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The Great Walter Johnson Debuts 109 Years Ago Today!
“On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him. … every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.” –Ty Cobb in 1907 speaking of a rookie named Walter Johnson
Can’t let the day go by without mentioning that today is the anniversary of Walter Johnson’ major league debut. Pitching for the Washington Senators, Johnson lost 3-2 to the Tigers. The first hit he gave up was a bunt single to Ty Cobb
“The Big Train” was unquestionably one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball’s early decades. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Washington Senators (1907–1927), and later served as manager of the Senators (1929-1932) and for the Cleveland Indians (1933-1935). Johnson’s gentle nature was legendary, and to this day he, along with Christy Mathewson, are held up as examples of good sportsmanship and friendly competition.
Johnson’s Career Highlights
In his 21-year career, Johnson pitched in 802 games over 5914.1 innings, posting a 417-279 record (.599), a career 2.17 ERA, and 3508 strikeouts. His 417 wins are second all-time to Cy Young’s 511. They are the only two in history to win more than 400 games. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, and is fourth all-time in complete games with 531.
His 3508 strikeouts was the major league record for over 55 years, until Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Gaylord Perry (in that order) all surpassed it in 1983. Other career highlights include: twelve 20-win seasons, with ten in a row; winning the pitching triple crown three times; two American League Most Valuable Player Awards; six-time American League wins champion; five time American League ERA champion; a record twelve-time American League strikeout champion, including a record eight consecutive seasons; a member of the World Series champion Washington Senators (1924); and a no-hitter in 1920. For the decade from 1910-1919, Johnson averaged 26 wins per season and had an overall ERA of 1.59.
Johnson topped thirty wins twice (33 in 1912 and 36 in 1913). He had a 38–26 record in games decided by a 1–0 score. Johnson also lost 65 games because his teams failed to score a run. He was the only player in the 3,000 strikeout club for over 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974.
Walter Johnson’s Great 1913 Season
Johnson posted a remarkable 36-7 (.837) record in 1913, which accounted for 40% of the team’s total wins. He pitched 346 innings that year, with a 1.14 ERA, 243 strikeouts, and 11 shutouts. He completed 29 of the 36 games he started. His 1.14 ERA was the fourth lowest ever at the time and remains the sixth-lowest in major league history, despite being surpassed by Bob Gibson in 1968 (1.12) for lowest ERA ever by a 300+ inning pitcher. In April and May, he pitched 55.2 consecutive scoreless innings, still the American League record and the third-longest streak in history. In May 1918, Johnson pitched 40 consecutive scoreless innings becoming the only pitcher in history with two 40+ inning streaks.
Washington Wins the World Series, 1924
Although he often pitched for losing teams during his career, Johnson finally led the Washington Senators to the World Series in 1924, his 18th year in the American League. Johnson lost the first and fifth game of the 1924 World Series, but became the hero by pitching four scoreless innings in relief in the seventh and deciding game, winning in the 12th inning. Washington returned to the World Series the following season, but Johnson’s experience was close to the inverse: two early wins, followed by a Game Seven loss.
Johnson was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. along with Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner (The Five Immortals). He is also a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century and All-Time Teams. Johnosn passed away on Decdmber 10, 1946, at age 59.
-Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: The George Brace Baseball Photo Collection, The Leslie Jones Boston Public Library collection, The Charles Conlon Collection, and Public Domain.
Information: Excerpts edited from the Walter Johnson Wikipedia page
Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com
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