David Johnson Popular Books
David Johnson Biography & Facts
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "the Big Unit", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. At 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 metres) tall, Johnson was the tallest player in MLB history when he entered the league, contributing to his extremely intimidating persona and pitching style. He is particularly known for his overpowering fastball and devastating slider, a combination that remained effective throughout his lengthy career. While he initially struggled with control in his early seasons, Johnson subsequently established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, leading his league in strikeouts nine times, and in earned run average, winning percentage, and complete games four times each. Along with teammate Curt Schilling, Johnson was one of two World Series Most Valuable Players in 2001; in the Series, Johnson won three games and led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series victory over the New York Yankees in the fourth season of the team's existence. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 2002. Johnson's 303 career victories are the fifth-most by a left-hander in MLB history, while his 4,875 strikeouts place him second all time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers. Johnson is a ten-time All-Star, won the Cy Young Award five times, and is one of only two pitchers (the other is Greg Maddux) to win the award in four consecutive seasons (1999–2002). Johnson won Cy Young Awards in both leagues. He is also one of five pitchers to pitch no-hitters in both leagues, and one of 21 pitchers in history to record a win against all 30 MLB franchises. Johnson enjoyed a career longevity uncommon to pitchers, with his signature fastball-slider combination remaining effective well into his 40s. Four of his six 300-strikeout seasons occurred after his 35th birthday. On May 18, 2004, at 40 years old, he threw Major League Baseball's 17th perfect game, and remains the oldest pitcher to accomplish the feat. Johnson retired at the age of 46, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility. He is the first member of the Hall to be depicted in a Diamondbacks uniform on his plaque. Early life Johnson was born in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles "Bud" Johnson. By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. College career Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to play baseball for the University of Southern California. While at USC, he also played two years of basketball. He was a starter at USC (where he was a teammate of Mark McGwire) under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems. Professional career Drafts and minor leagues After high school, Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1982 MLB draft, but did not sign. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. In 1985, he pitched for the Jamestown Expos of the New York-Pennsylvania League. In 1986, he pitched for the West Palm Beach Expos of the Florida State League. In 1987, he pitched for the Jacksonville Expos of the Southern League. In 1988, he pitched for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. Montreal Expos (1988–1989) He made his major league debut on September 15, 1988, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, earning a 9–4 victory with a five-inning outing in which he gave up two runs with five strikeouts; his first victim was Orestes Destrade in the second inning. Johnson posted a record of 3–0 with a 2.42 earned run average (ERA) in four games in 1988, but 1989 saw him slip to an 0–4 mark with a 6.67 ERA in seven games through May 7. On May 25, 1989, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a trade involving five pitchers that brought Mark Langston to Montreal. In 11 total games played with the Expos, he went 3–4 with a 4.69 ERA and one complete game in 55+2⁄3 innings with 51 strikeouts and 33 walks. Seattle Mariners (1989–1998) 1989–1992 After joining the Mariners during the 1989 season, Johnson led the American League in walks for three consecutive seasons (1990–1992), and hit batsmen in 1992 and 1993. In July 1991, facing the Milwaukee Brewers, the erratic Johnson allowed 4 runs on 1 hit, thanks to 10 walks in 4 innings. A month later, a 9th-inning single cost him a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics. Johnson suffered another 10-walk, 4-inning start in 1992. His untapped talent was explosive: In 1990, Johnson became the first left-hander to strike out Wade Boggs three times in one game, and a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers attested to his potential. Johnson credits a session with Nolan Ryan late in the 1992 season with helping him take his career to the next level; Ryan has said that he appreciated Johnson's talent and did not want to see him take as long to figure certain things out as he had taken. Ryan recommended a slight change in his delivery; before the meeting, Johnson would land on the heel of his foot after delivering a pitch, and he therefore usually landed offline from home plate. Ryan suggested that he land on the ball of his foot, and almost immediately, he began finding the strike zone more consistently. In a September 27, 1992, game against the Texas Rangers, with Ryan the opposing starting pitcher, Johnson struck out 18 batters in eight innings while throwing 160 pitches, a pitch count that has not been reached in an MLB game since. It was during the 1992 off-season when Johnson returned home for Christmas only to lose his father to an aortic aneurysm. His father's death was so devastating that he decided to quit baseball, only to have his mother convince him otherwise. 1993 Johnson broke out in 1993, posting a 19–8 record, 3.24 ERA, his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308), and he was also the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts in a single season. In May 1993, Johnson again lost a no-hitter to a 9th-inning single; again, the opponent was the Oakland Athletics. He also recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Minnesota Twins' Chuck Knoblauch. Prior to the trade deadline, Johnson was nearly dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Karsay and Mike Timlin. Toronto general manager Pat Gillick had two separate transactions on the table including the one for Johnson with Seattle general manager Woody Woodward and one for Rickey Henderson with Oakland general manager Sandy Alderson. When Gillick was unable to contact Woodward he agreed to utilize the deal with Alderson. When Woodward returned Gillick's call he said he would agree to the deal for Johnson. However, Gillick gave his word to Alderson even though the.... Discover the David Johnson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular David Johnson books.
