Walter Johnson
The Big Train: baseball's all-time shutout king and a 400-win legend.
via Wikipedia: Walter Johnson · see source
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "the Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators. He later served as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and of the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935. Generally regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Johnson established several records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He held the career record in strikeouts from 1919, passing Christy Mathewson’s mark of 2,507, until 1983, when three players (Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry) passed his career total of 3,508. On July 22, 1923, Johnson became the first pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts. He remained the only player to do so until Bob Gibson matched the feat on July 17, 1974. Johnson led the league in strikeouts for 12 total seasons, 8 of which were consecutive, both all-time records. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to record more than 400 wins and strike out more than 3,500 batters. In 1936, Johnson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Pitcher
- Born
- 6 November 1887
- Birthplace
- Humboldt, Kansas, U.S.
- Died
- 10 December 1946
- Place of death
- Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Bats
- Right
- Debut league
- MLB
- Debut date
- August 2
Lore & Background
Johnson was the second of six children (Effie, Leslie, Earl, Blanche) born to Frank Edwin Johnson (1861–1921) and Minnie Olive Perry (1867–1967) on a rural farm four miles west of Humboldt, Kansas on November 6, 1887. Although he was sometimes said to be of Swedish ancestry and referred to by sportswriters as "the Big Swede," Johnson's ancestors came from the British Isles. Soon after his fourteenth birthday, his family moved to California's Orange County in 1902. The Johnsons settled in the town of Olinda, a small oil boomtown located just east of Brea. In his youth, Johnson split his time among playing baseball, working in the nearby oil fields, and going horseback riding. Johnson later attended Fullerton Union High School where he struck out 27 batters during a 15-inning game against Santa Ana High School. He later moved to Idaho, where he doubled as a telephone company employee and a pitcher for a team in Weiser, of the Idaho State League. Johnson was spotted by catcher/scout Cliff Blankenship and signed a contract with the Washington Senators in July 1907 at the age of 19.
Reader's Guide
Johnson was renowned as the premier power pitcher of his era. Ty Cobb recalled his first encounter with the rookie fastballer. In 1917, a Bridgeport, Connecticut, munitions laboratory recorded Johnson's fastball at 134 feet per second, which is equal to 91 mph. Johnson pitched with a sidearm motion. His motion was especially difficult for right-handed batters to follow. In addition to his fastball, Johnson featured an occasional curveball that he developed around 1913 or 1914. He batted and threw right-handed. Johnson's record total of 3,508 strikeouts stood for more than 55 years until Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Gaylord Perry all surpassed it in that order during the 1983 season. Johnson, as of 2026, ranks eleventh on the all-time strikeout list. Among his pre–World War II contemporaries, only two men finished within 1,000 strikeouts of Johnson: runner-up Cy Young with 2,803 and Tim Keefe at 2,562. Bob Feller later ended up with 2,581. As a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators, Walter Johnson won 417 games, the second most by any pitcher in history (after Cy Young, who won 511). He and Young are the only pitchers to have won 400 games. In a 21-year career, Johnson had twelve 20-win seasons, including ten in a row. Twice, he topped 30 wins (33 in 1912 and 36 in 1913). Johnson's record includes 110 shutouts, the most in baseball history. Johnson had a 38–26 record in games decided by a 1–0 score; both his wins and losses in these games are major league records. Johnson also lost 65 games because his teams failed to score a run. On September 4, 5 and 7, 1908, he shut out the New York Highlanders in three consecutive games. Three times, Johnson won the triple crown for pitchers (1913, 1918 and 1924). Johnson twice won the American League Most Valuable Player Award (1913, 1924). His earned run average of 1.14 in 1913 was the fourth-lowest ever at the time he recorded it; it remains the sixth-lowest today. Johnson won 36 games in 1913, 40% of the team's total wins for the season. In April and May, he pitched 55 consecutive scoreless innings, which stood as the MLB record for 55 years and as of 2024 remains the American League's best and third-longest streak in history. He won 25 games and lost 20 games in 1916, the last pitcher to win and lose 20 in a season until knuckleballer Wilbur Wood did so in 1973.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were his statistical milestones?
He holds the distinction of being the first player ever to reach 3,000 strikeouts, eventually finishing with 3,508 total. While he missed out on an official MVP title due to its later creation, he was honored with the Chalmers Award in 1913 for his excellence.
How did his career conclude?
Johnson retired in 1927 having held almost every major pitching record that existed during his time. His departure marked the end of an era where his physical dominance and gentlemanly conduct set a lasting example for future players.
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