New York Mets' Howard Johnson Has Second 30/30 Season

On Aug. 20, 1989, New York Mets' slugger Howard Johnson joins Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players to have more than one season with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

The players who had done it once before Johnson had done it twice included Ken Williams, Hank Aaron, Tommy Harper, Dale Murphy, Joe Carter and Eric Davis, as the only players to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season. Mays completed the feat twice and Bonds five times before Johnson did it his second time.

Since Johnson joined the club of players to complete the feat twice in 1989, these players have joined the club once; Darryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco, Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Shawn Green, Alex Rodriguez, Preston Wilson, Carlos Beltran, Jose Cruz Jr., David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Trout last year.

Johnson would go on to complete the feat a third time in 1991, putting him in an elite class with just Bobby Bonds, and then later to be joined by Barry Bonds who completed the feat five times during his career and Alfonso Soriano who has completed the feat four times so far in his career.

Both Bonds, father Bobby and son Barry have the most 30-30 seasons with five each.

Other players to have more than one 30-30 season include; Ron Gant, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, Raul Mondesi, Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, Ian Kinsler and Ryan Braun.

Of the players to join the 30-30 club, only these players had a 40-40 season; Canseco 42 home runs, 40 steals; Barry Bonds 42 home runs, 40 steals; Alex Rodriguez 42 home runs and 46 steals; Alfonso Soriano 46 home runs and 41 steals.

The only players on the list to be inducted into the Hall of Fame include Mays, Aaron and Larkin.

Johnson ended his career as a two-time All-Star, a two-time World Series Champion, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He was also the National League Home Run Champion and NL RBI Champion in 1991.

Three times Johnson was in the MVP conversation, being in the top 10 in voting three times, and in the top five in voting twice.

Johnson would finish his 14-year career with a .249 batting average, with 1,229 hits with 237 doubles, 22 triples and 228 home runs. He also had 760 runs scored, 760 RBIs, 692 walks, 231 stolen bases and struck out 1,053 times.

Johnson led the league in runs scored once, with his highest single season total of 108 coming in 1991, although he did not lead the league that year. He also led the league in home runs once, with his highest single season total of 38 coming in 1991. Also in 1991 Johnson led the league in RBIs, that was also the year he hit his highest single season total of 117.

The 1991 season was a great one for Johnson as he set several records as he became the only switch-hitter to ever lead the NL in both home runs and RBIs in the same season. He also became the only Met to lead the National League in RBI. Finally he became the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in RBI. (Lance Berkman became the second in 2002.)

In 2001, Johnson was on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot but received no votes.

Currently Johnson is part of the Seattle Mariners franchise as a Hitting Coach for the 2014 season part of the new coaching staff that was put in place during the off season.

Seattle Mariners Ace Randy Johnson Strikes Out 19

On Aug. 8, 1997, Seattle Mariners ace pitcher Randy Johnson strikes out 19 Chicago White Sox.

Johnson’s feat of 19 strikeouts in a single game, was equal to five other players accomplishments including in 1884 when two players did it; Providence Grays Charlie Sweeney and Chicago Browns Hugh Daily. In 1969 St. Louis Cardinals Steve Carlton reached 19 in a single game and in 1970 New York Mets Tom Seaver reached the same feat. Nolan Ryan reached 19 strikeouts four times with the California Angels between 1972 and 1977 and in 1991 New York Mets David Cone reached the feat.

However the 19 strikeout game that Johnson tied would not be the most strikeouts in a single game as in 1986 Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens would strike out 20 batters. Clemens would also do it again in 1996, becoming the only player to strike out 20 batters in a single game and twice, with the same team, the Boston Red Sox.

A year after Johnson’s 19-strikeout game, in 1998, the Chicago Cubs Kerry Wood tied Clemens record with 20 strikeouts of the Houston Astros.

