Watching Randy Johnson in his prime, it was obvious why his physical attributes made him so dominant. But I wonder how many fans who watched him really understood how incredibly scary -- really and truly scary -- it was to bat against him (especially if you were a left-hander hitter, obviously).
At the final tryouts for the 1984 Olympic team, I had to hit against him on an overcast, dreary fall day in Louisville. It had rained on and off all night, and the field was pretty muddy. Knowing how hard it was to get solid footing in the batter's box, I figured it was just as tough on the mound. I think the season before at USC, Johnson had walked almost as many as he struck out. Add all that together, and the fact he was throwing in the mid-90s -- and the fact I'm left-handed ... That experience was unlike anything I would ever face on a baseball field. I mean, there's just nothing you can compare to facing a guy who's 6 feet 10 and throwing that hard, never mind that you're not sure he knows where it's going.
Years later when I talked to guys in the majors who faced him -- successful big-league hitters -- and they admitted they were as scared as I was that day, I felt somewhat better. Hitters never want to acknowledge that they're intimidated by any pitcher, but in Johnson's case, it was almost foolish to try to deny it.
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