Of all the major-league pitchers who have made more than 100 career starts, Seattle fireballer Randy Johnson holds the record for most strikeouts per nine innings. He has averaged 10.44 Ks, which is more than Nolan Ryan or Sandy Koufax. Ryan is fourth on the list with 9.55, Koufax fifth with 9.27.
So Johnson, who was at Comiskey Park last week, was asked if he had any particular advice for Kerry Wood, the Cubs’ rookie phenom who in six starts already has tied Roger Clemens’ one-game record of 20 strikeouts. In his next start he fanned 13 more for an all-time record of 33 in successive starts. A total of 58 Ks in 34.1 innings–a remarkable 15.20 per nine innings.
“I would tell him, `Just continue to be yourself,’ ” Johnson said. ” `Be level-headed and stay on an even keel.’ “
Then, Johnson asked, “Is it true he turned down the Jay Leno show?”
Yes, that’s true.
“That’s very good. He should do everything he can to avoid the hype. His job is to pitch, not to go on television.”
Do you have any suggestions how he could stay free of injuries? Is it true you never have had a sore arm?
“Yes and no,” Johnson said. “I’ve never been on the disabled list with a sore arm. But any player is always at risk of having an injury. Every pitcher will have a sore arm. There’s not one pitcher you can talk to who has not had soreness in his arm.
“I’ve been lucky. Nine years in the big leagues and I’ve been on the DL twice–once when I get hit on the elbow, and then when I had back surgery. Injuries happen. There’s no getting by it. He can go out there and throw one pitch and hurt his elbow or shoulder. Hopefully, that won’t happen.”
Isn’t there always the tendency to overthrow–especially when you want to get one strikeout?
“Of course. But this is where the pitching coach and his teammates can help. The coach has got to sit down and tell him, `Stay within yourself.’ Other people will tell him that too. His catcher will be the first to know when he’s trying too hard. He has to talk to him too.
“He should never try to strike people out. It just happens. Striking out somebody is probably the hardest thing to do in major-league baseball. You just don’t plan that. It develops.
“But there are times when you try to get a strikeout. Late in the game, when there’s a runner on third with less than two outs and he’s the tying or winning run. You just don’t want a strikeout. You want to keep the ball in the infield.
“I’d rather get a one-pitch groundball and a double play than strike someone out. You throw a lot fewer pitches that way.
“One of the things that surprised me about his 20-strikeout game was he threw only 120 pitches. Normally, when a pitcher gets a lot of strikeouts, he’ll throw 135 to 140 pitches.
“I had two 19-strikeout games last year, against the White Sox and against Oakland. In both of these games, I’m sure I needed more than 120 pitches. Against the White Sox I had 18 or 19 in the first eight innings. I tried for 20.
“When you try too hard, your muscles tighten up.”
How many 10-strikeout games do you have?
“About 85. That’s not much compared to Nolan Ryan or Koufax. Do you know how many they have?”
Ryan has 215, Koufax 97. Steve Carlton is fourth with 83, Roger Clemens fifth with 82. Bob Feller, who like Wood was also a rookie strikeout sensation, finished with 54, 10th on the all-time list.
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“I’d much rather have a better winning percentage,” said Johnson. “Winning is what’s important, not strikeouts. A sportswriter can write a story and say, `Randy Johnson hasn’t had 10 strikeouts in his last four games, so he must be in a slump.’ That’s ludicrous. What counts is, how many of those games did you win?”
What about the pressure? The fans will be disappointed if Kerry Wood gets fewer than 15 strikeouts.
“I disagree. I don’t think they’d be disappointed. They’d rather see him win.”
Any other observations?
“I don’t think he realizes what he’s done. He’s accomplished something that only one other pitcher has done.
“He’s young. I hope he stays healthy. Let him go out and have a great career.
“You measure greatness when the career is over, not by the way it starts.”