United They Fall

By JASON REID

May 10, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PHOENIX —

Randy Johnson is having the time of his life, though one couldn’t tell by his menacing scowl and disposition.

The Big Unit has been typically intense during his record-setting start, intimidating batters with every 98-mph fastball and piercing glare. His commanding presence has helped the Arizona Diamondbacks overcome injuries and move into the National League West lead while making this desert oasis baseball’s hottest spot.

Johnson is also making believers of critics who figured he couldn’t top last season’s Cy Young Award-winning performance.

He insists he’s having more fun than ever, just don’t expect him to show it because he needs to keep his edge. As if being a dominant 6-foot-10 left-hander weren’t enough.

Johnson and Dodger right-hander Kevin Brown are scheduled to start tonight in a marquee matchup at Bank One Ballpark.

The premier pitchers in the ’98 free-agent class, Johnson and Brown have been as good as advertised. But Johnson has been even better.

“A lot of people say to me, ‘You don’t appear to be enjoying it [his success],’ ” said Johnson, among the game’s most engaging players away from the spotlight. “I am. I just don’t get wrapped up in it. I don’t have time to think about it.

“I work extremely hard so that I can go out there and help my team. I work extremely hard so that I don’t cheat myself or my team. But I am having a great time now.”

It shows in his work.

Johnson is 7-0 with a 0.93 earned-run average and four complete games in seven starts. He has struck out 75 and walked 13 in 58 1/3 innings, and limited opponents to a .156 batting average. He is batting .273.

Johnson had what many consider the greatest April in baseball history, joining Dave Stewart and Vida Blue as the only pitchers to have won six games in the month. And Johnson’s 0.91 ERA was the lowest in the group.

The defending West champion Diamondbacks lead the division by five games despite many problems. Third baseman Matt Williams and closer Matt Mantei are sidelined because of injuries, others have started slowly and Manager Buck Showalter has had to shuffle the lineup frequently.

But the Diamondbacks keep rolling, and Johnson is leading the trip.

“Just look at where we are at this point with everything we’ve been through,” said infielder Andy Fox. “He has really helped us keep our heads above water.

“He brings an intensity level to the table that brings up the level of the whole team. You want to bring your game up to that level each game, so there’s a carry-over effect each time he pitches. He’s showing he’s one of the top two or three pitchers in the game.”

Actually, Johnson has been that for some time.

Last season, he became only the third pitcher to win Cy Young awards in both leagues, having also earned the honor with the Seattle Mariners in 1995.

In his first season with Arizona, Johnson led the NL with 364 strikeouts--fourth-most all time--a 2.48 ERA, 271 2/3 innings and 12 complete games. He went 17-9 despite poor run support, helping the Diamondbacks win 100 games and a division championship faster than any franchise.

The Diamondbacks believe they have already received a huge return on their four-year, $52-million investment in Johnson.

“He has separated himself from everyone else in the league,” said Arizona infielder-outfielder Tony Womack. “But you have to be careful not to get too caught up watching him because you still have to make the plays.

“Even though you know he’s a dominant pitcher, you have to stay focused. Michael Jordan’s teammates had to always be ready too.”

At 36, Johnson remains one of the game’s hardest throwers. His fastball is still clocked consistently at 98 mph, and his 89-mph slider is among the best.

He has refined a sinking fastball and gained better command of all his pitches. Johnson is no longer a one-trick wonder.

“I’ve tried to be more of a complete pitcher, as opposed to trying to overpower a guy all the time,” said Johnson, who with 2,768 strikeouts needs five to tie Frank Tanana for 15th place on the all-time list.

“I’m more concerned with going out there and throwing as few pitches as possible, not just in the game but in the inning. I get more satisfaction out of getting a double-play ball than striking out two guys in an inning.”

He’s still doing the latter frequently.

Johnson had at least 10 strikeouts in six of his seven outings this season. He has 131 double-digit strikeout games in his 11-plus seasons--the most by a left-hander and second only to Nolan Ryan.

Ryan has had a big influence on Johnson, helping him with his mechanics and guiding him on the journey from wild power thrower to polished pitcher.

“I’ve always given Nolan Ryan and [former Texas Ranger pitching coach] Tom House credit for sitting me down and working with me,” Johnson said. “Then it was up to me to take it a step further and become more of a pitcher.”

