Yankees Fantasy: Winter Edition #1 - Big Unit

I’d like to start a new winter feature here at COH, to appear off and on while we wait for pitchers and catchers. It is called Yankees Fantasy: Winter Edition. I tacked on “Winter Edition” because I kind of like the idea and hope to continue it even after the season starts. The winter version of Yankee Fantasy is kind of a wishful look at the season ahead and what many of us in Yankeeland hope happens. Anyone in their 30’s or 40’s now might remember the Marvel Comics series “What If?” I’m looking at this column as a kind of Yankees “What If?”

In the first Yankees Fantasy, I will tackle the dream scenario for Randy “Big Unit” Johnson, so with no further ado, I bring you “Yankees Fantasy: Winter Edition #1”.

October 6, 2006

After nearly missing the playoffs completely due to serious back problems, Randy Johnson made his scheduled start in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Former Yankee, and all around bad guy, Kenny Rogers, opposed him. Rogers was spectacular, having bathed in pine tar prior to game time, and raged against the night, frothing at the mouth while doing so. Johnson, on the other hand, was hit hard. The second inning saw three consecutive singles open the frame, the third scoring Carlos Guillen to put the Tigers on the board first. After a Brandon Inge strikeout, Johnson got Curtis Granderson to ground out, scoring Ivan Rodriguez, but allowed him to steal second immediately thereafter. The stolen base would cost Johnson, as Granderson scored in the very next at bat, as the immortal Placido Polanco singled him home. 3-0 Tigers.

Johnson held his own until the 6th inning, when he lost control and gave up a walk, a double play, an infield single, and a pair of doubles to break the game wide open at 5-0. The Yankee bats never came alive against Kenny Rogers and it was curtains for the Big Unit. His final line:

5.2 IP
8 hits
2 walks
4 strikeouts
5 earned runs

For those counting, his ERA on the night was 7.94, and his WHIP 1.765. It became clear later that the 42-year old Johnson’s back injury was serious enough that it would require surgery. Of course, anyone who watched the Yankees in 2006 was not surprised by that at all, as the big man posted a terrifyingly bad 77 ERA+ on the season. His ERA sat at 5.00 and Yankee fans had all but given up on him as a useful member of the rotation. The 6’10” Hall of Famer with the bad back, bad attitude, and big contract was a New York bust, and most fans were just waiting out the end of the 2007 season when his contract would expire, and a new, younger pitcher could take his place.

Johnson had surgery on his herniated back October 26th, and his surgeon, who also performed Johnson’s first surgery 10 years ago, remarked that the surgery went fine. Johnson would report to Spring Training later than the rest of the pitchers and catchers, and started the season a few weeks late after some positive workouts in Tampa. Johnson remarked to reporters prior to joining the Yankees in the Bronx for their April 17th contest against Cleveland, “My back hasn’t felt this good since I was in Arizona. I probably should have had this surgery sooner. I look forward to testing things out with the club up North. I think you’ll see a stronger Randy Johnson this year, but we’ll take it game by game and see how things progress.”

Fans remained skeptical, but a strong first outing against the Indians saw the Big Unit strike out 7 consecutive batters at one point, while surrendering only a single run over 6 strong innings. Johnson spoke to reporters following the game.

“You just try to work hard, and get back into shape. Y’know? A lot of people want to write you off, and to be honest I don’t know what’s going to happen at this age on a game by game basis, but I feel strong and we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Good night.”

With that the 2007 campaign for Randy Johnson began. It was smooth sailing for Johnson as he managed to finish the month of April 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. His victories included a blowout in Tampa Bay that saw the Yankees strike early for 10 runs in the first 4 innings, and a hard fought battle in the Bronx against Boston, where Johnson held the Red Sox to 2 runs over 7 innings, allowing the Yankees to scratch out 4 runs against Jonathon Papelbon, who looked great in defeat. The Yankees, 3 games up in first, had Johnson to thank for a spectacular open to the season.

Over the course of the next several months, Johnson combined with a solid rotation of Yankee pitchers to lead the American League in team wins and strikeouts. Johnson hit the All-Star break looking like a Cy Young contender with a record of 11-4 and a 3.75 ERA over 18 games. A few rough outings here and there kept doubt in the minds of Yankees fans, but each time he faltered, he bounced back to impress with a stellar follow up performance. Johnson was named to the American League All-Star team and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out Chase Utley and Jason Bay, a getting hometown hero Barry Bonds on a deep fly out to the wall.

