Former Jacksonville Expos pitcher Randy Johnson was one of four players elected on Tuesday to the 2015 Hall of Fame class for induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Johnson is part of a talented 2015 Hall of Fame class that includes pitchers John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, and second baseman Craig Biggio.
Johnson was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos from the University of Southern California in the second round of the 1985 draft. Two years later, Johnson made his Southern League debut pitching with the Jaxpos in 1987.
During his time in Jacksonville, Johnson went 11-8 with a 3.73 ERA in 24 starts. Johnson worked 140 innings with the Expos where he walked 128 batters compared to 163 strikeouts.
The 1987 Jacksonville Expos, led by manager Tommy Thompson, were one of the most memorable teams in Suns' franchise history, going 85-59 in the regular season and winning the Second Half Eastern Division title. The Suns fell one game short of the Southern League Championship Series, falling to the Charlotte O's in a hard-fought five-game Eastern Division Championship Series.
12 1987 Jacksonville Expos went on to play in the major leagues, with eight of those players pitchers led by Johnson. The 1987 club also included future All-Star Larry Walker who would go on to be the 1997 National League Most Valuable Player.
Johnson never returned to Jacksonville after 1987, and did see his first major league time with the Expos in 1988. He would go on to pitch in 22 major league seasons, going 303-166 with a 3.29 ERA. His long major league tenure where he was a 10-time All-Star included pitching for the: Expos (1988-89), Seattle Mariners (1989-1998), Houston Astros (1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004, 2007-08), New York Yankees (2005-06), and San Francisco Giants (2009).
He won the Cy Young Award five times (1995, 1999-2002), and was shared the World Series Most Valuable Player Award with rotation mate Curt Schilling as their pitching helped the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in the seven-game 2001 World Series.
Johnson ended his career with 4,875 strikeouts which is second-most all-time behind Nolan Ryan, and his 303 wins are the fifth-most by a left-handed pitcher.
Johnson and the Class of 2015 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 26.