One Card: 1989 Score – [Base] #645 – Rookie Randy Johnson (PSA 9 Mint)

I’m going back to the well for my second entry in my “One Card” series. This time, I thought I’d select one of the few slabbed, graded cards in my collection.

I’m not a big graded card guy. I appreciate them, but I’ve never sought them out and I’ve never been motivated to pay the graded-card premium. The few that I have, are exclusively those that were priced to move. I picked up today’s card for $1.

Should I be embarrassed that my appreciation for Randy Johnson only materialized after the release of the movie Little Big League in 1994? I was eleven.

I knew of Randy Johnson. I had his infamous (and still hilarious) showdown with John Kruk in the 1993 All Star game. But I didn’t seek The Big Unit out at the card store until after Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. denied 12-year-old Billy Heywood’s Twins in Game 163.

I’ve owned a 1989 Score Randy Johnson rookie since around that time. This slabbed version is a more recent addition. The card has been a favorite.

Partial to Score designs of the era – instantly recognizable, even if most are valueless – I’ve always liked the baseball field symbols at the bottom featuring team and position. The yellow “1989 Rookie” banner at the top leaves no doubt. And to boot, we’re treated to that aqua-colored uniform (and a fine action shot).

Too little is said of 1989 Score’s backs. What more can you ask for?

Head shot, vitals, stats and a write up. Upper Deck, eat your heart out.

I can’t imagine that anyone reading this blog or making it this far in the write up needs a summary of Johnson’s 22-year Hall of Fame career. Instead, a few notes on his 1989 rookie season.

Johnson struggled out of the gate for the Expos, with an 0-4 record and a 6.67 ERA through seven appearances. On May 25^th he was dealt to the Mariners with Brian Holman and Gene Harris in exchange for All-Star pitcher Mark Langston and Mike Campbell.

With the M’s he would post a 4.40 ERA over 22 games. He would strike out 104 and walk 70 over 131 innings.

Johnson would serve notice to the league his potential in his sophomore season. On June 2, 1990, he tossed the Mariners’ first no-hit game, blanking the Tigers, 2-0, at the Kingdome. He was a five-time All-Star and a Cy Young winner while with Seattle, a huge part of transforming the franchise into a playoff team.

Of course, that was only the beginning. But more on that in another post. The Big Unit had a lot of cards.