The second half of the season proved to be equally impressive for Johnson. In his remaining 14 starts, the Big Unit showed his Hall of Fame form by leading the charge to another division title and the best record in baseball. In his final start, with a record of 19 and 8, Johnson needed only one win to join the 300 club. His opponent that night, a Baltimore Orioles club without slugger Miguel Tejada, long since eliminated in the AL East. The final days of the season had grown very cold and Camden Yards was windy and frigid. The always appreciative Baltimore fans were severely outnumbered by Yankees commuters, who always make the trip and give the Yards a Yankees Beltway feel.

On this kind of night, the Bombers have always known how to make a party start early. Johnny Damon led off the game with a booming double to the gap. Jeter followed by hustling out another double, scoring Damon on a wild throw from Corey Patterson that missed the cutoff man, and allowed a digging Jeter to slide in just under the re-directed throw. Bobby Abreu walked. Alex Rodriguez came up with two men on, no one out, a one run lead, and history in the making. Rodriguez, who led the American League with 51 home runs in 2007, stepped to the plate against Daniel Cabrera. Fans rose to their feet, as had become the tradition for Rodriguez in a redemption season for the embattled third baseman, Cabrera threw the first pitch inside on A-Rod pushing him off the plate. The second pitch was wide, outside. Taking the third pitch, A-Rod saw the count move to 2 balls and a strike, and his eyes fixed on the mound. Cabrera, clearly shaken, reared back and fired a high strike that Rodriguez crushed into the night. The ball cleared the wall at Camden and landed on the street beyond. The Yankees led 4-0 before a single out had been recorded.

For his part, Johnson was excellent. He worked out of a jam in the 5th inning, by getting Kevin Millar to ground into a bases loaded, inning ending, double play. Other than that, no one could touch Johnson on his big night. He pitched 7 strong shutout innings, leaving to a standing ovation, and a 9-0 lead. His 300th victory in the books, a 20 win season, and a chance to avenge his past playoff failures in pinstripes seemed to loom large on the horizon. Johnson was handed the ball for Game One of the American League Division Series against the wild card Twins. Johan Santana was set to oppose him.

The build up to the ALDS had an electric atmosphere. Yankee Stadium was charged with a new life, as the team had come together in a way that we had not enjoyed in recent years. The rotation managed to hold together all season, and the offense was clicking on all cylinders, scoring at a clip of 6.25 runs per game. Alex Rodriguez was a shoe-in for MVP, leading a pack again made up of Manny Ramirez (45 home runs, 135 RBI), David Ortiz (44 home runs, 112 RBI), Travis Hafner (38 home runs, 126 RBI), and Vladimir Guerrero (.355 average, 31 home runs, 118 RBI). But, that’s a story for another day.

Johnson and Santana squared off in chilly October conditions at the Stadium. The crowd gave Unit a standing ovation when he walked to the mound in the first inning. As usual, Johnson was oblivious to everything around him. No one had spoken to him in two days, and the media couldn’t get a word about the upcoming start. The headline of the NY Daily News read, “Unit of One.” The Post wrote a piece describing Johnson’s desperation to go out with a championship in pinstripes, and the pressure that he was feeling in his final go round in the playoffs. Mike Lupica wrote a story in which he described Johnson as the worst 20 win pitcher in the history of the game, “a surly and unlikable fellow that you just can’t help but root against. He will be remembered as much for being another washed-up Steinbrenner boy toy who couldn’t live up to his big contract, as anything. He and A-Rod. It’s probably all A-Rod’s fault.”

A suspenseful game unfolded in Game One, as Johnson and Santana opened the first four innings with almost mirror results. 4 innings pitched, no runs, 2 hits, one walk, and 4 strikeouts. It was apparent that neither pitcher was going to blink. Yankee fans began to buzz in the stands as the bats just couldn’t crack an opposing pitcher when it counted. That is, until Derek Jeter led off the bottom of the 5th with a solo shot into the bleachers. The Stadium erupted into a frenzy and “Let’s Go Yankees!” could be heard all the way from the Bronx to Battery Park. Johnson would run with the lead until the 7th inning, when Joe Mauer singled to center. With Mike Myers and “Everyday” Scott Proctor warming in the pen, Torre elected to keep Johnson on the mound to face Justin Morneau. In retrospect, it was a bad idea. Morneau lined a double deep into the right field gap, plating Mauer and knotting the score at 1 apiece. Johnson’s night was over and he fumed as he walked to the dugout amidst a chorus of cheers and a standing ovation.

