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Jacksonville, Florida became a professional baseball city in 1904. The newly-formed South Atlantic League began a long history of minor league baseball in Jacksonville with the Jays.

Since then many leagues and teams have played in Jacksonville. The city boasts a rich tradition in baseball.

Four 300-game winners pitched for Jacksonville’s minor league clubs before finding greatness. Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Randy Johnson called Jacksonville home.

Niekro appeared in 38 contests for the Class A Jacksonville Braves in 1960. He made 3 starts, 35 relief appearances and had a 6-4 record with a 2.77 ERA. By the time he left baseball’s highest level he had 318 wins to his credit.

Seaver’s lone minor league campaign came in 1966 with the Jacksonville Suns of the International League. He finished his big league career with 311 victories.

The Florida city was Ryan’s last stop before making the majors. His only decision in three games with the 1967 Suns was a win. The Express leads all Jacksonville pitchers with 324 MLB wins.

The flame-throwing Johnson threw for the 1987 Jacksonville Expos. He won 11 games for the Double-A club before claiming 303 wins in the majors.

Shown here is Phil Niekro’s 1960 contract with the Jacksonville Braves. Niekro signed it 16 days after his 21st birthday.

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More than 8,000 pitchers have taken the mound in a Major League game, but only 14 have ever recorded a 300-strikeout season. In the collection is the game-used lineup card from Randy Johnson’s 300th strikeout of the 1993 season.

Signed by the Big Unit, the card also features the signature of manager Lou Piniella. Though the Mariners lost the game in 12 innings, Johnson did his part, allowing only two runs in ten innings of work. He struck out 13 and finished the game with 301 Ks.

In his final start of the season he fanned another seven to end the season with 308. It was the first of his record six 300-strikeout seasons.

Three thousand career strikeouts remains a benchmark for Cooperstown. Johnson’s 4,875 Ks are the second most in baseball history.

A five-time Cy Young Award winner, Johnson earned four in a row from 1999-2002. In that run he posted a 2.48 ERA and averaged 354 strikeouts and more than 20 wins per season.

Johnson was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first time on the ballot in 2015.

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From 1999-2002 Randy Johnson was simply dominant. During the four-year run he pitched to a 2.48 ERA. In the high run-scoring environment, that translated to a 187 ERA+. The Big Unit averaged more than 20 wins per season and struck out at least 300 batters each season. The performance earned him four-consecutive Cy Young Awards.

The only pitcher to match Johnson’s Cy Young run is Greg Maddux. From 1992-1995 Mad Dog’s ERA was a minuscule 1.98; his ERA+ was an otherworldly 202. In contrast to Johnson’s power, Maddux used pinpoint control to dominate.

Both men are members of the 3,000-strikeout club.

Shown here is Maddux’s contract extension with Topps Chewing Gum. He was on his way to stardom when he signed this on May 3, 1988. The first year of the extension saw an 18-win season and Maddux’s first All Star appearance.

By the time the contract expired at the end of the 1991 season, Maddux had two of his record 18 Gold Glove Awards and his first $1 million contract. In 1992 he earned the first of his four-straight Cy Young Awards.

A 355-game winner, Maddux, like Johnson, was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection.

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The Cy Young Award was originated in 1956 to recognize pitching excellence. Through 1966 it was given to the singular best twirler in the major leagues. Then in 1967, it was expanded to honor a pitcher in each league.

Through the award’s first 70 years only 22 pitchers earned multiple nods. Half of them picked up the honor a third time.

Roger Clemens holds the record with seven Cy Young nods. Second on the list left-hander Randy Johnson with five.

The Big Unit earned his first plaque in 1995 with Seattle. That season he went 18-2 and led the league in ERA, strikeouts and WAR. Four years later in 1999 he began a historic run of four-straight Cy Youngs with Arizona.

From 1999-2002 the 6’10” southpaw totaled 38.1 WAR with seasons of 9.1, 8.1, 10.1 and 10.7. All four years he reached the 300-strikeout plateau with league-leading numbers each time. Johnson pitched to a 2.48 ERA, topping the NL three times. His foursome of consecutive Cy Young campaigns ended in his age-38 campaign.

After Johnson, Cooperstown men Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux are next on the list with four each. , Pedro Martinez, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Jim Palmer, Tom Seaver and Sandy Koufax have three each.

Shown here are cards from the 1986 Donruss Highlights set autographed by Clemens. That season the Rocket earned the first of his record seven Cy Young Awards. The five cards tip a cap for being Pitcher of the Month for April, his 20-strikeout game, a 14-0 start, Pitcher of the Month for June, and his All Star game MVP.

 

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Standing 6’10” tall, Randy Johnson was one of baseball’s most-intimidating pitchers. Armed with a 100-mph fastball, the left-hander provided some of the game’s most uncomfortable at bats.

By the time his 22-year career was over, Johnson claimed the most strikeouts by a southpaw in big league history. In fact Johnson’s 4,875 whiffs is surpassed only by right-hander Nolan Ryan who had 5,714.

In the collection is an endorsement questionnaire asking baseball’s all-time strikeout leader Ryan about licensing contracts and product endorsements. Ryan indicates that he has none. At the time the contract was signed in 1974, even the game’s superstars were thin on money-making away from the diamond.

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Randy Johnson won his 300th game on June 4, 1989. That made the big left-hander the 10th man with 3,000 Ks to reach the victory milestone.

In all probability the Big Unit will be the group’s final member. The way pitchers are used today, the likelihood of a pitcher earning 300 wins is slim.

The above image shows a handwritten letter by the original fraternity member of the 300-win/3,000 strikeout club. Walter Johnson writes to Hall of Fame executive Ford Frick thanking him for a lifetime pass to all major league contests.

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Randy Johnson Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, and Steve Carlton are the only hurlers in baseball history with at least 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts.

Carlton founded the club in 1986. Four years later, Ryan doubled its membership. On June 13, 2003, Clemens reached both the milestones in the same game. The Big Unit joined the trio when he earned his 300th win on June 4, 1989.

Shown here is a ticket that allowed a lucky fan into Game 3 of the 1969 World Series. Ryan earned the save in his only career appearance in the Fall Classic. The majors all-time strikeout leader signs the ticket with the inscription, “1969 W.S. Champions”.