Best Seller David Johnson Books of 2024
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The Butler
Wil HaygoodThis mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...
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The Steel Bonnets
George MacDonald FraserFrom the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, outlaws reigned supreme on the contentious frontier between England and Scotland. Feud and terror, raid and reprisal, were the ordin...
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Merrily Ever After
Cathy BramleyTwo strangers. One big secret. And a Christmas to remember . . .'A thought provoking story of love and complicated family relationships, guaranteed to warm every reader's heart' SH...
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River of No Return
David Riley BertschA Wyoming fishing guide must return to his investigative roots to find his best friend’s girlfriend in this “nonstop adventure and suspenseful pageturner that leaves the reader bre...
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A Good Killing
Allison LeottaFormer federal prosecutor and critically acclaimed author Allison Leotta’s spellbinding thriller follows prosecutor Anna Curtis as she heads home to Michigan to defend her sister i...
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The American Story
David M. RubensteinCofounder of The Carlyle Group and patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein takes readers on a sweeping journey across the grand arc of the American story through revealing con...
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The Book of Mistakes
Skip PrichardHave you ever wondered why some people seem to catch all the breaks and win over and over again? What do the super successful know? What is standing between you and your wildest dr...
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The Wines of Spain
Julian JeffsThe transformation of the Spanish wine industry over the last 20 years has been astonishing. From a state of very considerable decay it has reinvented itself with great vigour and ...
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From Saturday Night to Sunday Night
Dick EbersolA memoir by the legendary television executive detailing his pioneering work on Saturday Night Live, Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, the NBA, music videos, late night, and mor...
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Feral Youth
Shaun David Hutchinson, Suzanne Young, Marieke Nijkamp, Robin Talley, Stephanie Kuehn, E. C. Myers, Tim Floreen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland & Brandy ColbertTen teens are left alone in the wilderness during a threeday survival test in this multiauthored novel led by awardwinning author Shaun David Hutchinson.At Zeppelin Bend, an outdoo...
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The Travels
Marco PoloMarco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time. His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China, after which he served the Kubilai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions. On hi...
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The Myth of the Goddess
Anne Baring & Jules CashfordA comprehensive, scholarly accessible study, in which the authors draw upon poetry and mythology, art and literature, archaeology and psychology to show how the myth of the goddess...
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Uncommon Wealth
Kojo KoramWINNER OF THE PEN HESSELLTILTMAN PRIZE 2023Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political WritingLonglisted for the British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural UnderstandingA Gu...
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The Secret to Love, Health, and Money
Rhonda ByrneThis indepth masterclass from the author of the groundbreaking bestseller The Secret illustrates how to apply the law of attraction to three of life’s most important areas: relatio...
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The 12 Days of Christmas
Poppy Alexander'A real festive treat' JULES WAKE'Heartmelting and mouthwatering, this Christmas treat is as sweet and delicious as a marron glacé' VERONICA HENRY'A festive romance that reminds us...
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The Best and the Brightest
David HalberstamDavid Halberstam’s masterpiece, the defining history of the making of the Vietnam tragedy, with a new Foreword by Senator John McCain."A rich, entertaining, and profound reading e...
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How The Secret Changed My Life
Rhonda ByrneAn aweinspiring compilation of the most uplifting and powerful reallife stories from readers of the worldwide bestseller The Secret. Discover how everyday people completely transfo...
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The Traveling Feast
Rick BassAcclaimed author Rick Bass decided to thank all of his writing heroes in person, one meal at a time, in this "rich smorgasbord of a memoir . . . a soulnourishing, roadburning act o...
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The Prime Ministers
Iain DaleWinner of the 2020 PARLIAMENTARY BOOK AWARDS for Best Political Book by a NonParliamentarianA Times Political Book of the Year'An entertaining, thorough and informative canter thro...
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B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Volume 5
Mike Mignola, John Arcudi & Laurence CampbellHell on Earth comes to an end when the B.P.R.D. must defend earth from one of the mythical Ogdru Jahad, the dragon believed to bring about the end of the world. The agents must des...