Clemens and Woods hold the MLB record of strikeouts in a nine-inning game, but in September of 1962 Washington Senators starter Tom Cheney struck out 21 batters, but the game went 16 innings, in which Cheney took the mound for every one.

In 2001 Johnson would match Clemens and Woods feat of 20 strikeouts in a single game against the Cincinnati Reds.

With the current set up of starting pitchers only going six or seven innings and having a pitch count limit them further on top of being relieved by pitchers in the bull pen it is hard to imagine a pitcher being able to get 20 strike outs in a game to tie the record.

The 19 strikeout game was one of many career highlights for Johnson, as he was a 10-time All-Star, a five-time Cy Young winner, including four consecutive from 1999-2002.

In 2001 he led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series Championship and was named the World Series MVP.

Johnson would accumulate a record of 303 wins and 166 losses in his 22 year career that featured playing time with the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

Johnson’s highest single season total for wins came in 2002 when he won 24 games. He won over 20 games three times in career.

Johnson would finish his career with 4,875 strikeouts and 3.29 ERA. The strikeouts were Johnson’s calling card. He is one of only three pitchers to strike out 20 batters in a game, which he did so on May 8, 2001 against the Cincinnati Reds.

He led the league in strikeouts nine times from 1992-1995, 1999-2002 and 2004. His highest single season total came in 2001 when he struck out 372 batters.

He also led the league in ERA four times, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002 with his lowest single season ERA coming in 2002 with a 2.32 mark.

The 6’11 pitcher from Livermore, Calif. was dominate over his career, tallying the most strikeouts for a left handed pitcher of all-time and the second most strikeouts ever just behind Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan who had 5,714 in his career.

Johnson defeated every single major-league team in his career at least once and pitched an immaculate inning once, using nine pitches to strike out three batters to end an inning. At the time of the feat Johnson was only pitcher number 30 to do so in MLB history.

Johnson does hold several records including being the oldest pitcher to pitch a perfect game, and most strikeouts for a lefty. He also holds the record for most strikeouts in a single relief appearance with 16 against the San Diego Padres on July 18, 2001.

Johnson was named the Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team in 2009, and was named to the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame following his retirement in 2009.

MLB Trade Deadline Reaction

When I woke up Thursday morning there was grumbling the Oakland Athletics might be in the Jon Lester sweepstakes. Within 20 minutes of my groggy eyes checking in on MLB Networks on the television and twitter on my phone I saw that Yoenis Cespedes was going to be part of the deal.

At first I was shocked that the A’s would trade a middle of the order bat, and especially a guy like Cespedes, who said he wanted to play his entire career in Oakland, would be traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jon Lester.

As the trade began to formalize I saw the return of Jonny Gomes and cash to the Oakland franchise while a competitive balance Comp B pick would be heading to Boston to balance out the deal.
 

Overall, I was more shocked than anything. I thought the July 5 deal with the Chicago Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel were the icing on Billy Beane’s 2014 cake, but boy was I wrong.

Within just a few hours after the Cespedes-Lester trade the talking heads on MLB networks were talking about the second of the A’s moves.

This time it was a lesser deal. How could it have been any bigger? Wait, let me retract that statement, they could have traded Lew Wolf for a new owner. But back to reality, the A’s were trading a minor league, but major league ready pitcher in Tommy Milone, to the Minnesota Twins for Sam Fuld.

Milone had asked to be traded after being sent to AAA Sacramento when the A’s landed Samardzija and Hammel in the deal with the Cubs. But to trade Milone for a guy the A’s had DFA’d earlier in the season? It almost seemed comical. That they had kept a guy like Daric Barton on the roster in order to drop Fuld, and now were trading a major league ready pitcher away to get Fuld back.

While obtaining Fuld makes sense with injuries to Coco Crisp and Craig Gentry, the value to get Fuld back seemed a little much. But such is baseball, and such is life.

