As Bob Brenly announced the starting pitching rotation for the Arizona Diamondbacks series against the St. Louis Cardinals, hundreds if not thousands of Diamondbacks fans questioned what he was doing. After all, it was a forgone conclusion that Randy Johnson was the number one starter on this ball club. Granted, both of these pitchers have earned the right to be the game one starter with the performance they have shown during this season and I am sure that there are 29 other clubs in Major League Baseball that would love to have the problem Brenly was facing. What a quandary, does he go with the 22 game winner with 273 strikeouts for the year or does he go with the 21 game winner who has 372 strikeouts?
For the entire 2001 season, Johnson and Schilling have been pushing each other, their competitive personalities each driving the other towards career best seasons. I have to admit, when Schilling came over at the trade deadline in the 2000 season, I wondered whether this would work. The Diamondbacks now had two legitimate aces each with the appropriate swagger and arrogance associated with being number one. Both Randy and Curt possess fairly strong personalities so I wondered if that clubhouse was big enough for the both of them. The final two months of the 2000 season did little instill confidence that this relationship would work as the Diamondbacks imploded finishing third.
As spring training arrived for the 2001 season, things seemed to be a little different. From the first practices you could sense a difference. It was almost like two brothers who were vying for their parents' attention. It almost became an "anything you can do I can do better" situation. Even the All-Star game was brought into the equation as Schilling was named the starter for the mid-summer classic and yet it was Randy who took the mound for the game in Seattle. Each game Schilling would pitch and strike out 9 batters, Johnson would strike out 10 during his next start. Every time Johnson would win a game for the Diamondbacks equaling Shilling's win total, Curt would come out his next start and get a win reestablishing his lead. It was incredible to watch as this season unfolded and these two superstars put on the performances of their careers. It has become nearly impossible to talk about one without talking about the other. They have become forever linked because of their accomplishments this season. Two Cy Young candidates both are playing for the same thing, that elusive world championship neither has been able to obtain.
Now though, it is the play-offs. All of the wins and all of the strikeouts are meaningless, as if they never happened. Curt was given the ball for game one and pitched a masterful game frustrating the Cardinals and neutralizing a very potent offensive line-up. When the smoke from the fireworks on the field cleared, Schilling stood on the mound having thrown a three-hit complete game shutout. He had thrown down the gauntlet setting the mark for Johnson to beat. It was a classic game of the ages. Schilling almost dared Johnson to try and top this.
It is now Randy's turn to show why he is the ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is not thinking of his career 2-6 record in the play-offs. Nor is he thinking about Mark McGwire and his 4 home runs against him. Instead, Johnson is focusing on 27 outs and an Arizona victory. He will try and show why he is the most intimidating and feared left-handed pitcher in the game of baseball. Game 2 should be another pitching gem that will hopefully give Arizona a 2-0 lead in the series. And just maybe in the process he will raise that bar Schilling set just a little higher.
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