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cj
06-06-2009, 11:30 AM
Not much fanfare for his accomplishment, but I think it is HUGE. This guy won tons of games and struck out thousands of batters during the steroid era and is still pitching well at 45. Hats off to one great pitcher.

boomman
06-06-2009, 12:21 PM
A GREAT accomplishment indeed, and the last 300 game winner for a while. I suspect the lack of fanfare is due to his occasionally "sour" demeanor toward the media which really peaked when he was in New York. I think he's sort of mellowed now............

Boomer

Marshall Bennett
06-06-2009, 12:29 PM
One of the game's greats and a mainstay . Still has some zip left in that arm at 45 . Quite an intimidating figure on the mound at 6'10" , as was the case with one J.R. Richard at 6'8" , not quite as tall but threw harder .

fiveouttasix
06-06-2009, 01:47 PM
Very intimidating. Just ask John Kruk!

jballscalls
06-06-2009, 02:29 PM
growing up in Seattle, i have very fond memories of the Big Unit. He is the man

njcurveball
06-06-2009, 06:08 PM
Not much fanfare for his accomplishment, but I think it is HUGE.


I have to agree with you on this one. He might be the last pitcher to get to 300 wins with todays specialist era. Roy Halladay at 32 years old is not even halfway there.

IN a sport where winning is "the only thing" I agree this accomplishment should have gotten more publicity. ESPN cut to the 9th inning and showed the celebration afterwards.

JustRalph
06-06-2009, 06:59 PM
Johnson and Curt Schilling in that World Series........... great memories........

kenwoodallpromos
06-06-2009, 08:31 PM
I had hoped last time his contract was up he joined the Giants, glad he did this time. I think they passed on him last time.

banacek
06-06-2009, 08:37 PM
Amazing accomplishment. The sad thing to me is there appeared to be so few people in the stands...I know it was in an away game in Washington and the weather wasn't great, but this is history.

dutchboy
06-07-2009, 08:58 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_leaders_in_career_wi ns

Good link. Click on a pitchers name and you can read their story.

cj's dad
06-07-2009, 06:23 PM
Quite possibly the last 300 game winner ever !!

cj
06-07-2009, 09:07 PM
Quite possibly the last 300 game winner ever !!

Yep, and the vast majority against a bunch of pumped up steroids users. I guess it doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't hit it.

OTM Al
06-07-2009, 09:29 PM
Quite possibly the last 300 game winner ever !!

This was said 10 years ago and several happened since. Its harder than it was because of fewer starts per year. There are a couple guys out there now who could get there. Sabathia is only 28 and has 122 already so he has a chance. Mike Mussina might have made it had he wanted to stick around. Never did understand why Yankee fans were down on Randy, other than its what the press wanted them to think....he had a couple very good years here and just stunk it up in the playoffs along with the rest of the team.

PaceAdvantage
06-08-2009, 03:18 AM
I agree Al...I was looking at Johnson's record in NY recently and asked another fan that with these kinds of stats, how did Johnson get such a bad rep in NY?

cj's dad
06-08-2009, 07:09 PM
Bob Gibson and Jim Palmer - now those are stats !!

Marshall Bennett
06-08-2009, 07:16 PM
Fergie Jenkins ... note the complete games and walks per innings pitched . Pitching at Wrigley Field for much of his career ( not to mention the heat of the day ) didn't do many of his stats justice , paricularly home runs allowed .

Quagmire
06-08-2009, 07:23 PM
The way the teams treat pitchers today I doubt we will see a 300 game winner for along time. If a starter goes 6 innings nowadays and turns the game over to the bullpen it is considered an accomplishment. Some of the greats already listed in this thread were just getting warmed up by the 6th inning.

The owners have so much invested in some of these guys in long term contracts they are afraid of them being injured by throwing to many pitches. The only exception I can think of in the past few seasons was CC with the Brewers last season, he was playing out his option and they definitely got there moneys worth out of him down the stretch. To me it seems a pitcher has just as much chance of being injured after 1 inning as they do after 8 innings.

OTM Al
06-08-2009, 08:52 PM
I agree Al...I was looking at Johnson's record in NY recently and asked another fan that with these kinds of stats, how did Johnson get such a bad rep in NY?

He wasn't good with the press. As a fellow NYer, I think you know exactly what that means.

JustRalph
06-09-2009, 01:35 AM
Bob Gibson and Jim Palmer - now those are stats !!


But they played in the day when you could throw at hitters............

Not anymore.............I loved both of those guys when I was a kid.

Especially Gibson. I think it was the 68 World Series where I thought he was a pitching god...........

I saw an interview with Willie Mays the other night on HBO and he was talking about how guys used to wonder if they would come off the field on a stretcher after facing Gibson..........you don't see that today...........

Marshall Bennett
06-09-2009, 09:16 AM
Beleive it was 1968 that Gibson posted a 1.12 era and Yas led the American League with a .301 batting avg. The following year they lowered the pitching mound 5 or 6 inches . :)

Marshall Bennett
06-09-2009, 08:07 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_leaders_in_career_wi ns

Good link. Click on a pitchers name and you can read their story.
Found this quite interesting while checking out Gaylord Perry . He was such a lousy hitter that in 1963 he said they would put a man on the moon before he ever hit a home run . Within minutes after the moon landing in 1969 he hit his first home run . :)