The addition of Fuld, Gomes and Lester gave the A’s the best and deepest rotation in baseball, and added to the depth in the outfield ... that is until the Detroit Tigers pulled out a last second three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays to land David Price.

The Cespedes-Lester trade might have been overshadowed by the Price trade but shouldn't be as the two teams might be on a collision course to face each other once again in the playoffs.

The green and gold franchise would stand pat for the rest of the day much like their cross Bay Area counter parts in the San Francisco Giants, as general manager Brian Sabean did not pull the trigger on any trades before the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline on July 31.

While Beane and Sabean took totally different routes to get through the trading deadline both are still on the look out for something that could bolster their second base corps before the waiver-trading deadline is reached at the end of August.

For both the Athletics and the Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley look like the most eligible candidates to fuel another chance at a World Series run, for one or both of the Bay Area franchises.

2001 MLB All-Star Game

On July 10, 2001, the MLB All-Star game took place and the Seattle Mariners were well represented. Eight members of the team that would win a record 116 games played at hometown Safeco Field, yet it was Cal Ripken Jr. who stole the show. Before the game, Ripken was offered his old shortstop position by Alex Rodriguez (Ripken had been a third basemen for several years). Then, in the third inning, Ripken sailed the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park over the left-field wall for a home run, making him the oldest player (40) to hit a homer in an All-Star game.

The American League won 4-1 and Ripken Jr. was named the MVP. It was both he and Tony Gwynn's final season, and the two were honored after the game. For Ripken it was the perfect sign off for what was a tremendous career in Baltimore. Gwynn had been named as an honorary All-Star and was unable to play in the game, to the disappointment of many.

Also making headlines was honorary third base coach Tommy Lasorda, the former Dodgers manager. In the sixth inning, Vladimir Guerrero's shattered bat flew out of his hands and right at Lasorda. It knocked the former Dodger to the ground, where he tumbled on his back. Initially, everyone was nervous when the old man hit the grass, but the masses erupted in laughter when they saw he was okay.

The humor in seeing Lasorda fall on his backside was that he was an explosive manager who, among other things, was not timid when it came to dropping obscenities.

Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson Tosses Perfect Game

On May 18, 2004, Arizona Dimaondbacks hurler Randy Johnson became the 17th player in Major League Baseball history to pitch a perfect game, and the first in Diamondbacks franchise history.

At age 40, Johnson became the oldest player to accomplish the feat.

Randy Johnson acknowledging the crowd at Turner Field in Atlanta after his perfect game.

Randy Johnson would strikeout 13 Atlanta Braves batters en route to his perfect game, which took place at Atlanta’s Turner Field.  Johnson joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo as the only men to pitch no-hitters in both the American League and National League. 

Johnson’s two no-hitters came on June 2, 1990 and May 18, 2004, just under 14 years apart.

This was one of many career highlights for Johnson, as he was a 10-time All-Star, a five-time Cy Young winner, including four consecutive from 1999-2002.

In 2001 he led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series Championship and was named the World Series MVP.

Johnson reacting to his perfect game.

Johnson would accumulate a record of 303 wins and 166 losses in his 22 year career that featured playing time with the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

Johnson would finish his career with 4,875 strikeouts and 3.29 ERA. The strikeouts were Johnson’s calling card. He is one of only three pitchers to strike out 20 batters in a game, which he did so on May 8, 2001 against the Cincinnati Reds. He led the league in strikeouts nine times from 1992-1995, 1999-2002 and 2004. He also led the league in ERA four times, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002.

The 6’11 pitcher, dubbed "The Big Unit" was dominate over his career, tallying the most strikeouts for a left handed pitcher of all-time and the second most strikeouts ever just behind Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan who had 5,714 in his career.

Johnson defeated every single major-league team in his career at least once and pitched an immaculate inning once, using nine pitches to strike out three batters to end an inning. At the time of the feat Johnson was only pitcher number 30 to do so in MLB history.

