Randy Johnson's Former Roommate Remembers

Tonight Randy Johnson looks to become the 24^th pitcher in baseball history to win 300 games as he takes the mound for San Francisco in Washington.

Are you ready for a great Fantastic Fun Fact?

PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur was Johnson's roommate in 1988.

They were both 24-year-old lefties with the Indianapolis Indians.  Johnson went 8-7 with a 3.26 ERA, while Sauveur was 7-4 with a 2.43 ERA.  Both of them were promoted to the Montreal Expos by the end of the season.

"We became very close friends," Sauveur told me.  "I remember him thanking me for helping him through the season.  He's kind of an 'odd bird' I'd have to say.  I haven't spoken to him in a few years but he was a very nice kid."

Johnson didn't become a dominant pitcher for several more years - in fact, he only had 64 major league wins before his 30^th birthday.  But now, the "Big Unit" has a Hall of Fame resume:  299 wins, 5 Cy Young Awards, and 4,843 strikeouts (#2 all-time behind Nolan Ryan.

"I thought he was going to be good, and I thought he was going to have a nice career in the big leagues, but I never thought he would have won that many Cy Young Awards or even one." Sauveur admitted.  "He threw hard, but didn't have much of a breaking ball.  It was just the height and the speed of the fastball that made him the pitcher he was."

Sauveur's most memorable story about his former roomie doesn't involve a brilliant pitching performance. 

"There was a rumor that Randy was going to Montreal for his first call-up in the middle of the season but he was pitching that day," Sauveur said.  "They had not received the call and there were no cell phones back then.  In about the 4^th inning, manager Joe Sparks had to go running upstairs to the clubhouse for a phone call.  Everyone in the dugout pretty much knew what was going on and when Joe got back to the dugout he said, 'Get somebody up in the bullpen, this is Randy's last inning.'  About two pitches later, a line drive hit Randy on the left wrist and Joe Sparks thought he had just lost his job.  The trainer and manager went out to check on him and he was hurt, so they brought him off the field and Randy punched the bat rack with his right hand.  An inning later I went up to the clubhouse to see him and Randy had ice on both wrists.  They got x-rays and the wrist that got hit by the ball was fine, but the wrist that he used to hit the back rack was broke.  Obviously, he did not get called up."

That led the Montreal Expos to establish a rule about such displays of temper.  His teammates called it the "Randy Johnson Rule."

But that wasn't the strangest thing that Sauveur witnessed that summer.  He was in the room when the 6'10" Johnson met a woman who was nearly a foot taller - 7'7" Sandy Allen.

"At one time she was tallest lady in the world," Sauveur recalled.  "We went to a luncheon with the Mayor of Indianapolis and I saw this lady and she was ginormous.  I knew who it was because I had seen her in the 'Guinness Book of World Records.'  The Mayor brought her in and she had her picture taken with Randy."

Wouldn't you love to see that photo?

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Tonight the PawSox look to bounce back from Monday's 6-0 loss to Louisville with Enrique Gonzalez taking the mound.  It's PawSox Junk Ball night as the first 3000 kids (14 and under) receive what I call a "whiffle ball on 'roids."  It's a plastic ball that you can twist to make it curve, rise, or drop. 

I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.