go..

And of course, Skip Brainless said he was overrated

 

[Mexi]

Sad to see him go..

And of course, Skip Brainless said he was overrated

what was his reasoning?

thats an absurd thing to say

 

[elcheato]

what was his reasoning?

thats an absurd thing to say

Playoff record, and that the only reason he has a WS ring is because of Curt Schilling was his reasoning.

 

[The Guid]

His 1999 final pitching line alone should shut Bayless up.

Sad to see him retire, he's a first ballot HOF for sure

 

[snipezo]

CHICAGO - Saying he's "at peace" with his decision, Frank Thomas announced his retirement Friday following a 19-season career in which he hit 521 homers and won two American League MVP awards with the Chicago White Sox.

Considering he didn't play last season, the news was hardly shocking.

"It took awhile to get to this point," the 41-year-old Thomas said during a news conference at U.S. Cellular Field. "I know I hadn't played since 2008, but I had to get baseball out of my system before I made this announcement.

"I'm happy with this announcement. I'm at peace with it. I had one heck of a career. I'm proud of it."

With his power and ability to hit for a high average and reach base, Thomas figures to land in the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible.

A five-time all-star who batted .301 with a .419 on-base average, Thomas is tied for 18th with Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on baseball's home run list while driving in 1,704 runs. And in an era clouded by performance-enhancing drugs, he was outspoken against their use.

Thomas split his final three seasons between Oakland and Toronto, but he'll be remembered most for a 16-year run with the White Sox.

He quickly emerged as one of the best players after debuting in 1990, winning MVP awards in 1993 and 1994 and a batting title in 1997 while setting club records for home runs (448) and RBIs (1,465) before a bitter split following the 2005 World Series-winning season.

Thomas was upset when the club bought out his option for US$3.5 million that December, and things got particularly nasty during the 2006 spring training. He sounded off in an interview with The Daily Southtown of suburban Tinley Park, Ill., and general manager Ken Williams responded by calling him "an idiot."

Thomas was angry with the organization for portraying him as a damaged player, although injuries to his left ankle limited him to 34 games and made him a spectator as the White Sox grabbed their first World Series title since 1917.

He criticized owner Jerry Reinsdorf for not calling him before the team decided to let him go.

"We all know Kenny Williams and I had a big blowup," Thomas said. "We both moved on.

"When you're pretty much considered an icon in a city as a player, it's always hard to let those players go. It's never a pretty or nice scene. We've seen it over the years. You think of a Brett Favre, (Shaquille O'Neal) leaving LA, Allen Iverson leaving Philly -- he's back in Philly, I'm happy for him. When players get to a certain level, it's never easy to say goodbye."

Thomas wound up going to Oakland and hit 39 homers with 114 RBIs in 2006 before signing an $18.12-million, two-year contract with Toronto. The Blue Jays released him early in the 2008 season, a day after he became angry after being taken out of the lineup. Thomas wound up back in Oakland, appearing in 55 games with the Athletics before a right thigh injury ended his season -- and, ultimately, his career.

The last year, he said, was "more sadness" that it didn't exactly end the way he wanted. He's not sure what the future holds, besides the White Sox retiring his No. 35 on Aug. 29. That figures to be a day to reflect, just as Friday was.

His favourite memory? That's easy. The 2005 World Series victory with Chicago.

"I saw this organization go from the bottom to the top, and to be a part of that through all the years, it meant so much to me to be on that float at the parade that day," said Thomas, who was injured and missed the post-season.

His most frustrating memory? The 1994 season.

The White Sox were leading the AL Central with a 67-46 record before a players' strike that wiped out the end of the regular season and playoffs, and Thomas believes they could have won it all.

"I think we had the best team in baseball, no doubt about it," he said. "Some people consider Montreal the best team, but I think the Chicago White Sox were the best team."

He called Ozzie Guillen the "funnest" manager he played for and said, "He knew how to push buttons."

He said the toughest starters he faced were Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. The toughest reliever? Jeff Nelson.

His favourite teammate was mentor Tim Raines, and his favourite individual accomplishment was winning the batting title because "I didn't get those cheap infield hits."

More than anything, though, he said, "I'm happy and proud because I competed at a high level with all that stuff going on."

That stuff, of course, is well documented.

"It wasn't one or two. It was more than that," Thomas said. "Maybe -- who knows? -- I was the guy they were trying to imitate."

He had a nice career. He'll be a Hall of Famer imo.

 

[Gtown81]

kind of a shitty ending in Toronto, its too bad cause I've always loved the guy