Randy Johnson’s hotel pseudonym has Hall of Fame twist
There’s not much 2015 Hall of Fame electee Randy Johnson can do to fly under-the-radar in public. After all, he stands 6’10” tall, in addition to having one of the more distinctive looks in sports with his mustache and longish hair combo. Short of shaving his hair off, which understandably doesn’t appear to be an option, he’s always going to draw a crowd when spotted. But those issues still don’t stop Johnson from trying to go incognito wherever possible.
As a part of that, Johnson, like so many other professional athletes and celebrities, often checks into hotels under a false name. And for his special trip to partake in the Hall of Fame media blitz in New York this week, he put a very fitting Hall of Fame twist on his assumed identity.
Eddie Plank was one of baseball’s earliest Hall of Famers, earning his election in 1946. Like Johnson, he was among the most dominant left-handed pitchers of his era. Although granted, Plank’s career lasted from 1901-1917, which essentially covers what’s recognized as baseball’s dead-ball era. Still, Plank became the first left-hander in MLB history to notch 300 wins, which is important to note because Johnson’s tweet says Plank was the first pitcher overall. That distinction belongs to Pud Galvin, who won No. 300 on Sept. 4, 1888.
Over his 16 seasons, Plank finished with 326 wins, a career 2.35 ERA, 2,246 strikeouts and 69 shutouts, which remains the record for lefties.
Of course, Johnson is the most recent pitcher to reach 300 wins. He reached that plateau on June 4, 2009 and would finish with 303 wins. He also posted, a 3.29 career ERA, a remarkable 4,875 strikeouts, which ranks second in MLB history, and 37 shutouts, which includes MLB’s 17th perfect game.
Though they were similarly awesome pitchers, there’s no real comparison physically. Plank only stood at 5’11”, a full foot shorter than Johnson. But that’s only a minor detail in history. Both are giants of the baseball world now, and it’s definitely cool to see Johnson give that small nod of acknowledgement to his Hall of Fame predecessor.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
