Instead of hitting a bird, Randy Johnson gave one of the most infamous moments in MLB history when he didn’t make it home plate during a spring training game 21 years ago. It’s often not down as one of the most memorable games in MLB history, but it goes to show that a single moment can have a lasting impact.
In March 2001, Randy Johnson, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 303 games in 22 seasons, was pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks in a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants in Tucson, Arizona.
Johnson, a left-handed pitcher, was setting up to throw a pitch in the 7th inning when a bird flew in front of home plate and hit the ball.
Here’s the reason why this moment became so memorable.
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The throw that was not counted, here’s what we understand about what occurred after the event, but not many are aware. The throw continues to be notorious, twenty-one years later.
Did the bird die?
Unfortunately, yes.
“According to video footage, Rod Barajas, the catcher during that time, exclaimed that all that was visible was a blast as the object descended to the earth, presumably a mourning dove, with feathers seen cascading down from the bird.”
How fast was the pitch?
There was never a verified velocity, as the bird was struck before the catcher obtained the ball. The ball must reach home plate to ascertain the pace of a pitch.
However, Cronkite News in Arizona approximated the fastball was approximately 100 mph.
The pitch was not a strike or a ball.
The umpire crew decided to call it a no-pitch because the pitch didn’t reach the plate essentially, meaning the pitch statistically never happened. This rule states that if an animal gets in the way of the pitch, it doesn’t count.
Who was the batter?
You may know Murray Kyler as the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. He played five seasons in the MLB. Murray Calvin was a batter for the Giants, but he was not widely known.
What did they do with the bird?
Afterward, it is unknown what happened but it took it back to the dugout. Johnson pointed towards it while smiling and picked up the bird with his bare hands. Jeff Kent, the second baseman for the Giants, went onto the field and realized what had happened after the players.
A member of the grounds crew then collected and tidied up the plumes that were scattered on the field.
What did Randy Johnson think of it?
Johnson described the events as “a haze” when speaking about them in a 2016 interview with Fox Sports Arizona. When speaking to ESPN, Johnson stated that he did not find Kent’s joke amusing.
“It’s simply difficult to truly comprehend that. It occurred so rapidly,” he expressed.
It appears that Johnson has become less serious about the incident as time has passed.