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Big Unit Roughed Up Again

AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
in Sports Talk
4 Homeruns...3 in a row (first time in his career)...does he hang it up after this year?

He's allowed 29 HRs, the most in the AL, and second in all of baseball.

He's got back problems (has had them since his days in Seattle), is over 40, has done it all except win a world series...should he retire?

I'm thinking he's done.

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    Gemmy10Gemmy10 Posts: 2,990 ✭
    <<has done it all except win a world series>>

    Where have you been? You call yourself a baseball fan? Do the the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks ring a bell? Ring-Ding-a-Ling? Earth to Axtell....earth to Axtell.

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    Gemmy10Gemmy10 Posts: 2,990 ✭
    <<He's got back problems (has had them since his days in Seattle), is over 40, has done it all except win a world series...should he retire?

    I'm thinking he's done.>>

    That's up to him. Age is not on his side but in 2003 he had a bad year with a 6-8 record because of his knee and came back and had a terrific year in 2004. Many feel he should have won the Cy Young over Clemens because his ERA was lower but he pitched on a terrible team Hech he won almost 1/3 of the Diamondbacks' games, 16 wins for Randy out of 51 wins for the Diamondbacks.

    By the way after giving 4 Home Runs in the 4th inning he pitched a complete game and was lights out in the other innings. Go figure.
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    yawie99yawie99 Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
    He's still capable of dominating any given game, but he's become equally capable of getting shelled on any given outing. I guess his future may depend a lot on what happens with the Yankees the rest of the way.
    imageimageimageimageimageimage
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    denwd1denwd1 Posts: 430
    i would be shocked to see him hang it up.he is contracted with the yankees for i think 2 more years at about 15-20 million a year. he may be washed up but he's not crazy enough to quit with that paycheck waiting.unless of course he gets paid 40 million to retire. the yankees are just plain stupid to pay a 41 year old pitcher that kind of money.
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    AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    My bad I completely forgot about the Arizona years.

    I just don't see what else he has to to give...he's been rocked many times this year, looking bad more often than good.

    I don't suspect we'll see much more of him after this year.
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    Gemmy10Gemmy10 Posts: 2,990 ✭
    <<the yankees are just plain stupid to pay a 41 year old pitcher that kind of money.>>

    Stupidity loves company. It didn't work with Kevin Brown so ole George thought he would give it another try. image
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    Gemmy10Gemmy10 Posts: 2,990 ✭
    If the Yankees get to the playoffs and Randy and Wright are healthy, they along with Mussina and Chacon (the way he has been pitching lately) can wreak havoc on the opposition. At this point big IFs.
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    sagardsagard Posts: 1,898 ✭✭✭
    He needs to sieze his chance at being one if not the all time greatest Yankee killer of all. 5-0 against the Yanks in the Post Season, 4-0 in games when his team was facing elimination.

    Now as a Yank, he can prevent them from making the postseason completely!
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    AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    Heard an interesting stat today about Big Unit:

    Prior to this year, he'd never given up 4 consecutive hits. He's done it 4 times this year including 6 in a row in the loss against Chicago.

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    Gemmy10Gemmy10 Posts: 2,990 ✭
    <<Heard an interesting stat today about Big Unit:

    Prior to this year, he'd never given up 4 consecutive hits. He's done it 4 times this year including 6 in a row in the loss against Chicago.>>

    Amazing stat. He has been perplexing this year. He has had terrible outings then just when you think something is wrong he pitches a 2 or 3 hitter. What was weird about yesterday is all the other innings beside the 4th were great.

    "It marked the first time in Johnson's career that he allowed four homers in an inning, and just the second time he allowed that many in a game. In fact, Johnson became just the third Yankee to serve up four long balls in a single frame, joining Scott Sanderson (1992) and Catfish Hunter (1977).""

    I remember from the 1977 season to the 1978 season Catfish Hunter went down hill fast with a lot of injuries but then he came back and down the stretch, even though he didn't have his best stuff, he gutted it out and helped the Yankees overcome their 14 game deficit against the Red Sox. He pitched good in the World Series too.

    Then this comment about Roger Clemen's first year with the Yankees by Joe Torre. I remember thinking the same thing recently....wondering what was wrong with Rocket and why did the Yankees trade David Wells for him. Well now we know there is nothing wrong with Clemens.

    "In his first season with the Yankees, Clemens went 14-10 with a 4.60 ERA and appeared to have a tough time warming up to New York and all that goes along with being a Yankee. Torre said it's not out of the realm of possibility that Johnson might be going through some of the same pains.

    "I think it was more for Roger [that] he was trying to be a different personality," Torre said. "He was trying to 'be a Yankee.' I didn't insist that he was a nice guy. Just be who you are."
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