| Walter Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson with the Washington Senators in 1924 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 6, 1887 Humboldt, Kansas, U.S. | |
| Died: December 10, 1946 (aged 59) Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 2, 1907, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1927, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 417–279 |
| Earned run average | 2.17 |
| Strikeouts | 3,508 |
| Shutouts | 110 |
| Managerial record | 529–432 |
| Winning % | .550 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1936 |
| Vote | 83.6% (first ballot) |
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "the Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. He later served as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and of the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935.[1]
Generally regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Johnson established several records, some of which remain unbroken nine decades after he retired from baseball. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110,[2] second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He held the career record in strikeouts from 1919, when he passed Christy Mathewson’s mark of 2,507, until the 1983 season, when three players (Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry) finally passed his career total of 3,508. Johnson became the only pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts on July 22, 1923, and remained the only one until Bob Gibson matched the feat on July 17, 1974. Of the 19 members of the 3,000-strikeout club, he pitched the most innings and has the lowest strikeouts per nine innings pitched (5.34 K/9). Johnson led the league in strikeouts in the Major League for a record 12 times—one more than current leader Nolan Ryan—including a record eight straight seasons.[3] He is the only pitcher in Major League history to record more than 400 wins and strike out more than 3,500 batters.
In 1936, Johnson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members. His gentle nature was legendary, and to this day he is held up as an example of good sportsmanship, while his name has become synonymous with friendly competition.
- ^ "Walter Johnson". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ "Today in History". The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Baseball-Reference.com (2010). "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Strikeouts". Retrieved August 25, 2010.