Johnson Beans Snow Pitch That Hits Giants First Baseman In Face Clocked At 97 Mph

Randy Johnson served up another lesson on the power of his left arm Tuesday, hushing a stadium full of fans with one terrifying fastball - a 97 mph pitch that struck San Francisco first baseman J.T. Snow in the left wrist and face.

Almost before Snow hit the ground at home plate, Johnson was off the mound and moving toward him. And 29 minutes later, when Snow was finally lifted off that same ground, placed on a stretcher and slid into a waiting ambulance, Johnson clearly was unable to throw another pitch.

“It was a frightening thing for everybody, most of all Snow,” Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella said, “but Randy was really shaken. He was visibly upset, so we took him out of the game.”

In just his second start of the spring, the “Big Unit” had looked far ahead of schedule for the first 1-1/3 innings Tuesday. No Giants had reached base, and Johnson’s velocity and control were much improved over his March 7 debut.

And then he threw a fastball up and in - a pitch scouts behind home plate clocked at 97 mph - and Snow froze.

“At that speed,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said, “it’s not like there’s a lot of time to react.”

Snow threw his left hand in front of his face, and the ball caromed off his wrist and struck him twice, once under the left eye, once over it, cutting him in both places with such force that by the time doctors and trainers reached Snow his eye had swollen closed.

“He never lost consciousness,” Baker said. Johnson came down from the mound quickly and squatted near Snow at the plate through much of the next 28 minutes, as trainers, doctors and finally paramedics worked over the downed player.

“Randy knelt there and said, ‘This is Randy. I’m sorry,’ ” Giants infielder Jeff Kent said. “He’s an all right dude.”

The moment was so unsettling, and the aftermath so prolonged, that the Mariners players left the field during much of it.

“It’s a shame something like that ever happens, but it is part of baseball,” Piniella said. “You see something like that, you can’t get your mind back on the game. All of us just hope Jack is going to be all right.”

Scheduled to pitch three innings - or throw 55 pitches - Johnson hit Snow with his 23rd pitch of the afternoon.

Though he’d promised the team he would talk to the media after the game, Johnson changed his mind and walked through a crowd of waiting reporters without a word after the final out.

The Giants won 2-0.

B squad whips Padres

Seattle beat the San Diego Padres in a Tuesday morning “B” game, 9-4, behind the pitching of Jeff Fassero and three home runs.

Group keeps fighting park plan

A group that has so far struck out in court in trying to stop construction of a $414 million baseball stadium in Seattle is launching yet another challenge.

This time, Citizens for More Important Things is taking on a city permit allowing the Mariners’ new ballpark to be built atop a portion of Occidental Avenue South near the Kingdome.

Last fall, the city granted the stadium district overseeing construction of the ballpark a conditional permit to build on Occidental.

Citizens for More Important Things hopes to collect 18,000 signatures to force a public vote on whether the street should be closed for any purpose in the next 10 years.