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Randy Johnson going into Hall of Fame as a Diamondback

By CM Towle

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Former Seattle Mariners star pitcher Randy Johnson decides to go into the MLB Hall of Fame wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks cap.

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Randy Johnson got his start with the Mariners and became a star with the Seattle team, but he also won four out of five Cy Youngs in Arizona and he won a World Series title there, as well, in 2001. Despite having a few more wins with the Mariners and spending more time there, it makes more sense that Johnson would choose to represent the DBacks in the HOF.

“After reflecting the last week and conferring with the Hall of Fame, we’ve come to the decision that the Diamondbacks logo on my Hall of Fame plaque makes the most sense,” Johnson said in a statement released by the Hall on Friday. “I want to express my most sincere thanks to all the teams I played for — Montreal, Seattle, Houston, the New York Yankees and San Francisco — and particularly all of the fans for supporting me. I’m very humbled by this honor.” (via ESPN)

Fans on one side or the other weren’t going to be happy, regardless of who Johnson chose to represent, but he’s right, representing the Diamondbacks does make the most sense. He achieved the most with the Arizona club and it’s only reasonable that he should represent them in the HOF.

Johnson had a 130-74 record with Seattle over nine and a half seasons. He posted a 3.42 ERA and won a Cy Young Award there also. He spent eight seasons with the DBacks, posting a 2.83 ERA and a 118-62 record. He won four Cy Young Awards in Arizona and won co-MVP of the 2001 World Series along with Curt Schilling after they combined forces to get the DBacks past the Yankees in seven games.

The same day Johnson was elected to the HOF, the Diamondbacks announced that he would be coming back to Arizona to serve as a special assistant in the front office. He will also have his number retired this summer, being only one of two total DBacks to have their numbers retired.

Of course, Johnson could have chosen to have no logo displayed on his plaque. Typically, if a player achieves success with multiple teams, he might choose that. Greg Maddux and Tony La Russa are two examples of that option. However, if you look at the comparison of his career with the Mariners and his career with the DBacks, there’s no doubt that he made the right choice in choosing the DBacks logo.

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