Speaking on the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast Saturday night after he was honored pregame, he said, "People go, 'Hey aren't you the pitcher that hit the bird?' And I look at 'em and I go, 'I played 22 years! And I did a lot more than kill a bird.'"

It was amazing

Originally Posted by: wpr 

Equally amazing is:

1. Johnson had the nickname "the Big Unit" and nobody batted an eyelash at it
2. Johnson tipped his pitches his entire career and was still one of the best pitchers in history

Originally Posted by: Mucky Tundra 

I was at a game in St Louis. Johnson vs Mark McGwire.

The pitch came in at 102-104. The ball went out at 106. (Speeds are estimates after 20 years.)
McGwire hit is so hard that it didn't have time to elevate. It hit the left field padded fence and was a 1 or 2 hopper to the shortstop who had been playing short left field. McGwire was barley to first base when the SS fielded it. Typical rule is a ball that hits the outfield wall is going to be a double. Not this one.
I don't see a clip of it. Only the 558 foot homer McGwire hit off Johnson.

Originally Posted by: wpr