Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``My teammates now come up and ask when I'm pitching, instead of asking when I'm throwing,'' Johnson said Tuesday after his overwhelming victory for the AL honor.
``I think there's a big difference between someone who tries to go in there and strike everybody out instead of being a pitcher and thinking about the entire game,'' he said.
Johnson, whose intimidating fastball and improved control led Seattle to the playoffs for the first time, became the first Mariners player to win a major postseason award in the team's 19-year history. (AL Cy Young voting in Scoreboard. B4)
The 6-foot-10 left-hander was one victory short of becoming the first AL player since Hal Newhouser of Detroit in 1945 to win pitching's Triple Crown in his league. Johnson went 18-2, led the majors in strikeouts for the fourth consecutive year with 294 and led the league with a 2.48 ERA.
Johnson received all but two of the 28 first-place votes in selections by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was the only pitcher listed on every ballot and finished with 136 points.
Cleveland reliever Jose Mesa received the other two first-place votes and was runner-up with 54 points. Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was third with 29, followed by 1994 winner David Cone (18), who finished the season with New York. Baltimore's Mike Mussina (14), who led the league with 19 victories, was fifth.
Perhaps had postseason performance counted, Johnson might have won the award unanimously. Pitching often on three days' rest - he even worked once after a one-day layoff - he helped the Mariners make a run at the World Series.
``I don't have to win an award to feel good about this year, but obviously I'm gracious,'' Johnson said.
Despite his reputation for being a power pitcher, Johnson said he wanted to be remembered for more than blowing away batters. That was the same wish Ryan, the greatest power pitcher of them all, had during his 27 seasons.
But like Ryan, Johnson was seen as a wild thing, a guy who threw fastballs with no idea of where they might go. His most memorable moment before this year was the time he whizzed a fastball over the head of John Kruk during the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore.
A few years ago, though, Ryan took Johnson aside.
``Early in my career, I struggled,'' Johnson said. ``I think Nolan has said that he saw a little bit of himself in me.''
``Nolan Ryan and [Texas pitching coach] Tom House have been very influential in my mechanics. They talked to me and worked with me. I'll be forever grateful for that.''
Johnson, who led the AL in walks for three consecutive years, has seen his walks total decrease for four consecutive seasons. His newfound confidence, plus an outstanding curveball, enabled him to win the pitching award that always eluded Ryan.
Johnson, 32, set a league record for winning percentage by a pitcher with at least 20 decisions. The only pitcher to better Johnson's .900 percentage is Greg Maddux, who went 19-2 this year for Atlanta and unanimously won his fourth consecutive NL Cy Young on Monday.
``You can only do so much with a fastball,'' he said. ``So I studied the game in the last couple of years and watched other pitchers. I've mastered my mechanics.''
Still, Johnson set a major-league mark by averaging 12.35 strikeouts per nine innings, breaking Ryan's record of 11.48 with Houston in 1987. He held AL hitters to a league-low .201 average, including .129 by left-handers.
Johnson, who collected a $200,000 bonus for winning the award, finished third in the Cy Young voting last season after going 13-6 and was runner-up in 1993, when he went 19-8.
by CNB