Walter Johnson
The Big Train struck out 3,509 batters in an era when hitters rarely whiffed, making him baseball's first true power pitcher. Johnson's 2.17 career ERA becomes even more remarkable when you consider he toiled for mostly mediocre Washington clubs — his 158 ERA+ means he was 58 percent better than league average across 21 seasons.
That peak ERA+ of 268 represents one of the most dominant single seasons in baseball history. Johnson threw a fastball that seemed to arrive from nowhere, earning his locomotive nickname in a dead-ball era where finesse ruled. His 417 wins remain the second-most in modern baseball history.
The quiet farm boy from Kansas became Washington's first superstar, carrying the franchise through decades of futility with a combination of blazing speed and pinpoint control that redefined what a pitcher could be.
Career · Hitting
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | WS1 | 14 | 36 | 0 | 1 | .111 | — | — |
| 1908 | WS1 | 36 | 79 | 0 | 5 | .165 | — | — |
| 1909 | WS1 | 40 | 101 | 1 | 6 | .129 | — | — |
| 1910 | WS1 | 45 | 137 | 2 | 12 | .175 | — | — |
| 1911 | WS1 | 42 | 128 | 1 | 15 | .234 | — | — |
| 1912 | WS1 | 55 | 144 | 2 | 20 | .264 | — | — |
| 1913 | WS1 | 54 | 134 | 2 | 14 | .261 | — | — |
| 1914 | WS1 | 55 | 136 | 3 | 16 | .221 | — | — |
| 1915 | WS1 | 64 | 147 | 2 | 17 | .231 | — | — |
| 1916 | WS1 | 58 | 142 | 1 | 7 | .225 | — | — |
| 1917 | WS1 | 57 | 130 | 0 | 15 | .254 | — | — |
| 1918 | WS1 | 65 | 150 | 1 | 18 | .267 | — | — |
| 1919 | WS1 | 56 | 125 | 1 | 8 | .192 | — | — |
| 1920 | WS1 | 33 | 64 | 1 | 7 | .266 | — | — |
| 1921 | WS1 | 38 | 111 | 0 | 10 | .270 | — | — |
| 1922 | WS1 | 43 | 108 | 1 | 15 | .204 | — | — |
| 1923 | WS1 | 42 | 93 | 0 | 13 | .194 | — | — |
| 1924 | WS1 | 39 | 113 | 1 | 14 | .283 | — | — |
| 1925 | WS1 | 36 | 97 | 2 | 20 | .433 | — | — |
| 1926 | WS1 | 35 | 103 | 1 | 12 | .194 | — | — |
| 1927 | WS1 | 26 | 46 | 2 | 10 | .348 | — | — |
| Career | 933 | 2324 | 24 | 255 | .235 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | WS1 | 14 | 110.3 | 5 | 9 | 1.88 | 133 | 71 | 1.088 |
| 1908 | WS1 | 36 | 256.3 | 14 | 14 | 1.65 | 145 | 160 | 0.964 |
| 1909 | WS1 | 40 | 296.3 | 13 | 25 | 2.22 | 115 | 164 | 1.117 |
| 1910 | WS1 | 45 | 370.0 | 25 | 17 | 1.36 | 205 | 313 | 0.914 |
| 1911 | WS1 | 40 | 322.3 | 25 | 13 | 1.90 | 177 | 207 | 1.123 |
| 1912 | WS1 | 50 | 369.0 | 33 | 12 | 1.39 | 242 | 303 | 0.908 |
| 1913 | WS1 | 48 | 346.0 | 36 | 7 | 1.14 | 268 | 243 | 0.780 |
| 1914 | WS1 | 51 | 371.7 | 28 | 18 | 1.72 | 170 | 225 | 0.971 |
| 1915 | WS1 | 47 | 336.7 | 27 | 13 | 1.55 | 187 | 203 | 0.933 |
| 1916 | WS1 | 48 | 369.7 | 25 | 20 | 1.90 | 146 | 228 | 1.006 |
| 1917 | WS1 | 47 | 326.0 | 23 | 16 | 2.21 | 122 | 188 | 0.969 |
| 1918 | WS1 | 39 | 326.0 | 23 | 13 | 1.27 | 223 | 162 | 0.954 |
| 1919 | WS1 | 39 | 290.3 | 20 | 14 | 1.49 | 207 | 147 | 0.985 |
| 1920 | WS1 | 21 | 143.7 | 8 | 10 | 3.13 | 110 | 78 | 1.128 |
| 1921 | WS1 | 35 | 264.0 | 17 | 14 | 3.51 | 115 | 143 | 1.352 |
| 1922 | WS1 | 41 | 280.0 | 15 | 16 | 2.99 | 140 | 105 | 1.364 |
| 1923 | WS1 | 42 | 261.3 | 17 | 12 | 3.48 | 116 | 130 | 1.286 |
| 1924 | WS1 | 38 | 277.7 | 23 | 7 | 2.72 | 152 | 158 | 1.116 |
| 1925 | WS1 | 30 | 229.0 | 20 | 7 | 3.07 | 148 | 108 | 1.288 |
| 1926 | WS1 | 33 | 260.7 | 15 | 16 | 3.63 | 113 | 125 | 1.274 |
| 1927 | WS1 | 18 | 107.7 | 5 | 6 | 5.10 | 80 | 48 | 1.291 |
| Career | 802 | 5914.7 | 417 | 279 | — | — | 3509 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.