The Randy Johnson 300th win watch has reached critical mass. The Giants' pitcher is at 299 career wins, and facing the sad-sack Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday in his attempt to hit the milestone career win number 300.
The game starts 4:05 p.m. California time.
We'd prefer for this 300-win watch to end as quickly as possible. We don't want Johnson hanging around and lingering at 299 for very long.
And the Giants are on a lucky streak with the milestones against these hapless Nationals. Tuesday Tim Lincecum earned his 500th career strikeout against this worst team in baseball, and back in 2007 Barry Bonds broke the all-time home run record against the Nats at AT&T Park.
Ironically, Johnson will be facing the very team that drafted him from USC back when he was a 22-year-old with zero major league victories. The Washington Nationals were back then the Montreal Expos, and trading away their new draft pick, Randy Johnson, seemed like a good idea at the time. Johnson led the American League in walks and hitting batters with the pitch after his trade to the Seattle Mariners.
But 299 major league wins, five Cy Young awards, a World Series co-MVP award, one no-hitter, one perfect game, and one unfortunate demolished bird later, Johnson is regarded as one of the most dominant pitchers of the modern era. And Wednesday, he could become only the 24th pitcher in the history of major league baseball to reach 300 wins.
"His next start is going to be exciting," Ginats' manager Bruce Bochy told the Chronicle. "He's about to do something that's remarkable. I'm sure he's been waiting for this moment all year."
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We just hope to not be waiting for this moment next week or the week after.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who is excited to be on the verge of his 300th repeat watching of the "Randy Johnson demolishing a bird" video.
