5/8/2001 Randy Johnson's 20 Strike Out Game, Cincinnati Reds at Arizona Diamondbacks, Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ


 20 years ago today...

May 8, 2001 - Phoenix, AZ 

Randy Johnson became the first left-handed pitcher and the third pitcher ever to strike out 20 batters in a game, leaving a 1-1 tie game in the 9th inning with a no decision (!) at Bank One Ballpark.
The Arizona Diamondbacks ultimately prevailed over the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 in 11 innings, but the bigger story was RJ. In one of the most dominant pitching performances ever, the Big Unit stuck out 10 of the first 13 hitters and later seven in a row, but left the game without a win due to his team's lack of run support.
Circle K convenience stores was a team sponsor, tracking the Diamondbacks pitchers strike out totals with "Ks" lit up on the RF scoreboard. The stadium ran out of space for K logos electronically, so enterprising fans took to adding handmade K cardboard signs to the end of the long string of Circle K logos.
The year 2001 was a banner one for the team's first Hall of Famer, leading the league in strikeouts with 372, winning the Cy Young Award and Co-MVP of the World Series won by Arizona over the New York Yankees. (Spoiler alert: look for Diamondbacks World Series tickets and memories coming to this journal in October).
Having attended roughly 1,000 home Diamondbacks games as a season ticket holder since 1998, I have kept only those tickets from games with historical significance. This was one of those nights.

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