Johnson does hold several records including being the oldest pitcher to pitch a perfect game, and most strikeouts for a lefty. He also holds the record for most strikeouts in a single relief appearance with 16 against the San Diego Padres on July 18, 2001.

Johnson was named the Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team in 2009, and was named to the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame following his retirement in 2009.

Rickey Henderson Gets Steal 800

On April 9, 1989, Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson steals base number 800 for his career, in the New York Yankees 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Henderson was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics.

Nicknamed "The Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and base runner^/ holding the record for most career leadoff home runs with 81, and winning three Silver Slugger awards in 1981, 1985 and 1990. His 1,406 career steals are almost double the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock, and just under 800 more than the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 614.

Oakland Athletics great Rickey Henderson, the "Man of Steal," after breaking Lou Brock's record of 938 steals.

Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A’s and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011.

He also holds the major league records for runs scored and unintentional walks.

Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

A 12-time stolen base champion, Henderson led the league in runs five times and was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the leadoff hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in base on balls.

His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances.

His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era.

He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans.

Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers^.

In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance with 94.8 percent of the vote.

The Oakland Athletics also retired Henderson’s no. 24 jersey in 2009.

Mariners Deal Griffey Jr.

On Feb. 10, 2000, the Seattle Mariners deal Ken Griffey Jr. Ken Griffey Jr. spent the first 11 years of his career with the Seattle Mariners. In 2000 the Mariners traded Griffey to the Cincinnati Reds due to Griffey's impending free agency.

The Mariners received four players in return, Mike Cameron, Jake Meyer, Antonio Perez and Brett Tomko.

Griffey would spend nine years in Cincinnati, but only two of those were not marred by injury.

Six times Griffey had topped 40 home runs in Seattle, but he did so only once in Cincinnati.

Greffiey Jr. also known as “The Kid” goes down as one of the best ball players during the 1990’s and was elected to the All-Century team in 1999.

A 13-time All-Star, Griffey was one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the sixth-most in MLB history.

Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is also tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

Griffey also won seven Silver Slugger Awards, the 1997 American League MVP Award, the 1992 MLB All-Star Game MVP, the 2005 National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. He was a three-time Home Run Derby winner, and a four time American League Home Run Champion, and the 1997 American League RBI Champion.

Junior’s career had some stellar moments including playing with his father Ken Griffey Sr. in 1990 and 1991.

Griffey and his father became the first son and father to play on the same team at the same time. In his father's first game as a Mariner, on Aug. 31, 1990, the pair hit back-to-back singles in the first inning and both scored.

On Sep. 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs. The duo played a total of 51 games together before Griffey, Sr., retired in June 1991.

Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades.

On Jan. 22, 2013, the Mariners announced Griffey would be the seventh person inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

Griffey Jr. will most likely be a first ballot Hall of Famer into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame as he was one of the few athletes during the 1990’s and 2000’s to not be associated with steroids or performance enhancing drug use.

Suzuki Breaks Single Season Hit Record

On Oct. 1, 2004, former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki gets hit 258 of the season, breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season record for most hits in a single season.

Suzuki would end the season with 262 hits, and 225 singles, both single season records, which stand to this day.

Since Suzuki broke the record in 2004, no player other than himself has come within 25 hits of the record. He recorded 238 hits in 2007, again as a member of the Mariners.

Suzuki has had 10 consecutive 200 plus hit seasons in the MLB from 2001-2010 with his lowest total over 200 coming in 2005 with 206 hits. Since 2010, Suzuki has yet to collect over 200 hits in a single season, with his highest single season total since 2010 coming in 2011 with 184 hits, when he played on both the Mariners and New York Yankees.

Suzuki, who came over to MLB in 2001 after several seasons over seas with the Orix BlueWave in the NPB Pacific League, was an instant “hit” with fans in the United States.

