Johnson Feels Fine, But Will Take Time Ace Won’t Throw Off Mound At Least For A Couple Of Weeks

Bad news for American League batters: Randy Johnson is up and throwing again and says his arm feels fine.

Johnson, the 1995 A.L. Cy Young Award winner, said Friday he will go slow in spring training after surgery Sept. 12 to repair a bulging disk in his back.

Hoping to throw off the top of the mound in a couple weeks, he sounded cautiously optimistic about returning to his pre-surgery form.

“The biggest concern I have is, will I be able to be the same Randy Johnson who was able to dominate a game periodically? That is something I still don’t know but am more optimistic about than I was a month ago,” he said. “I am not as fearful, and the desire in my heart probably is greater now. I’m sure a lot of people are skeptical, but I’m very confident that in time I will be back to my form.”

The 33-year-old left-hander plans to start throwing from halfway up the mound Tuesday.

“I have been throwing for 15 to 20 minutes from between 90 and 120 feet three days a week, and my arm is fine,” Johnson said. “I possibly could throw off the top, but I haven’t been on a mound for six months, and it might flare up my back again. That would be a setback.”

Johnson is 94-51 during the 1990s, and he has led the league in strikeouts four times.

His agent, Barry Meister, emphasized that the Mariners agreed with the go-slow approach.

“One thing you will find this spring is that Randy’s schedule is going to completely depend on his body,” Meister said. “We won’t set any artificial deadlines, like he will throw in a game on ‘X’ day, pitch on ‘Y’ day or pitch on opening day. His body will dictate the schedule because the doctors feel this is the best way. There are a lot of questions no one can answer right now.”

Surgery sidelines Piniella

Mariners manager Lou Piniella will miss the first few days of spring training while he recuperates from a virus and rectal surgery, club officials said.

“I would much prefer having him here, but as I told Lou on the phone two days ago, it’s more important to have him healthy,” Mariners vice president Woody Woodhouse said.

Pitchers, catchers and players returning from injuries were scheduled to report to camp today and begin workouts Saturday.

Piniella has been at home in Tampa, Fla., recovering from a virus he apparently contracted during a Christmas skiing trip to Colorado, and from rectal surgery to remove an abscess on Feb. 1.

Lee Elia, the bench and hitting coach, will run the camp until Piniella returns, Woodward said.