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Randy Johnson says his fastball would ‘still leave a bruise on you’

By Ethan Finkelstein

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Randy Johnson was recently asked on his official Twitter account about how hard he could toss his fastball these days. His response was priceless.

Throughout his MLB career, Randy Johnson was never really all that talkative, or personable. Perhaps retirement has mellowed the once perpetually intense “Big Unit” out just a little. He was all smiles and took the time to chat reporters up during the press conference following the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction announcement.

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Johnson’s most dominant pitch was his mid 90’s slider which broke almost from the exact moment he released the ball to the time it arrived in on the batter’s shoelaces. However, most fans alike have always been fascinated with his fastball, a pitch that, despite limited break, averaged anywhere from 99-102 mph depending on how the man’s arm was feeling that day. Even into his 40’s Johnson was still rattling off triple digits on radar guns, so it is reasonable to assume that the dude is a freak. If it was not obvious from his power, or his incredibly lanky stature, check the stat sheets.

Nevertheless, Johnson’s four seamer remains the main fixation for most fans. Watching that press conference, it can be implied that at least a few members of the media were curious as to just how much speed the “Big Unit” could get behind the old “number one.”

Queue up the Twitter feed, because this is where the story gets interesting. Randy Johnson does, in fact, have a Twitter account; something athletes from his era usually stray away from, especially in retirement. For the most part, it is not what you would expect. Instead of an endless stream of baseball related material, the viewer is bombarded with Johnson’s latest passion, photography. While it is nice to see him enjoying life after baseball with his new hobby, fans will all likely agree that they want some “Big Unit” wisdom.

When finally asked about his fastball, Johnson responded in a way that only a mellowed out, yet still competitive hall of famer could. “I’d still leave a bruise on you lol.” Not only is the guy digging this post-major league world, he is cracking jokes too. That being said, it would be fairly interesting to put a radar gun to Johnson’s fastball these days. Someone with the resources to set that up should most certainly make it happen.

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