ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SEATTLE
SOURCE: Associated Press
Randy Johnson, last season's Cy Young Award winner in the American League and the best power pitcher in baseball, will undergo back surgery next month and be lost to the Seattle Mariners for the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-10 left-hander has been bothered by a bulging disc in his back for months. He was in Anaheim, Calif., on Monday for another examination by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.
Watkins recommended surgery. The team said rehabilitation was expected to take 8-10 weeks.
The news was a blow to the Mariners, who are fighting to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row.
``It's a loss, it's a big loss,'' manager Lou Piniella said before Tuesday night's game with the New York Yankees. ``Now that the uncertainty of it is over, we can go on and go forward.''
At peak performance, Johnson has a 98 mph fastball. The Mariners ace, who will be 33 on Sept. 10, has been the major-league strikeout king the past four seasons.
``Randy has an extruded disc herniation,'' Watkins said in a statement released by the Mariners. ``His back is stronger now than when I examined him on July 19, but the pain and discomfort still exists. If he were to continue to pitch, there is a risk of damaging the nerve or some other area from trying to compensate for the injury.''
Johnson made 30 starts in compiling an 18-2 record with an AL-best 2.48 ERA last season. He was 5-0 with a 3.67 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings in 14 games, including eight starts, this season.
Johnson was on the 60-day disabled list from May 12 until Aug. 6, missing 73 games. Doctors initially thought rest would solve his back problems.
Johnson pitched nine scoreless innings in his first three relief outings, allowing six hits and striking out 15, but was ineffective in his last three outings.
In a Saturday loss at Boston, Johnson surrendered a home run to former teammate Darren Bragg, only the sixth home run Johnson had allowed to a left-handed hitter in his career and the first since 1992.
``Baseball has got its risks like everything else and injuries are always a factor,'' Piniella said. ``The important thing now is the surgery is successful and he'll have ample time to recover and get ready for next spring.''
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Johnson. color.by CNB