‘He couldn’t throw a strike’: Rick Rizzs on how Seattle turned Randy Johnson into a HOFer ahead of jersey retirement ceremony

The Seattle Mariners will retire the number of one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history Saturday night when Randy Johnson’s No. 51 is immortalized at T-Mobile Park, a long-awaited ceremony by a fan base that watched the towering left-hander transform from a wild fireballer into a Hall of Famer.

The weekend celebration comes as the Mariners return home at 16-16, riding momentum from a strong road trip into a series against the Kansas City Royals.

But all eyes will turn to the past Saturday when the franchise honors the 6-foot-10-inch tall Johnson, who ranks second all-time in Major League Baseball with 4,875 career strikeouts.

“One of the most intimidating, dominating, fiercest competitors I’ve ever seen on the mound, and one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball,” longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs told “Seattle’s Morning News” Friday.

Johnson arrived in Seattle in 1989 as part of a trade that sent Mark Langston to the Montreal Expos — a deal that also brought pitchers Brian Holman and Gene Harris to the Mariners. At the time, Johnson was the raw, unpolished arm in the package. Holman was considered the more Major League-ready pitcher.

From raw talent to HOF career

“He couldn’t throw a strike,” Rizzs recalled of Johnson’s early days. “But once he figured out how to throw that fastball for a strike, then when he came up with that slider, which we named Mr. Snappy, he became a Hall of Fame pitcher.”

Johnson’s evolution into one of the game’s all-time greats is among the most remarkable development stories in baseball history. Armed with an explosive fastball and a devastating slider, Johnson terrorized American League lineups throughout the 1990s, his long hair flying from beneath his cap, his menacing glare freezing hitters before a pitch was even thrown.

“Nobody had a very comfortable at-bat against Randy Johnson,” Rizzs said. “He would buzz the tower on hitters.”

Perhaps no single moment defined Johnson’s importance to the franchise more than October 2, 1995, when he started the one-game tiebreaker against the California Angels. Johnson pitched a complete game in a 9-1 victory that sent the Mariners to the postseason for the first time in franchise history, capping one of the most dramatic regular seasons in baseball history.

“When you knew Randy was on the mound, it was a win day,” Rizzs said. “He was going to have everything he had in the tank, and you were going to win that day.”

Johnson won five Cy Young Awards during his 22-year career, was a 10-time All-Star, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. He posted a 130-74 record with a 3.42 ERA in 10 seasons with Seattle.

Rizzs, who called Johnson’s dominance alongside the late, legendary broadcaster Dave Niehaus, said both men recognized they were witnessing greatness in real time.

“Dave and I knew that every time, it was just fun watching him pitch, because it was a rough night for the opposition,” Rizzs said. “He had this swagger. He had this confidence. He knew that that day, he was the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, and he proved that he was.”

Saturday’s ceremony adds Johnson’s No. 51 to the exclusive group of numbers retired by the franchise, ensuring no Mariner will ever wear it again.

First pitch against Kansas City is scheduled for Friday evening, with the number retirement celebration set for Saturday night.

Contributing: Charlie Harger, co-host of “Seattle’s Morning News”

Manda Factor is the co-host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

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