What is Randy Johnson's Net Worth and Salary?
Randy Johnson is a retired American professional baseball player who has a net worth of $95 million. Randy Johnson, AKA "The Big Unit," was one of the most prominent pitchers in American Baseball history. The 6'10" player became widely known as the "most feared pitcher in baseball" because of his dominant pitching technique and his intimidating stature.
Early Life
Randall David Johnson was born on September 10, 1963, in Walnut Creek, California. By the time he went to Livermore High School, he was already a star in basketball and baseball. As a senior in 1982, Randy Johnson struck out 121 batters in 66 innings and threw a perfect game in his last start.
Johnson then attended the University of Southern California on a full athletic scholarship to play baseball, and his pitching techniques didn't go unnoticed by coach Rod Dedeaux. After fixing some of his early control issues, Johnson established himself as a dominant left-handed pitcher.
Baseball Career
Right after high school, Randy Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1982 MLB Draft but did not sign. In the 1985 draft, he was selected in the second round by the Montreal Expos. After three years in their minor league system, he made his major league debut. In 1989, Johnson was traded to the Seattle Mariners. A year after joining the team, Johnson became the first-ever left-handed pitcher to strike out baseball Legend Wade Boggs three times in a single game. After his outstanding performance in the 1994 season, Johnson won the American League Cy Young Award. He played on the Mariners until 1998 when he was traded to the Houston Astros.
After only a year with the Astros, Johnson signed on with the Arizona Diamondbacks where he played from 1999 until 2004 and had lots of success. Johnson, along with fellow pitcher Curt Schilling, led the Diamondbacks to its first World Series and championship in 2001. The two pitchers were hailed as "Sportsmen of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. And it was with the Diamondbacks in 2004 when Randy threw the 17th perfect game in MLB history becoming the oldest player to accomplish the feat at 40 years of age. Johnson was traded to the New York Yankees for two years before being traded back to the Diamondbacks in 2007 for his second stint with the team. He didn't pitch much due to injury, but in his 2008 season debut against the San Francisco Giants, he surpassed Roger Clemens to become second all-time on the strikeout leaders list. In his last year, he played for the San Francisco Giants becoming just the 24th pitcher to reach 300 wins. At 46 years old, he was the second oldest MLB player behind only Jamie Moyer. Randy Johnson announced his retirement from baseball in January of 2010.
Randy Johnson's final MLB statistics consist of a 303-166 overall record with a 3.29 ERA. His 4,875 strikeouts are second all-time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers.
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Awards & Accolades
Over his MLB career, Randy Johnson was a 10-time All-Star (1990, 1993-1995, 1997, 1999-2002, 2004) and five-time Cy Young Award winner (1995, 1999-2002). He was a four-time ERA leader (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002) and nine-time strikeout leader (1992-1995, 1999-2002, 2004). He pitched a no-hitter on June 2, 1990, and a perfect game on May 18, 2004. Johnson was named the World Series MVP in 2001 and was the MLB wins leader and Triple Crown winner in 2002. He is a member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame, and his No. 51 is retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility, becoming the first Hall member depicted in a Diamondbacks uniform on his plaque.
Contracts & Career Earnings
Johnson's major contracts included a three-year deal worth $17.6 million with the Mariners in 1996 and a four-year, $52.4 million contract with the Diamondbacks in 1998. In 2004 and 2005, he was making an annual salary of $16 million per year. In 2006, Randy signed a three-year, $44 million deal with the Yankees.
Over 21 seasons in the MLB, Randy Johnson earned more than $175 million in salary alone and millions more from endorsements. In terms of base salary alone, Randy is one of the highest paid baseball players in league history.
Personal Life
Randy Johnson and his wife, Lisa, have four children together: Sammy, Tanner, Willow, and Alexandria. He also has a daughter, Heather, from a previous relationship.
After retirement from baseball, Randy pursued a second career as a photographer.
Real Estate
In 2006, Randy Johnson purchased a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, for $2.7 million. In 2014, he listed the home for sale for $25 million but did not find a buyer. In 2018, he marked the price down to $14.5 million and again did not find a buyer. The 25,000-square-foot mansion went to auction in 2019 with a starting bid of $4 million and sold for $7.3 million. Here's a video tour:
