WASHINGTON — There’s a famous old adage in baseball: “Pitching wins championships."
Going into the World Series tonight, it’s time for us to look at Washington’s greatest pitcher ever. Would that be Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg perhaps?
As good as those contemporary players are, it was Walter Johnson who is regarded as one Washington's greatest pitchers.
Johnson played for Washington for the Senators from 1907 to 1927.
According to the Hall of Fame and Baseball Almanac, Johnson was:
- In the first class of players ever inducted to the Hall of Fame.
- To this day, he is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
- Johnson's 110 game record for shutouts still stands.
- With a lighting fast right-handed sidearm, Johnson is the only pitcher in history to record over 400 wins with more than 3500 batters struck out
The one and only time that Washington won a World Series, it was Walter Johnson who won the deciding game.
The 1924 Series seventh game was tied at 3-all in the 9th.
Manager Bucky Harris put Johnson in the game saying “you’re the best we’ve got Walter. We've got to win or lose with you.”
Washington won it in the 12th inning with Johnson holding off the threatening New York Giants batters just long enough for Washington to score on a bad hop to the 3rd base.
The city went wild.
Despite his greatness, Johnson was regarded as a truly humble, nice guy.
He was once quoted as saying: "The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it.”
Johnson went on to retire to a farm in Germantown, Maryland where he became a Montgomery County Commissioner and nearly won a seat in Congress running as a Republican in 1940.
Johnson died in 1946 of a brain tumor. He was 59 years old.
Walter Johnson High School in Rockville is named for him.