Johnson Aching To Get Back On Mound, Re-Establish Himself Mariners’ Ace Not Feeling 100 Percent After Surgery, But Wants To Test Back

Even Randy Johnson has questions about his future.

The Seattle Mariners left-hander is unsure if he can be the same dominating power pitcher he was before his back betrayed him last season.

“The problem has been fixed and there is no herniation, but I still have some uncertainty in the back of my mind,” he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “I won’t know for sure until I get out there and pitch.”

Johnson, 33, the 1995 A.L. Cy Young Award winner, started only eight games last season. He underwent 3 hours of delicate surgery by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in Inglewood, Calif., for a bulging disc in his lower back Sept. 12.

Heading into the final season of his contract with the Mariners, Johnson will test his back in spring training beginning next month in Peoria, a Phoenix suburb.

Until his back gave out, he was acknowledged as baseball’s premier power pitcher.

In 1995, when the Mariners won the A.L. West title and lost to Cleveland in the ALCS, Johnson had an 18-2 record with a 2.48 ERA with 294 strikeouts in 214-1/3 innings and 30 starts. He won his fourth consecutive major-league strikeout title.

“As long as I’m healthy, I can be the same pitcher I was in ‘95,” he said. “The determination I’ve had while working out the past four months and the mind-set I have established is going to pay off.”

He added: “Once I prove to myself that I’m healthy, everything else will take care of itself. It’s not like I have lost the ability to throw strikes or lost my velocity, confidence or desire.”

The 6-foot-10 veteran has been working out four times a week at a therapy center here. He owns a home in the Phoenix area.

He admits he’s still not feeling 100 percent.

“I still have a few symptoms in my legs, but nothing like I had prior to my surgery. I occasionally have a burning sensation in my toes, usually after I really fatigue my back.”

Mariners pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Peoria on Feb. 14.

“I hope a lot of this irritation will be gone in the next four weeks and dissipate even more in spring training,” he said. “I know I’m going to have to take it slow in spring training, but the real test is going to be when I start facing batters and even more importantly how I respond the following day.”

Johnson was a workhorse before his woes. “Over the years, the constant pounding took its toll,” he said. “It had a snowball effect.”

Johnson also has changed his lifestyle. He hasn’t picked up a golf club since last April.

“This will be a year to prove to myself that I’m healthy and to prove to other teams that I haven’t lost anything … ,” he said.