In 1998, Kenny Lofton Made A Business Decision And Chose Not To Fight Randy Johnson

There may never be another one like Randy Johnson. A Hall of Fame career spanning 22 years on the bump with a 3.29 ERA and 4,875 strikeouts is legendary. He played in an era where guys were juicing and he mostly dominated with little regard for other human life. From 1999-2002 he averaged 354 strikeouts and 250+ innings pitched per year. These are absurd, elite numbers - pitchers today rarely exceed 220 IP and Jacob DeGrom's career best is 255 K's, for reference. 

As if standing a towering 6'10" with the mullet flowing wasn't intimidating enough, factor in his funky lefthanded delivery and the fact that he threw absolute GAS. He wasn't afraid to buzz the tower and work the inside part of the plate, to put it lightly. 

Kenny Lofton was obviously miffed at the high and inside pitches, especially given their history, but you can't charge the mound with "The Big Unit's" reach. What're you gonna do when you're giving up 10 inches on the guy and he's essentially a human version of a pissed off ostrich? Smart move by Lofton to concede and let the benches clear to get his point across instead of presumably dying at the hands of Randy Johnson. 

If you thought he cared about your wellbeing on the mound, just remember he executed a bird during a game because it got in the way. 

   

Speaking of working the zone inside on lefties, never forget his run-in with John Kruk during the All-Star Game in 1993. Kruk handled this perfectly and his surrender swing to strike out will never not be hilarious.

 

Randy Johnson's no longer humming it in there at 100+ mph, he's retired and pursuing a second passion: professional photography, believe it or not. Check out some of his work and note the logo, what a savage. 




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