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Saturday, June 21, 1997

Johnson benefits from Ryan's tips

By DENNE H. FREEMAN / Associated Press

ARLINGTON - A frustrated Randy Johnson went to Nolan Ryan for some pitching tips in August 1992.

At the time, Johnson was struggling with a 44-46 record for the Seattle Mariners.

Ryan told Johnson he needed to cut down on his walks, develop a dependable second pitch beyond his 100 mph fastball and learn to win on nights when he didn't have his best stuff.

"I told Randy he could be the most dominating pitcher in baseball if he would just work on his game," Ryan said at the time. "He was a lot like me when I was younger. He was just pitching and not doing a lot of thinking."

Since getting the advice from baseball's all-time strikeout leader, Johnson has a 71-19 record with a 2.90 ERA. He also has become deadly against the Texas Rangers, a team the retired Ryan used to pitch for and now works as a consultant.

Depending mostly on his slider on a hot 88-degree night in which he didn't have his usual crackling fastball, Johnson allowed only four hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one in a 2-1 victory over the Rangers Thursday night.

It was Johnson's seventh consecutive win and gave him an 11-1 record for the year. He has allowed one earned run in the last 44 innings.

Johnson admitted that the weather "zapped me." He also said, "I'm not a robot out there."

"The heat was draining and my arm and back were tired," Johnson said. "That was about my B-minus stuff."

Johnson, now 12-3 for his career against Texas, also beat the Rangers 5-0 in May. Texas can't handle his stuff even in the B-minus category.

The victory moved Seattle two games ahead of the Rangers in the AL West. The Mariners held Johnson back a day from facing the San Francisco Giants so he could be ready for the Rangers.

"Michael Jordan is great under pressure and that's the way I want to be," Johnson said. "(Manager) Lou Piniella looks to me in crucial situations and I like to think I've succeeded a lot in those situations.

"After losing two games to San Francisco, this is a big win for us against a divisional rival. What better way to start a four-game series than with a win here? This was a more important game for me to pitch in than against the Giants."

Johnson has become so dominating he puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers.

"I knew I couldn't give up much because I was going against Randy," Texas starter and loser Ken Hill said. "He beat us at their place and threw the ball well. He can dominate a game."

And he can do it with his slider, the second pitch Ryan said Johnson had to develop.

"It didn't look like he was throwing as hard as he did earlier this year," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "It looked like he was throwing more sliders than normal. Even when he does that, he gets the ball up there pretty good."

"I've learned how to control that slider," Johnson said. "It's become a good out pitch when my fastball isn't at its best."

Perhaps it was a B-minus effort to Johnson. The Rangers had a higher grade. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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