He got to 417 wins with a team that was terrible for most if his time with them. He could have given Cy Young a run for his money on decent teams. 110 shutouts and a 36-24 record in 1-0 games. Simply astonishing!
They pitched in 12 games together. Ruth was 6-3 in 11 starts and Walter Johnson was 4-7 with one save in 9 starts. In the eight games where they both started Ruth was 6-1 with a no decision. They really were about equal but Johnson kept losing games like 3-2, 1-0 etc.
The "Big Train" (greatest nickname in all of sports) was also a great all-around player. He hit 24 career HRs & 41 3Bs (more than both Pujols & ARod each had) despite playing the vast majority of his career in the dead ball era. He fielded 1.000% in over 300 innings TWICE. He won 25 games with an ERA under 2.00 SEVEN consecutive seasons. Johnson won 20 games for a losing team 5X & no other pitcher did that more than twice since 1900. He led the AL in wins 6X, CG 6X, IP 5X, SO 12X, SHO 7X, WHP 6X & ERA 5X. He transcends pitching in the dead ball era like no other & along with Warren Spahn is one of the 2 most complete pitchers of all time.
Not to degrade the man - an OBVIOUS SKILLED PITCHER ,,,, but, the hitters then were not what further decades of team averages would become with time and systems, coaches gaining more and more instructions to improve batters. Christie Mathews I think it was who also compiled incredible stats in pitching dominance. Hard to compare the ages one to another.
you are either good or you aren't. Walter Johnson was one of the hardest throwers in baseball history. He was the Randy Johnson of that era, big, tall, threw hard. When Ty Cobb says you throw hard, that ball had to be humming.
One of the finest men ever to step onto a field.
He got to 417 wins with a team that was terrible for most if his time with them. He could have given Cy Young a run for his money on decent teams. 110 shutouts and a 36-24 record in 1-0 games. Simply astonishing!
Agree with the comments, 417 wins playing for teams that couldn't bat, if he had average batting for the teams 450 wins easy.
Babe Ruth and Johnson had pitching duels between them with the Babe winning his share👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
They pitched in 12 games together. Ruth was 6-3 in 11 starts and Walter Johnson was 4-7 with one save in 9 starts. In the eight games where they both started Ruth was 6-1 with a no decision. They really were about equal but Johnson kept losing games like 3-2, 1-0 etc.
Imagine what Walter Johnson's numbers had looked like if he hadn't played mostly for lousy teams. Even still, they simply boggle the mind.
Lou Gehrig is my favourite of all the baseball players, but Walter Johnson is my favourite pitcher.❤️💪✌️
And both are among the greatest baseball players of all time.
The "Big Train" (greatest nickname in all of sports) was also a great all-around player. He hit 24 career HRs & 41 3Bs (more than both Pujols & ARod each had) despite playing the vast majority of his career in the dead ball era. He fielded 1.000% in over 300 innings TWICE. He won 25 games with an ERA under 2.00 SEVEN consecutive seasons. Johnson won 20 games for a losing team 5X & no other pitcher did that more than twice since 1900. He led the AL in wins 6X, CG 6X, IP 5X, SO 12X, SHO 7X, WHP 6X & ERA 5X. He transcends pitching in the dead ball era like no other & along with Warren Spahn is one of the 2 most complete pitchers of all time.
Sadly, nowadays, he is often overlooked when people think of the greatest pitchers. The man is a legend.
He was discovered in Weiser, Idaho and asked for a return trip ticket from the Washington Senator's scout who replied, "Son, you won't need it."
It wasn't so much Johnson's speed on his fastball that made it so effective as it was the wicked movement he put on it with his sidearm delivery.
Yes, he had speed, control, and movement.
Legend among legends.
Agree. He is often overlooked, but he is a true legend.
The picture at the 1:20 mark is reversed--Johnson threw right-handed.
😅what d0es war stand for in statistics.
It's a rough approximation of a player's performance which allows us to roughly compare the career of players from different eras.
Wins above replacement.
It means he is worth 16 wins more than an average player.
@@soyouthinkyouknowbaseball Underline 'roughly.' It's a completely artificial calculation (ie a meaningless bunch of crap)
Just refer to the 1969 Edwin Starr song War (What is it good for). Or Joe Benigno!
If you know baseball, you know 'WAR' is a bunch of crap.
it may be a good guide, but since it's subjective, shouldn't be considered a stat.
Not to degrade the man - an OBVIOUS SKILLED PITCHER ,,,, but, the hitters then were not what further decades of team averages would become with time and systems, coaches gaining more and more instructions to improve batters. Christie Mathews I think it was who also compiled incredible stats in pitching dominance. Hard to compare the ages one to another.
Yes, medical care and training science are more advanced now compared to 100 years ago.
I think Christy Mathewson is the name you are looking for.
you are either good or you aren't. Walter Johnson was one of the hardest throwers in baseball history. He was the Randy Johnson of that era, big, tall, threw hard. When Ty Cobb says you throw hard, that ball had to be humming.
He only played against the likes of Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Harry Heilmann, Joe Jackson, et al. Their averages shame the players of today.
Don’t forget Rogers Hornsby, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig and others.