May 20, 2004

History is Made. Don't know how many of you monkeys are sports fans, but this should be recorded for posterity. Randy Johnson has become the oldest pitcher in history to pitch a perfect game. In a sport that gets to be more and more broken every year, it's the legends that keep it breathing.

Be sure to check out the stats sidebar, particularly velocity of last pitch, number of 3-ball counts, and number of 2-ball counts. Whether you like the game or not, these numbers are the marks of true excellence.

posted by middleclasstool 20 years ago
  • I'm three years younger than Randy Johnson, and sometimes my arm gets tired lifting a pint of beer.
  • I'm eleven years younger than Johnson, and sometimes I need a nap after a good poop.
  • I'm seventeen years younger, and I get tired just typing a sen While we're recording little bits of recent sporting history... I'm not a fan of Arsenal, but to do something that hasn't been done since 1889 - man oh man, they were great this season.
  • I just wish I'd seen the game -- I'm not a fan of any of Johnson's teams, but he's a great, great pitcher, and fully deserves this. I'm proud to have seen both him and Clemens pitch. People who grumble that "ballplayers were better when I was a kid" (whether that glorious period was twenty, forty, or seventy years ago) have their heads up their asses. We're living in the great age of baseball players; if only the damn bosses wouldn't keep screwing it up!
  • Great or not, I tend to avoid anyone they call, "The Big Unit"
  • Also worth noting is the fact that the fans in Atlanta (the losing side) gave Johnson a standing ovation, and were chanting "Randy! Randy!" throughout the final inning. A classy gesture.
  • That is classy. I like it when fans recognize actual achievement and don't just boo a guy 'cause he's on the opposing team. *cough*devilfans*cough*
  • Wow! I saw his face on the telly today, but didn't keep it on long enough to learn what for. Great!
  • i caught the last 3 innings (i was channel surfing and happened to see a box score in progress and figured it was worth sticking around). he was on fire. last pitch 97 miles an hour. dag. do you remember when RJ accidentally hit that bird with a pitch? that is one crazy piece of footage... http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2001/0325/1161522.html
  • Yes, but do you think he could do it on acid?
  • rocket88: You're half right: they gave him two standing ovations. One at the end of the eighth, another after the last pitch. And that is precisely what's so wonderful about baseball. You can hate the guy, you can think he secretly tortures kittens, you can want to burn his house to the ground, but if he does something this good, you can't help but stand up and cheer. And the bird thing was pretty cool too. Not to mention when he threw 20 Ks in nine innings.
  • btw, only one three-ball count? only eight two-ball counts? not fair. we shouldn't be expected to play against that.
  • It was the 17th perfect game in major league history, the 15th since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since the New York Yankees' David Cone against Montreal on July 18, 1999. lord i love baseball!
  • SideDish, maybe you could try to bring the Senators back? A woman who loves baseball and has a tattoo... exactly why I married my wife.
  • This is just fantastic. I wish I could have seen that game. Heard it on the radio when the game ended - they interrupted the Red Sox game to announce it - and I was so psyched for him.
  • SideDish, maybe you could try to bring the Senators back? I second that request. Pretty please?
  • SideDish, maybe you could try to bring the Senators back? Why don't you just take the Expos when nobody's looking? (which is pretty much anytime)
  • Ohh...burn!
  • I hate that this had to happen against my beloved nine boys, and I've never really liked Mr. Johnson, but ultra kudos to him. A rare feat indeed, especially given his age. Most pitchers have been put out to pasture by then.
  • props to the Unit, fo shizzle. Counterpoint however, these aren't your father's Braves. They went from 80+ million to 20+million during the offseason. Shef woulda given some trouble, maybe Javy too. Sorry I missed it though it sounded like a great game.
  • Well, that's just wonderful. Could someone please do something with the Mariner's???? It's hard to maintain loyalty to the team that loses some of the very best players (Johnson, Rodriguez, Griffey, etc..) and may be losing Boone, too (one of my favorites). Actually, all Seattle teams lose the best players (Gary Payton!). It really sucks having to root for other teams during any season in order to have a chance to look forward to the finals. /rant.=<