Big unit, Hall of Famer, ace. Call former pitcher Randy Johnson whatever you want. Well, almost anything. Johnson asks that you refrain from calling him a bird killer.
Seems reasonable.
Johnson pitched in the major leagues for more than 20 years, winning five Cy Young Awards, appearing in more than 300 games, striking out 4,875 batters and being selected to the All-Star team 10 times, but he’s best remembered as the pitcher who killed birds with his blistering fastball.
It wasn’t intentional. He’s not a psychopath.
You may have forgotten, but a bird flew in between Johnson and a batter at the worst possible time during spring training camp in March 2001. Unlike the bird, its wings quickly flew away, and the bird ended up getting roasted by the Big Unit heater.
Nearly a quarter century later, people haven’t forgotten — but Johnson must hope they have.
“People say, ‘Hey, aren’t you the pitcher that hit that bird?'” Johnson said Saturday from the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast booth. “And I look at them and I say, ‘I’ve played 22 years and I’ve done a lot more than hit birds,'” Johnson said with a laugh.
July 10, 2001: Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches for the National League during the 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The American League won, 4-1. Digital image credit: Otto Gruele/Allsport
Randy Johnson wasn’t the only one to kill a flightless bird.
You can’t blame Johnson for wanting to be known for something other than killing pigeons, especially considering how successful he’s been throughout his major league career, but at least one other fellow pitcher, also with the Diamondbacks, has done his best to deflect negative attention from the Big Unit’s infamous bird-killing day.
Just over 14 months ago, Zach Gallen took the life of a bird in flight with a baseball. Gallen, like Johnson, is a pitcher, but Gallen’s pitch came from the outfield (warming up) rather than from the mound.
Despite Gallen’s best efforts, it is Johnson who will always be remembered as baseball’s greatest bird-killer. You never forget your first time.
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