#1: Randy Johnson: 1995 w/8.6 WAR. Also, 1997 w/8.0, 1993 w/6.6, 1994 w/5.5
Odd. The greatest hitting season and the greatest pitching season both came from 1995. It’s almost like it was one of the most spectacular and amazing seasons for the Mariners.
I’m sorry, but it’s not even close. No one was going to dethrone The Big Unit. I sure hope it happens, cause it means someone will have an incredible season. For now, though, he takes the top spot. Shoot, he’d take the second spot as well if I was doing it that way.
I talked about it a bit with Edgar. 1995 was so special. It holds a massive place in my head and heart because I was seven years old, and it was my first season really getting into baseball. Shoot, I even had a Randy Johnson shirt I wore that had his caricature and stats on it from him winning the Cy Young.
It also helps that Randy was incredible that year. 18-2, 2.48 ERA, 294 Ks, 193 ERA+, 2.08 FIP, 1.045 WHIP, 6.7 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 12.3 K/9. You wanna know why I listed all those stats? Because he led the American League in every single one of them other than wins, where he was one behind Mike Mussina. He probably should have won the MVP, but finished 6th, and funny enough, third on the Mariners behind Edgar (3rd) and Jay Buhner (5th).
I love going back and thinking about this season. It was definitely his best as a Mariner. Yeah, 1997 was great, but 1995 was the year the Mariners first made the playoffs. Randy Johnson was a massive part of that, if not the biggest part (figuratively and literally).
There is part of me that gets sad thinking about it though. The what could’ve been. We will save that for another day, and just remember the good times that we had with Randy Johnson.
Well? The Big unit? Felix? Iwakuma? Moyer? How would you rank them in terms of the greatest seasons? This one was a bit more straightforward and in line with what the statistics say, but it was still a lot of fun to go through. Hopefully, we can see some new entrants on the list soon. I’m talking to you Mr. Robbie Ray and Mr. Logan Gilbert.