AUGUST 7, 1907 | WASHINGTON, D.C. – Only Cy Young was more dominant on the mound than Walter Johnson, and they named an award after him.
Walter Johnson’s road to immortality began on this date in 1907. Johnson was just 19-years old, and fresh off the family farm in Humboldt, Kansas when he pitched the Washington Senators to a 7-2 win over the Cleveland Naps (today’s Indians) – the first of 416 career wins . Only Cy Young has more career wins (511) than Walter Johnson.
Johnson’s accomplishments are stunning. From 1910 to 1919 he won 25, 25, 33, 36, 28, 27, 25, 23, 23 games.
- He started 666 games in his 21-year career, completing 531.
- He pitched 110 shutouts (11 in 1913 alone).
- He pitched over 300 innings 9 times.
Johnson could hit, too! He had a .433 batting average in 1925 – 42 hits in 97 at bats. He hit .283 in 1924, .270 in 1921, and had a career average of .235 with 24 home runs and 255 runs batted in.
CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train, by Henry W. Thomas, 1995