Johnson has been compared favorably with former Dodger lefty Sandy Koufax, and should one day join him in the Hall of Fame.

Dodger pitching coach Claude Osteen, a teammate of Koufax in 1965 and ‘66, admires both.

“Sandy dominated hitters and Randy dominates hitters, but it’s a different type of dominating,” said Osteen. “When hitters faced Sandy, they knew they weren’t going to get a lot of hits and they didn’t get a lot of hits, but I don’t think it was as much intimidating facing Sandy as Randy.

“I mean, that face that Randy makes, how pumped up he gets, how he jumps all over the hitters. Randy gets violent out there. I don’t know if that’s the word for it, but he’s so intimidating. Sandy just pitched.”

How intimidating is Johnson?

“He’s scary . . . especially if you bat left-handed,” said Dodger switch-hitting catcher Todd Hundley. “Left-handed, his release point is behind you. He’s literally throwing from behind you.

“It’s a legitimate concern about your life if one gets away from him. Not just your career, but it could kill you. You don’t want to be intimidated, you don’t want to think about it, but it’s just a fact.

“As big as he is, he’s like 53 feet away from the plate when the ball is out of his hand, and it seems a lot closer than that. I’ll tell, I’d much rather catch him than try to hit off of him.”

Hundley would have been Johnson’s batterymate had Johnson accepted the Dodgers’ free-agent contract offer in November ’98.

The Dodgers pursued the former USC pitcher first in free agency that off-season, focusing on Brown after Johnson rejected their more than $50-million offer. General Manager Kevin Malone and Manager Davey Johnson traveled to Johnson’s Phoenix-area home to make a pitch, and entertained Johnson and his family at Dodger Stadium with Fox officials.

“The way [agent] Scott [Boras] handled . . . [Kevin Brown’s] negotiation, we knew they were going to wait until the end [the winter meetings] to sign, so that enabled us to be involved with both of them,” Malone said. “I think we finished a close second on Randy, and we’re definitely happy we got Brownie.”

Brown went 18-9 with a 3.00 ERA last season in the first year of a seven-year, $105-million contract that made him the highest-paid player in baseball history. He is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA this season after being sidelined two weeks because of a broken right little finger.

“You couldn’t go wrong with either one of them,” said first baseman Eric Karros, involved in Johnson’s recruitment. “They’re both No. 1 starters and that’s what management wanted.”

Of course, the Dodgers offered only Brown the deluxe package that featured the use of a chartered jet. Would Johnson have learned to love L.A. again had he been offered a similar deal?

“Well, we’re only talking hypothetically, but I suppose if the Dodgers had said something like a $105-million offer, we would have taken that on the spot,” said Johnson’s co-agent, Barry Meister. “Quite frankly, we didn’t think the market would get to that point. But the only reason the Dodgers made that offer was because one of them was already off the board.”

Johnson said everything worked out best.

“It just came down to where it was going to be best for me and my family,” he said. “And it had nothing to do with the 20-minute drive to the ballpark, though that does come in handy when I’m running a little late.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Power to the Pitchers

Most strikeouts per nine innings in a season, age 35 or older (minimum 150 innings):

*--*

Name Age Year Team Strikeouts Randy Johnson 35 1999 Arizona 12.06 Nolan Ryan 40 1987 Houston 11.48 Nolan Ryan 42 1989 Texas 11.32 Nolan Ryan 44 1991 Texas 10.56 Roger Clemens 35 1998 Toronto 10.39 Nolan Ryan 43 1990 Texas 10.24 Nolan Ryan 39 1986 Houston 9.81 Nolan Ryan 37 1984 Houston 9.65 Nolan Ryan 41 1988 Houston 9.33 David Cone 35 1998 Yankees 9.06 Nolan Ryan 45 1992 Texas 8.98 Nolan Ryan 35 1982 Houston 8.81 Steve Carlton 38 1983 Philadelphia 8.73 Steve Carlton 37 1982 Philadelphia 8.71

*--*

NOTE: Randy Johnson is averaging 11.57 strikeouts per nine innings this year.

Active Pitching Leaders

WINS

1. Roger Clemens: 250

2. Greg Maddux: 225

3. Orel Hershiser: 204

8. Randy Johnson: 167

ERA

1. Pedro Martinez: 2.78

2. Greg Maddux: 2.81

3. Roger Clemens: 3.04