Johnson, Ready To Start Friday, Doesn’t Know What To Expect

Randy Johnson still needs to fill in some of the blanks on his own personal scorecard.

“I haven’t pitched 250 innings or back-to-back seven-inning games,” he said Wednesday. “I really didn’t pitch that much in spring training. So I really don’t know what to expect.”

Johnson, who underwent a two-hour operation on his back Sept. 12, will make his first start in almost a year when he goes against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in the Kingdome.

He was 5-0 in eight starts last season before a bulging disc in his lower back put him on the disabled list in May.

The 6-foot-10 left-hander was clocked at 97-98 mph on the radar gun this spring, but he’s unsure if he can regain his status as the dominant power pitcher in baseball.

Johnson, 33, made his last start of spring training Sunday in Lancaster, Calif., against the Mariners’ Class A farm club. He realizes his own mortality now.

“Right now, I still don’t feel 100 percent,” he said. “Pitching in Lancaster and getting on a plane for two hours, I have a little bit of irritation in my back and legs.”

The 1995 American League Cy Young Award winner is looking to go five or six innings in his first start against Boston. This spring, he pitched 16 innings in five starts, compiling a 1-1 record with a 5.06 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Johnson followed doctors’ instructions and didn’t rush himself. His longest start was five innings and 85 pitches. That’s why the Mariners started left-hander Jeff Fassero instead of Johnson on opening night.