He was "The Big Train," with the fastest fastball and the biggest curveball, and such magnificent control that batters didn't fear to stand in the box against him. Very few could hit him anyway. He was a good enough hitter that he could have been a competent major league outfielder, probably in right field with that powerful arm. But, unlike Babe Ruth, he was more valuable on the mound. Johnson pitched for 21 years with the Washington Senators, and played on a lot of terrible teams. In Johnson's rookie year, at age 19, he had a 5-9 record, in spite of a team-best 1.86 ERA, for a last-place team.
This was to be familiar territory, even as he was establishing himself as the top pitcher in the American League. Back-to-back 2nd place finishes in 1912 and 1913 were the exception, rather than the rule. Then, an aging Johnson led his team to pennants in 1924 and 1925, the first at age 36. The Senators won the World Series in 1924, and then lost in 1925 in 7 games. In 1924, after taking the loss in Games 1 and 5 as the starter, Johnson pitched 4 innings of relief to win Game 7, and provide the climax of his outstanding career.
Johnson earns 290.18 points on this rating system, easily ranking as the top pitcher of all time.
The greatest pitcher ever and one of the game's finest gentlemen, Walter Johnson.
Johnson's stats: 416-279 record, 2.17 ERA, 112 shutouts, 3506 K, 560 Win Shares. posted by Shawn Weaver at 6:51 PM
