Amazing Randy: Perfect

ATLANTA â€”  Randy Johnson had pretty much done it all -- Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter, strikeout records, a World Series championship.

Only one thing was missing in his brilliant career, that rarest of pitching feats.

At the ripe ol’ age of 40, the Big Unit took care of that too.

Johnson became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 27 hitters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves, 2-0, Tuesday night.

“A game like this was pretty special,� said Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner. “It doesn’t come along very often.�

It was the 17th perfect game in major league history, the 15th since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since the New York Yankees’ David Cone against Montreal on July 18, 1999.

“Everything he’s done up to this point pales in comparison,� Arizona Manager Bob Brenly said.

Johnson struck out 13 and went to three balls on just one hitter -- Johnny Estrada in the second inning. Estrada fouled off three full-count pitches in a row before going down swinging.

Late in the game, Johnson sat stoically in the dugout with his head down and eyes closed, appearing to be almost asleep.

“It didn’t faze me,� the left-hander said. “Winning the game was the biggest, most important thing.�

His manager was a lot more nervous. From the sixth inning on, Brenly remained in the same spot -- sitting on the bat rack.

“This is one of those nights where a superior athlete was on top of his game,� Brenly said. “There was a tremendous rhythm out there. His focus, his concentration, his stuff, everything was as good as it could possibly be.�

Cy Young, then 37, had been the oldest to throw a perfect game, doing it in 1904.

Johnson got stronger as the game went along on a warm night in Atlanta.

“Not bad for being 40 years old,� he said. “Everything was locked in.�

Although it was the first perfect game of Johnson’s career, it was his second no-hitter. He no-hit Detroit for Seattle on June 2, 1990, walking six.

“That was far from perfect,� he recalled. “I was a very young pitcher who didn’t have any idea where the ball was going. I was far from being a polished pitcher. Fourteen years later, I’ve come a long way as far as knowing what I want to do.�

It was the longest span between a pair of no-hitters by a pitcher in baseball history.

Appropriately, Johnson struck out the final batter, pinch-hitter Eddie Perez, with a 98-mph fastball.

Johnson pumped his fist and raised his glove in the air, but his teammates seemed even more excited. He started to put out his right hand when Robby Hammock arrived at the mound, but the young catcher -- a foot shorter than Johnson -- gave the pitcher a bear hug instead.

Within seconds, Johnson was mobbed by the rest of his teammates.

“He could smell it at the end,� Estrada said.

The crowd of 23,381 at Turner Field gave Johnson a standing ovation as he walked toward the dugout. He waved in several directions before disappearing down the tunnel.

“Randy! Randy! Randy!� the fans chanted.

He became only the fifth pitcher to throw no-hitters in the National and American leagues, joining Young, Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo and Nolan Ryan.

The crowd sensed history in the making when J.D. Drew grounded out to end the eighth. The Atlanta fans gave Johnson (4-4) a standing ovation as he left the mound, then another when he batted in the ninth.

While the Braves hit several balls hard off Johnson, the closest thing to a hit was a slow roller by Johnson’s Atlanta counterpart, Mike Hampton, in the sixth. Alex Cintron scooped up the ball and threw out Hampton by a half-step.

Johnson lingered near the third-base line, giving Cintron a pat with the glove as he ran off the field.

Cintron also was the offensive hero, driving in Arizona’s first run and scoring the other.

In the Braves’ previous game Sunday, they struck out 18 times against the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ben Sheets.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Perfect Outings

List of perfect games thrown in modern major league baseball history:

*--* Pitcher Date Teams, Result Randy Johnson May 18, 2004 Arizona at Atlanta, 2-0 David Cone July 18, 1999 New York (AL) vs. Montreal, 6-0 David Wells May 17, 1998 New York (AL) vs. Minnesota, 4-0 Kenny Rogers July 28, 1994 Texas vs. Angels, 4-0 Dennis Martinez July 28, 1991 Montreal at Dodgers, 2-0 Tom Browning Sept. 16, 1988 Cincinnati vs. Dodgers, 1-0 Mike Witt Sept 30, 1984 Angels at Texas, 1-0 Len Barker May 15, 1981 Cleveland vs. Toronto, 3-0 Jim Hunter May 8, 1968 Oakland vs. Minnesota, 4-0 Sandy Koufax Sept. 9, 1965 Dodgers vs. Chicago (NL), 1-0 Jim Bunning June 21, 1964 Philadelphia at New York (NL), 6-0 Don Larsen * Oct. 8, 1956 New York (AL) vs. Brooklyn, 2-0 Charles Robertson April 30, 1922 Chicago (AL) at Detroit, 2-0 Addie Joss Oct. 2, 1908 Cleveland vs. Chicago (AL), 1-0 Cy Young May 5,1904 Boston vs. Philadelphia (AL), 3-0 * World Series

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27 Up, 27 Down

Play-by-play of the perfect game pitched by Arizona left-hander Randy Johnson against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday:

* Braves’ first: Jesse Garcia grounded to first. Julio Franco struck out swinging. Chipper Jones struck out swinging.

* Braves’ second: Andruw Jones flied to center. Johnny Estrada struck out swinging. J.D. Drew struck out swinging.

* Braves’ third: Mark DeRosa flied to right. Nick Green grounded to short. Mike Hampton struck out swinging.

* Braves’ fourth: Garcia struck out swinging. Franco flied to center. C.Jones struck out looking.

* Braves’ fifth: A.Jones flied to left. Estrada flied to right. Drew flied to right.

* Braves’ sixth: DeRosa grounded to third. Green struck out swinging. Hampton grounded to short.

* Braves’ seventh: Garcia struck out swinging. Franco grounded to second. C.Jones struck out swinging.

* Braves’ eighth: A.Jones flied to center. Estrada struck out swinging. Drew grounded to second.

* Braves’ ninth: DeRosa grounded to second. Green struck out looking. Eddie Perez, batting for Hampton, struck out swinging.

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Fan Club

Strikeouts in perfect games:

Sandy Koufax...14

Randy Johnson...13

David Wells...11

Len Barker...11

Catfish Hunter...11

Jim Bunning...10

David Cone...10

Mike Witt...10

Kenny Rogers...9

Cy Young...8

Don Larsen...7

Tom Browning...7

Charlie Robertson...6

Dennis Martinez...5

Addie Joss...3