MLB ALL-STAR GAME

July 11, 2000

Randy Johnson

RANDY JOHNSON: No, with all the festivities, usually doesn't give a starting pitcher enough time to warm up. Pitching on Sunday, I didn't know how I was going to throw. So you can go out there and throw eight pitches, and you have to be pretty pleased about that.

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, I've learned to, I mean obviously, you know, my adrenaline is part of my arsenal, if you want to call it that, or whatever you phrased it. But you have to learn how to keep it under control and how to stay focused and utilize it to your advantage, as opposed to being used against your disadvantage. Early in my career, little things would rattle me. I would still be a high-strung pitcher out there, lose my focus. Now, with maturity and learning that you have to stay focused, I've used it to my advantage.

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, you know, over the last seven years, I keep hearing that word, "intimidating." And reporters ask me if I feel I'm intimidating. I'm just going out there and pitching. You know, you have to ask a hitter if they're intimidated, and there's a lot of hitters that apparently aren't, because they hit me pretty well. Every time I go out there to the mound, it's a great challenge to try to get hitters out. In today's game, where everything is kind of offensive-oriented, you know, it's a great challenge to be a pitcher in today's game and be successful, because there are -- everything is kind of sliding more towards the hitter. I don't think I'm saying anything that you don't already know. But it's definitely a challenge being a pitcher in today's game.

RANDY JOHNSON: (Laughing.) He's a great hitter. I mean what is he? 3-for-3 right now? He could be hitting as we speak. Like I said, you know, for a starting pitcher, it's a little more difficult to get in the flow of the game. You know, I pitched one inning. Like I said, I pitched Sunday. I tip my hat to him. I don't mind giving up hits as long as they don't score. My personal battles with individual hitters really isn't much of one. My main concern is just keeping us in the game in regular-season games and giving us a chance to win.

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, I mean I've only been fortunate enough to play for 12 years, but I've seen when I first came up the strike zone then, and I see the strike zone now; I've seen ballparks 12 years ago, I see ballparks now. I don't really think I need to elaborate much more, other than the ballparks are much smaller, the hitters are much stronger, the balls are a lot harder, and the strike zone's a little bit smaller. So, the advantage is really with the hitter. You have a lot of great pitchers out there. I use the word "Great" that have high ERA's because they're giving up a lot of runs, because there's a lot of home runs in today's game.

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, it's really difficult. I knew going into today's game even, had I not pitched on Sunday and been well-rested, I'm only going to pitch two or three innings, so I go about it a little differently. My routine for a regular-season start for the Diamondbacks is much more different than an All-Star Game. Obviously, there's the same amount of adrenaline, because there's a lot of focus on an All-Star Game. I want to do well. But a regular-season game, it's a big buildup. I've been working hard for four days after my last start in preparation for my next start. On a day that I've pitched, I feel like I've physically done all my work in the weight room, and mentally did all my research for the hitters I'm going to face. So I feel in today's game, you need to be mentally and physically prepared to face the hitters that you're going to face.

RANDY JOHNSON: No, I think I only threw eight pitches. I think seven of them were strikes, I was told, and I think I threw two or three breaking balls. So I'd say about half: Four-and-four.

RANDY JOHNSON: Well, I enjoy being here. I think it's a great honor. I mean, you never know as a player -- a lot of players are here for the first time. I've been very fortunate to be here a few times in All-Star Games. You just never know when you're going to be in an All-Star Game. I take this very seriously. Unfortunately, what I do in a nine-inning game during a regular-season game, you're not going to see one inning. It takes me a while to get in the flow of the game. What you saw last year by Pedro (Martinez), to strike out six batters, it was amazing. It takes a power pitcher a while to get going in the flow of the game. I was pretty pleased to throw eight pitches and get the game over from my vantage point so I could now be a fan and watch the game.