(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Randy Johnson won his 300th game, placing him in an elite category with 23 of baseball’s greatest players.

It took the Big Unit 22 seasons to reach this incredible milestone, and he is likely the last pitcher who will reach 300 wins for quite sometime. Among active pitchers, only Jamie Moyer (age 46, 250 wins), and Andy Pettite (age 37, 220 wins), are anywhere near 300 wins, and it is unlikely that either pitcher will have the longevity to reach that mark.

A sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Johnson spent his career with six different ball clubs, amassing a staggering 4,845 strikeouts while posting a career 3.28 ERA. His accomplishments have put him in an elite group of 24 of baseball’s greatest players, but Johnson is also part of another club that is even more exclusive.

Of the 24 players on that list, only six are left handed (Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton, Eddie Plank, Tom Glavine, Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson), and a compelling argument could be made that Johnson may be the cream of the crop. So, as the 45-year-old Johnson sails through the twilight of his illustrious career, the question must be asked: Is Randy Johnson the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time?

The answer: maybe.

In addition to his 300 wins, the 6’10” left-hander boasts 4,845 strikeouts, a career .647 winning percentage, and one World Series title, with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. The dominant left-hander has an impressive 3.28 career ERA, and he lasted for 22 seasons in the major leagues.

But, is he the best of all time?

Warren Spahn (363 wins) and Eddie Plank (wins) both finished with more career wins than Johnson, but both finished with significantly lower winning percentages. Over his 21 year career, Spahn lost 245 games and left his winning percentage just short of .600, at .597 percent.

His 2,583 career strikeouts do not compare with Johnson, and his high number of wins is due to his ability to go late in games. Spahn averaged 252 innings per season, which accounts for his high number of wins and losses. Spahn rarely had no-decisions.

A better argument could be made for Plank, whose career win percentage (.627) and career 2.35 ERA seems extremely impressive on the surface. However, Plank played in 623 games in only 17 seasons between 1901 and 1917.

Plank had more opportunities in the years he played, and he also played in a “dead-ball” era, in which pitching was far more dominant in the sport than it is today. In essence, comparing Johnson with Plank would be like comparing Floyd Mayweather with Joe Louis; it’s almost impossible.

Despite winning 300 games, Johnson’s winning percentage is only .647, which would land him behind seven retired greats, including five Hall of Famers and one likely future Hall of Famer, Ron Guidry (Babe Ruth is among those five pitchers, posting a .671 winning % in 163 career games). Johnson’s .647 winning percentage also puts him behind active ace Johan Santana (.682 percent).

Whitey Ford has the best winning percentage of any left-handed pitcher in the history of the game, but his 498 career appearances is far smaller than Johnson’s 607 trips to the hill. In his career, Johnson lost 164 games, while Ford lost only 106. Ford also went out on top, posting a 1.64 ERA in his final season in the major leagues.

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