Walter Johnson Quotes

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present an unprecedented collection of baseball related quotations spoken by Walter Johnson and about Walter Johnson.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"You can't hit what you can't see." - Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson Quotes

Quotes From & About Walter Johnson | Baseball Quotes | Walter Johnson

"Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen mister, no man alive can throw any harder than Smoky Joe Wood."

"(Bob) Feller isn't quite as fast as I was." Source: Cooperstown Corner (Lee Allen, 1946)

"I throw as hard as I can when I think I have to throw as hard as I can."

"I was the greenest rookie that ever was. One evening I was standing out on the sidewalk when a stranger approached and said, 'You're famous already kid. See, they've named a hotel for you.' I looked across the street and sure enough, there was a big illuminated sign that read 'Johnson Hotel.' Well, do you know that I was so green that I actually believed the man!" Source: Hall of Fame Yearbook (1989)

"Nobody saw it, he (Rogers Hornsby) hit it and it disappeared." Source: Sport Magazine's All-Time All Stars (Tom Murray)

"The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If I were a batter and thought the pitcher really tried to bean me, I'd be inclined to wait for him outside the park with a baseball bat."

"You can't hit what you can't see."

"He's got a gun concealed about his person. They can't tell me he throws them balls with his arm." - Ring Lardner

"His fastball looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed." - Ty Cobb

"Just speed, raw speed, blinding speed, too much speed." - Ty Cobb

"Let there be no misunderstanding, no delusion, that Walter Johnson is, or was, a baseball legend. Not only inaccurate is that description, it demeans him." - Shirley Povich

"That young fellow is another Cy Young. I never saw a kid with more than he displayed. Of course, he is still green, but when he has a little experience he should be one of the greatest pitchers that ever broke into the game. He has terrific speed and a motion which does not put much strain on his arm and this will all improve as he goes along." - Addie Joss

Quotes From & About Walter Johnson
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Almost every respectable baseball writer / historian who rates the great pitchers places Walter Johnson in the top five. Agree? Disagree? Tell us on Baseball Fever.

Walter Johnson is not just another member of the 300 Wins Club, he is number two all time with four-hundred and seventeen victories.

An entire book could be written about The Big Train and the records he holds. Review each and every pitching all time list to see why.