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Stay Close to Me
Helen WarnerThe fabulous new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of RSVPAmy has enjoyed a charmed life, shopping and lunching while the nanny looks after her children. Until her wor...
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Imperial Spain 1469-1716
J. H Elliott & NEIL PINCHESThe story of Spain's rise to greatness from its humble beginnings as one of the poorest and most marginal of European countries is a remarkable and dramatic one. With the marriage ...
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The Bully Pulpit
Doris Kearns GoodwinPulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s dynamic history of Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and the first decade of the Progressive era, ...
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Jesus Calling, 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories, with Full Scriptures
Sarah YoungExperience a deeper relationship with Jesus as you savor the presence of the One who understands you perfectly and loves you forever. This edition of the beloved devotional Je...
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Dead Wrong
Richard Belzer, David Wayne & Jesse VenturaFor years, the government has put out hits on people that they found “expendable,” or who they felt were “talking too much,” covering up their assassinations with drug overdo...
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Brexit and Ireland
Tony Connelly'Excellent' Sunday TimesBrexit represents potentially the single greatest economic and foreignpolicy challenge to the Irish state since the Second World War. There is hardly any ar...
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A Different Universe
Robert B. LaughlinIn this age of superstring theories and Big Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as impossibly distant from our everyday lives. But in A Different Universe, Nobel ...
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The Search for Life on Mars
Elizabeth Howell & Nicholas BoothWith a focus of the Perseverance rover mission, here is the "Quintessential account of one of humanity’s most intriguing quests" (Pail Halpern, Medium), "A remarkable, t...
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The Essential Kerner Commission Report
Jelani Cobb & Matthew GuarigliaRecognizing that an historic study of American racism and police violence should become part of today’s canon, Jelani Cobb contextualizes it for a new generation.The Kerner Commiss...
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Footnotes
Peter FiennesThrough past and present, the country and the city, Peter Fiennes takes a literary journey through the British Isles‘As enjoyable a guide to the relationship of writers to the land...
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Instant Pot Cookbook 1000
Suzy SussonHow would you like to cook with your instant pot multicooker cookbook (pressure cooker) for 3 years in a row? ThisThis book is an instant pot bible filled with instant pot all time...
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The Power of Trust
Sandra J. Sucher & Shalene GuptaA groundbreaking exploration of the changing nature of trust and how to bridge the gap from where you are to where you need to be. Trust is the most powerful force underlying...
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Traces Remain
Charles NichollIn these wonderfully stylish and eclectic essays, Charles Nicholl pursues the fugitive traces of the past with the skill and relish that have earned him a reputation as one of the ...
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Fifty Fashion Looks that Changed the 1970s
DESIGN MUSEUM ENTERPRISE LTD & Paula ReedThe Design Museum and fashion guru Paula Reed present Fifty Fashion Looks that Changed the 1970s. The most exciting, influential and definitive looks of one of the most significant...
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Larousse Wine
David Cobbold & Sebastian Durand-VielAn expert guide to wine from the publishers of Larousse Gastronomique. This completely new and updated edition offers wideranging coverage of the key wineproducing regions of the w...
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Object Lessons
The Paris ReviewA New York Magazine Best Book of the YearA Huffington Post Best Book of the Year Twenty contemporary authors introduce twenty sterling examples of the short story from the pages o...
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From Hang Time to Prime Time
Pete CroattoPerfect for fans of Moneyball and The Book of Basketball, this vivid, thoroughly entertaining, and wellresearched book explores the NBA’s surge in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s...
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The Climate Book
Greta ThunbergA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWe still have time to change the world. From climate activist Greta Thunberg, comes the essential handbook for making it happen.You might think it's an i...
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Plant Paradox Diet
Suzy SussonDo you want to live a healthy Lectin Free life?Lectins are produced as a defence mechanism by plants. They are harmful and lead to inflammations according to studies. Consuming a L...
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The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me
Laura Tait & Jimmy RiceEveryone remembers their first love.Holly certainly remembers Alex. But she decided ten years ago that love wasn’t about mix tapes and seizing the moment – though she’s not exactly...
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The Night That Changed Everything
Laura Tait & Jimmy RiceRebecca is the only girl she knows who didn't cry at the end of Titanic. Ben is the only man he knows who did. Rebecca’s untidy but Ben doesn’t mind picking up her pieces. Ben is l...
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The Paris Review Book
The Paris ReviewAn exciting new anthology from the journal Time magazine called "the biggest 'little magazine' in history." To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the venerable Paris Review, ...
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Small Men on the Wrong Side of History
Ed West'An entertaining, wideranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world . . . suffused with generosity and wit' Catholic Herald Brought up by eccentric...