Like it or not, Colorado’s Larry Walker, who could be the major leagues’ first .400 hitter in more than half a century, will have to step in against Randy Johnson in the All-Star Game here Tuesday night.
Walker, who leads the majors with a .398 average, took himself out of the lineup June 13 when the Rockies met Seattle in an interleague game. Walker bats left-handed and indicated he would be helpless against Johnson, Seattle’s 6-foot-10-inch fireballing left-hander.
Rather than risk an 0 for 4, Walker sat out so his regular-season average wouldn’t be affected. But Walker, who will be batting sixth in the National League order Tuesday, is likely to face Johnson in the first or second inning. Johnson will be the American League’s starting pitcher and is the majors’ strikeout leader.
There is this consolation: Tuesday’s matchup in the annual midsummer classic is only an exhibition game and won’t be included in the official statistics.
In an interview Monday, Johnson was questioned about Walker’s purposely avoiding him.
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Johnson explained he and Walker had been minor-league teammates when they were in the Montreal organization. “He had all the tools,” Johnson said. “Even back then, I predicted he had superstar ability.”
It was obvious Johnson wouldn’t be putting a direct knock on his longtime buddy.
Still, he said, “How are you going to get better if you don’t face all challenges?”
In other words, the only way Walker would learn how to hit left-handers would be to bat against them at every opportunity.
Johnson then told of his youth, when he was an avid tennis player.
“I was always getting beat,” he recalled. “I was always coming home with my tail between my legs. I told my mother I was through with tennis. I just wasn’t any good.
“And she gave me some advice I’ve never forgotten. She said I should pick out the best tennis player on the street and play him every day. If I did that, my game would improve. And it did.”
Johnson said this approach helped him develop as a major-league pitcher.
“I lost eight consecutive games in ’90 or ’91. And that’s when I learned the most. I had to study myself and figure out what was wrong. I studied the hitters and worked on my delivery. The only way you learn is through failure.”
There is absolutely no question that Johnson has mastered the craft. He has a remarkable 116-66 won-lost record, which is among the best in baseball history and, even more significantly, has a career ratio of 10.23 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched. Nolan Ryan, who pitched seven no-hitters, was the previous strikeout king with 9.59.
A reporter told Johnson “everyone’s” afraid to hit against him.
Johnson was amused.
“You mean no one’s going to be in the lineup (Tuesday) night?” he asked.
Quickly, he added, “I can’t get caught up in that. There are plenty of guys out there who hit me.”
And, of course, Oakland slugger Mark McGwire was the first name mentioned.
“I don’t know whether I should go to home plate and give him a forearm bash, or just call him up and say, `What are you doing to me?’ ” he said.
Johnson recently had 19 strikeouts but, in the same game, was also the victim of a monster McGwire home run.
“The 19 strikeouts were nice,” he said. “But what I’ll always remember is that home run. I don’t think anybody has hit a ball that far. It was so long it should have counted for two home runs.”
The Yankees’ Joe Torre, who will manage the AL All-Stars, said he had debated the possibility of starting his own David Cone instead of Johnson but concluded Johnson was the pitcher most fans would want to see.
“It’s going to be an extravaganza,” Torre said, “and he’s pretty special. I think this game was made for him.”