Randy Johnson jokes about mullet, scowl as he becomes 1st D-Backs player in HOF

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Randy Johnson, the towering left-hander nicknamed the Big Unit, joined baseball immortality Sunday when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The 6-foot-10 native of Walnut Creek, Calif., played 22 seasons in the major leagues and led his league in strikeouts nine times. He also earned four ERA titles and recorded 100 complete games and 37 shutouts.

"I no longer have a fastball. I no longer have a bad mullet. And my scowl is gone," Johnson joked during his speed.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Drafted by Montreal, Johnson made the Expos roster in 1988 and midway through the 1989 season was traded to the Seattle Mariners. His 4,875 strikeouts rank No. 2 behind Nolan Ryan's 5,714, and his 10.61 strikeouts per nine innings is tops on the career list.

Johnson, the tallest player elected to the Hall of Fame, gave special thanks to his parents. His father died in 1992. His mother Carol was watching from the front row.

"Thank you, Mom. You're the Hall of Famer," said Johnson,who finished with 303 victories in 22 seasons.

Johnson became a 20-game winner in 1997 and won four consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Arizona Diamondbacks, leading them to the World Series championship in 2001. He shared Most Valuable Player honors with Curt Schilling after guiding the team to the title in its fourth year of existence.

Johnson's the first Diamondbacks player to be inducted into the Hall.

- With files from theScore