[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–History will remember much of the 2001 baseball season.
Barry Bonds smacked 73 home runs to break Mark McGwire’s record of 70 set in 1998. The Seattle Mariners tied the major league mark for wins with an amazing 116. Immortal legends Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn played their last games as major leaguers.
But that’s not all. Rickey Henderson collected his 3,000th hit and broke Ty Cobb’s record for most runs scored in a career. Roger Clemens became the first pitcher ever to go 20-1. And Albert Pujols set the National League record for most RBI by a rookie with 130 and had arguably the greatest rookie season ever.
Not a bad season, by any standard. But one performance that may get lost amid all the other accomplishments is Randy Johnson’s. His season ranks among the best ever by a pitcher, and Johnson deserves a spot in history for that.
Read more of columnist Tim Ellsworth’s reflections on Johnson at BPSports, www.bpsports.net [2].
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