Pitcher Of Perfection

Randy Johnson's career is now as perfect as they come. The 40-year-old left-hander turned back the clock Tuesday night, tossing the 17th Major League perfect game in a 2-0 Diamondbacks win over the Braves at Turner Field.

As Johnson approached the mound to begin the ninth inning, the crowd of 23,381 greeted him with a well-deserved standing ovation. Most of the fans at Turner Field were partisan to the Braves, but who could cheer against a five-time Cy Young Award winner on the cusp of his second career no-hitter?

No, the night belonged to Johnson, who became the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game. Atlanta's Mark DeRosa began the ninth with a hard groundout to second baseman Matt Kata. Rookie Nick Green was no match, striking out on a 97 mph fastball that flew past him on a 1-2 count.

Eddie Perez, pinch-hitting for Braves starter Mike Hampton, was the final batter. He became the Big Unit's 13th strikeout victim and Johnson's teammates rushed the field in celebration.

Johnson's mastery took only 2 hours, 13 minutes and caused the fans to erupt with cheers of "Ran-dy! Ran-dy! Ran-dy!" Even though neither the scoreboard nor the public address system made any mention of Johnson's approaching history, the fans knew that he was on the verge of the first perfect game since David Cone's in 1999.