The Yankees would go on to win the ballgame on a 2 run 8th that sealed the victory and earned Mariano a victory in 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Johnson had held his own, and the Yankees had taken Game One. The rest of the series went more easily as the Yankee bats swept through the Twins and looked to a match up with the AL Central champion Detroit Tigers. Revenge was on everyone’s mind. Rather than Kenny Rogers in Game Two, the Yankees would send Johnson to the mound against Justin Verlander. Verlander had won 18 games in 2007, and looked to be a perennial Cy Young candidate with his improving command. The Yankees owned another one game lead in the series, thanks to bats that had showed up against the animated Kenny Rogers, minus pine tar. Chien Min Wang had held the Tigers to 4 runs over 8 innings, and the Bombers managed to pull out a 6-4 victory. Game Two would be even easier.

Verlander was shaky to start the game, much as he was in 2006, but this time the bats took advantage and staked Unit to an early 3-0 lead on a Jason Giambi blast. Johnson gave two runs back in the 3rd inning, after losing Magglio Ordonez on a 3-2 count Carlos Guillen took the 6’10” ace deep. That was all she wrote, however, as Johnson kept Sheffield in the park on 2 strikeouts and 2 infield flies. His complete line was 7 innings pitched, 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. The Yankees would go on to win the series 4 games to 1, and enter the World Series against the Mets in a revival of the wildly popular 2000 Subway Series. Johnson would again start Game One against Barry Zito.

The press was really pushing Johnson for comments on this start. All the major media outlets were playing up the notion that this could be the Big Unit’s last start before election to Cooperstown, and for once he was biting. Johnson uncharacteristically talked about his feelings prior to the game. It wasn’t a lot, and none of his comments were earth-shattering news to anyone, but the fact that he spoke at all, with a nostalgic look in his eye, and a softer tone in his voice, made headlines. The New York press gave Johnson a tremendous write up, marking a turn in the many contentious years he had spent at odds with them. Everyone knew that it had been a magical, perfect season in New York and Johnson had been one half of the story. A-Rod being the other.

Johnson was nervous to open the Series. The pressure of the moment was evident on his face and he swallowed hard during the singing of the national anthem. Cameras caught him mumbling to himself, as he mentally prepared during his warm up tosses. His eyes glared in at Jose Reyes as the flashbulbs popped and the biggest stage of all beckoned. First pitch, fastball, high. Ball one. Second pitch, slider, low. Ball two. Posada stands up, signaling with his palms to calm down. Pitch three, fastball, right down the middle. Strike one. Pitch four, slider, outside corner. Strike two. Pitch five, fastball, high. Ball three. Posada runs through the signs again. Johnson shakes off one, two, three, four, five time. Posada out to the mound.

Yankee fans had been electric in the atmosphere of the Fall Classic. The Stadium expected a win. The full count on Reyes had sapped some of the electricity from the fans, and Johnson was again swallowing hard, pacing around the mound, and mumbling to himself. Posada arrived. Johnson, glove over his mouth, stared into Jorge’s eyes, nodding and listening intently. Posada’s fire was apparent, as he gave Johnson that look. “You gotta listen to me. Throw me what I ask for, and let’s go!” Johnson agreed and Posada returned to the plate. Reyes dug in. Right foot twisting lithely in the dirt in the batter’s box. Hips swaggering. Posada throws down the sign. Johnson nods. The pitch, a splitter in the dirt. Reyes swings and misses. The ball rolls behind Posada, and Reyes takes off. The crowd rises slightly in their seats. Posada fires. Out by a step!

That was the first batter of the last game of Randy Johnson’s career. The Yankees went on to win that game 4-1 on a final game worthy of Cooperstown for the Unit. 8 innings pitched, 1 run, 3 hits, 12 strikeouts, 1 walk. Of the 35 games Johnson started in 2007, including the playoffs, he went 22-8. The capper on the year was a World Series victory, a Cy Young award, and the loudest cheers at the tickertape parade in the Canyon of Heroes.