Oct 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson throws out a ceremonial first pitch before game three of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images John Froschauer-Imagn Images

Randy Johnson's Important Advice for Young Pitchers

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Curt Bishop | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 2:29 PM ET

Randy Johnson pitched from 1988-2009, winning five Cy Young awards, a pitching triple crown and a World Series ring. He also was a 10-time All-Star and a World Series MVP.

Johnson pitched with the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, winning 301 games and posting a lifetime ERA of 3.29.

Longevity is what stands out the most to many when looking at Johnson's career, and it's not often that pitchers last this long in today's game. Recently, Johnson shared what his secret was and the advice he would give to younger pitchers.

Big Unit's advice

"All anybody can say is, you've got to work hard," Johnson said, as quoted by Jackson Roberts of Baseball Now. "Keep your mind right, and you know, you can't predict career-ending injuries. You can't predict (if) someone's going to have the desire to play longer when they could retire if they want, but they would choose to play longer.

"There's no looking in a crystal ball to say what kind of career you're going to have or how long it's going to be. You have to do the things every day that will hopefully ensure you get through that day. And then when you get through today, then it's, you know, hit the repeat button. Then you gotta do that again."

In the modern era, pitchers don't always go as deep into games as they once did. The focus these days for a lot of pitchers seems to be velocity, and while Johnson had that, there was more to his success that just throwing 100 mph.

But the simple solution for a pitcher to keep his body right for a long period of time is taking it one day at a time. Johnson did that for over 20 years, and soon enough, he was first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The left-hander speaks from experience, having been through the ups and downs of a baseball season for over two decades. But there is something to be said for the way he approached pitching as opposed to how pitchers go about their routines in the modern era.

There was and still is way more to pitching for a long time than just throwing triple digits. Johnson also had to do this without some of the modern pitching tools that are available these days, but there were a lot of little things that may be overlooked.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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