Randy Johnson, nicknamed “The Big Unit” due to his imposing 6-foot-10 stature, had one of the most dominant pitching careers in Major League Baseball history. From his debut in 1988 through his retirement in 2009, Johnson established himself as one of the game’s most feared pitchers and racked up numerous awards and accolades, making his baseball cards some of the most highly sought after from the late 1980s through the early 2000s.
Johnson started his career with the Montreal Expos, who selected him in the 2nd round of the 1985 amateur draft out of the University of Southern California. He made his MLB debut with the Expos in 1988 and had some early success, going 16-9 with a 2.61 ERA in his rookie year which resulted in him finishing 4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting. His 1988 Donruss rookie card is one of the key early Randy Johnson cards for collectors. In just his second season, he struck out 271 batters which was then a new MLB single-season record, highlighting his overpowering fastball even in his early days. His dominance led to him being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 1989 in one of the biggest trades in baseball history that saw the Expos receive four other players and $1 million in exchange.
Johnson spent 10 seasons with the Mariners from 1989-1998, establishing himself as the ace of staff and one of the game’s most feared power pitchers. In 1993, he captured his first of five career Cy Young Awards by going 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA and a MLB-leading 308 strikeouts. His dominant performance that season led to his 1993 Fleer Ultra and Upper Deck cards being some of his most sought after from that period. In 1995, he became just the 8th pitcher ever to strike out 300 batters in a season, fanning a personal best 308 batters. His stellar pitching helped lead the Mariners to tie the all-time single season wins record with 116 victories in 2001, though they fell just short of a World Series title.
After a decade in Seattle that saw him win 148 games and cement his status as a true ace, Johnson was surprisingly traded to the Houston Astros during the 1998 season. He helped the Astros reach the NLCS that year in just over half a season with the club. In 1999 with Houston, he won his second career Cy Young by going 18-4 with a 2.48 ERA and 313 strikeouts, showing he remained at the peak of his powers despite being in his mid-30s. His stellar 1999 campaign made his cards from that year, including Upper Deck and Fleer Authentix, very desirable for collectors looking to own pieces of one of the game’s all-time great seasons.
Prior to the 2000 season, Johnson was once again on the move, this time getting dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was in Arizona where he enjoyed the most postseason success of his career. In 2001, the intimidating 6-foot-10 southpaw led Major League Baseball with 366 strikeouts and captured his third career Cy Young award by going 21-6 with a 2.49 ERA. More importantly, he helped lead the Diamondbacks to their first ever World Series title, dominating the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic. Johnson tossed the second no-hitter in World Series history in Game 6 against the Yankees, cementing his legacy as one of the best big game pitchers ever. His legendary 2001 season established cards like Topps, Bowman, and Upper Deck as extremely valuable in the hands of collectors today.
Johnson spent four full seasons with Arizona from 2000-2004, capturing another Cy Young in 2002 after going 24-5 with a 2.32 ERA and 334 strikeouts in one of the single greatest pitching seasons ever. Injuries limited him in 2003 and 2004, but he showed he still had dominance when on the mound by winning 16 games combined those two seasons. His time with the Diamondbacks included being named co-MVP of the 2001 World Series and proved he was capable of leading a club to a title. After the 2004 season, he was dealt back to the Mariners, though injuries slowed him down and he bounced between Seattle, the Giants, and Yankees from 2005-2008 before finally retiring after the 2009 season having cemented his status as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers ever.
In his 22-year career, Johnson impressively amassed 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts, five Cy Young awards between 1990-2002, 10 All-Star appearances, two ERA titles, and a perfect 5-0 record in the postseason with a 1.34 ERA highlighted by his legendary perfect game for the ages in the 2001 World Series. Statistically, he stands as one of just 24 pitchers in MLB history with over 300 career wins and ranks 2nd all-time in strikeouts behind Nolan Ryan. Achievements like these have made his rookie cards from the late 1980s with Montreal as well as cards from his dominant years with Seattle, Houston, Arizona, and later in his career extremely valuable for collectors. Featuring one of the game’s most intimidating presences on the mound alongside Hall of Fame caliber numbers cements Randy Johnson as one of the premier pitchers in the modern era who collectors are always seeking to add to their collections.
