Randy Johnson vs. Jamie Moyer

Anyone who has tuned into ESPN within the past decade has heard comparison in the world of sports. Whether its, “Kobe Bryant will be the next Michael Jordan”, or “Floyd Landis is the next Lance Armstrong”. Whether its true or a sarcastic hyperbole comparison is used almost daily in the world of sports. Comparing similar players is easy, but comparing opposites can be a difficult task. Former Seattle Mariners pitchers Jamie Moyer and Randy Johnson are two of the most unique pitchers in the game. Two distinct styles, two completely different pitchers, one result, success.
Randy Johnson, one of the most well known pitchers in the game of baseball. A flame throwing “freak”. There are few things that are more menacing than stepping into the batter’s box against Randy Johnson. Standing at six feet ten inches and elevated on the pitching mound hurling a nine ounce object at nearly 100 miles per hour from a mere sixty feet away. Many batters are at Johnson’s mercy before they every pick up a bat. Johnson has racked up third most strikeouts in baseball history as he has blown away hitters with his deceptive side arm delivery, menacing appearance, and a fastball that truly lives up to its name.
Jamie Moyer is perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the game of baseball as he is constantly left out of all star games and rarely appears in the media. Moyer stands at an intimidating six foot nothing, weighing in at a monstrous 182 pounds, a light weight in the Major Leagues, who has the appearance of a computer programmer and the demeanor of an average Joe. Moyer’s main pitch is not a blazing fastball or a swooping curve ball, nor is it a deceiving slider or even a dancing knuckleball. Moyer has made a career out of a change up, a pitch that he consistently throws at an astounding 74 miles per hour, slower than most high school pitchers throw. In some cartoons where baseball is played there is a pitch that stops in front of the plate. Essentially that is what Moyer is throwing in real life. Moyer throws his change up with a grimace and quick arm speed making it look like a 90 mile per hour fast ball. When the batter is ready to swing the ball is still nowhere near the hitting zone. As if defying the laws of gravity the change up seems to float in the air like buoy on water it just sits there. The greedy hitter takes a swing, coming up with nothing more than air. Moyer’s change up has made Major league hitters look like they’ve never swung a bat for over 15 years.
Both Johnson and Moyer go about their dominance by throwing with their left hand and both of them are starting pitchers, who have both thrown more than 3500 innings in the Major Leagues. Both pitchers have made a successful career using primarily one dominant pitch. They have also both withstood the test of time as they enter their 20th season of professional baseball this spring. One delivers a pitch faster than a speeding cheetah chasing its prey and the other deceptively gets away with offering slow but graceful butterfly like pitches to the hitters. One pitcher hunts down the hitters with a fastball and the other tricks the them with a ghostly change up that seems to disappear in the eyes of the hitter. Both pitchers also wore a Mariners uniform in the glory days that were the 1990’s and both pitchers are still pitching today as they are approaching grandfather status as far as the life of a pitcher goes.
Although different in so many ways, which include ten inches, about fifty pounds and nearly a foot of golden blonde locks these pitchers have both achieved success. Johnson has been heralded as the best pitcher in the game since Nolan Ryan retired. Moyer has been considered a below average pitcher for his whole career, but both have put up hall of fame numbers throughout a career that spands nearly two decades. One time will tell if these two completely different pitchers will end up in the same place, Cooperstown, New York in the Hall of Fame where each of them belong.