HOF Randy Johnson’s Hardluck Games vs. the A’s

Though just elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Randy Johnson had a few unfortunate losses against the Athletics Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As expected, former Seattle Mariner (and Livermore High School graduate), Randy Johnson was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Johnson, though a flame throwing nemesis to the Oakland A’s during his time with the Mariners, had a few ill fortuned losses to the guys in green and gold throughout the 90s.

In August of 1991 at Seattle’s Kingdome, with the Mariners leading 4-0 over an overpowering A’s line-up of Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and Rickey Henderson, Johnson was shooting for the second no-hitter of his career.

After walking lead-off batter Scott Brosius in the ninth, A’s second baseman, and current third base coach, Mike Gallego spoiled the bid lining the first pitch to left field for a single. Three of the next four batters struck out with a walk to Rickey Henderson sandwiched between, and Canseco went down swinging as the last out with the bases loaded for a 4-0 shutout for Johnson.

Two seasons later, history repeated itself to Johnson with a similar no-no break up in May 1993; this time in Oakland when he came within two outs of Seattle’s second no-hitter of the season.

In a 7-0 game, with one out in the ninth and a runner on first courtesy of a Mike Bordick walk, Lance Blankenship, a .221 hitter, blooped a soft single into right field, a ball on which outfielder Jay Buhner didn’t have a chance to even get close to. Johnson again walked Rickey Henderson but sent down striking out Eric Fox and Ruben Sierra in a 14-strike out complete game win.

Fast forward now to June 24, 1997 where then 11-1 Johnson’s fastball is blazing in a game against the A’s and in the end, Johnson struck out his career high of 19 batters in a 9-inning effort, one short to Roger Clemen’s 20. (The 19 K high mark is tied with Ron Guidry for the strike out record by lefties)

Johnson fanned 15 batters in the first six innings, none in the seventh, all three he faced in the eight, and had a chance to break the record in the ninth by striking out the side in the ninth, but only K’d one – rookie second baseman Mark Bellhorn.

Now one would think a 19-strike out, complete game would be worthy of a win, but in this case the A’s also got 11 hits and were aided by a fifth inning monstrous and very memorable Mark McGwire 538-foot HR smacked into the Kingdome’s left field second deck.

The A’s starting pitcher that night, a 1-7 Steve Karsay, also helped the club by only giving up three Mariner scattered hits through six full innings, with assistance from the bullpen where the lone Mariners run of a 4-1 A’s win came in the bottom of the ninth on a ground out to the third baseman for the second out of the inning.

Overall, Johnson was 303-166 in his career but only 15-9 vs the A’s, including 4 wins in his stints with the Yankees and Giants. He received 97.3 percent of the vote from the BBWAA.