MLB legend has totally unrecognisable career despite once throwing perfect game

01 July 2023 , 16:59

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Randy Johnson with Larry Fitzgerald at an Arizona Cardinals game

There have been over 235,500 games played across 154 years in Major League Baseball. In those, there have only been 24 perfect games thrown by a pitcher.

A perfect game is when a pitcher completes the maximum nine innings with no batter from the opposing team reaching base - with 27 men up to bat and all 27 being out without getting on base.

In 2004, Randy Johnson became the 17th pitcher to achieve a perfect game - in a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 6'10 Hall of Fame pitcher was one of the greatest of his era - winning the Cy Young award five times and a World Series in 2001 with the Diamondbacks.

But despite his greatness as a pitcher, being one of the best to ever do it, the sport was never his biggest passion - which saw him retire to pick up his first love once again.

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Johnson had been in love with photography since studying it at USC from 1983-85, when he got into the prestigious college on a baseball scholarship.

And 13 years after retiring, Johnson remains a photographer - being seen at a number of major events.

While going on several African safaris, Johnson's images have been used in Rolling Stone, Spin and Metal Hammer - while also being seen at NFL games when covering Arizona Cardinals games.

Johnson with the Diamondbacks back in 2004

Speaking to Baseball Hall in a recent interview, he said: "A lot of people think because now I’m retired, they’re getting wind of the photography now.

"They think I just started, but in high school, I was into photography and then I studied photojournalism at USC and worked for the college newspaper there, The Daily Trojan and really got immersed into taking photographs, developing film and seeing the process.

"I’m not a professional. What I think is good is good for me but someone else may critique it differently," he adds.

"That’s how you get better. I don’t mind constructive criticism. I’m not a great photographer and I never said I was. I’m just trying to make people happy.

“I was a late bloomer in baseball. Hopefully, that will be the same thing with my photography."

Earlier this week, New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German became the 24th man to pitch a perfect game - the first to do so in 11 years.

Charlie Wilson