Suzuki, who was already a seven-time NPB All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Best Nine Award winner, seven-time Pacific League Batting Champion, five-time Pacific League On-Base and Safe Hit Champion, a three-time Matsutaro Shroiki Award winner, a three-time Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize winner, a three time Pacific League MVP, the 1995 Pacific League RBI and Stolen Base Champion and the Japan Series Champion in 1996, enjoyed similar success in the MLB.

On top of his awards Suzuki also had eye popping stats that included a .353 batting average on 1,278 hits with 204 home runs, 529 RBIs, 658 runs scores with 199 stolen bases.

In his rookie year, 2001, Suzuki was named an All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner, a Silver Slugger Award winner, the American League Stolen Base Leader, American League Batting Champion, the American League Rookie of the Year, and won the American League MVP Award.

His awards would continue as he earned nine more All-Star appearances, nine more Gold Gloves, two more Silver Slugger Awards, another American League batting title, the 2005 Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award and the 2007 MLB All-Star Game MVP.

Through the end of the 2013 MLB season as a member of the Mariners and currently Yankees, Suzuki has compiled more eye popping stats, including a .319 batting average on 2,742 hits with 323 doubles, 83 triples, 111 home runs, 695 RBIs, 1,261 runs scores with 472 stolen bases.

Suzuki is also the first player to record over 4,000 hits combined between the NPB and MLB, and only third player to record 4,000 hits along side of Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, who both had over 4,000 hits in the MLB alone.

Suzuki will most likely be a first ballot Hall of Famer once he is eligible to join Cooperstown the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Griffey Jr. Pinch-hits Home Run 400

On Sept. 19, 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. pinch-hits for home run number 400. Griffey Jr. becomes the first major leaguer to reach the mark of 400 home runs with a pinch-hit blast.

Griffey Jr. also known as “The Kid” goes down as one of the best ball players during the 1990’s and was elected to the All-Century team in 1999.

A 13-time All-Star, Griffey was one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the sixth-most in MLB history behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and former teammate Alex Rodriguez. Jr. is also tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field over the course of his career.

Griffey Jr., also won seven Silver Slugger Awards, the 1997 American League MVP Award, the 1992 MLB All-Star Game MVP, the 2005 National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Despite only winning one MVP award Jr. was in the conversation 10 times over the course of his career, being in the top five in voting five times.

He was a three-time Home Run Derby winner, a four time American League Home Run Champion, and the 1997 American League RBI Champion.

Griffey Jr. would finish his career with a .284 average, 2,781 hits consisting of 524 doubles, 38 triples and 630 home runs. He would also have 1,836 RBIs, 1,662 runs scored, 1,312 walks, 184 stolen bases. He struck out 1,779 times.

Four times Griffey led the league in home runs with his highest single season total coming in 1997 and 1998 when he hit 56 home runs each season.

Junior’s career had some stellar moments including playing with his father Ken Griffey Sr. in 1990 and 1991.

On September 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first, off of California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs. The duo played a total of 51 games together before Griffey Sr. retired in June 1991.

Griffey Jr. is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades.

On Jan. 22, 2013, the Mariners announced Griffey would be the seventh person inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

Sosa Hits 60 Home Runs Again

On Sept. 18, 1999, Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa records hits home run number 60 of the season. The home run also marked the first time a player had reached 60 home runs in back-to-back seasons, 1998 and 1999.

Sosa would hit 60 home runs again 2001, but would never hit that many again after that season. He would finish his career with 609 home runs, putting him in the top six of all-time at the time of his retirement. Since than Alex Rodriguez and Jim Thome have passed him, and now Sosa is currently ranked eighth all time.

Sosa won the MVP in 1998, the year he hit 66 home runs, was a seven time All-Star, and six time Silver Slugger in the National League.

Thought Sosa has so many home runs and was the first player and only player to hit back-to-back 60 home run seasons, his name was drug through the steroid issues of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Along with an issue of using a corked bat, Sosa will likely not make Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame.