"Some might say it was wrong for Randy Johnson to make history on such a rainy, gloomy day before such a sparse crowd at Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon.

That is not the case. It was a fitting way for Randy Johnson to get his 300th career victory - a dark, dreary day, befitting his public persona, as a handful of fans witnessed the historic 5-1 win by Johnson and the San Francisco Giants.

The 6-foot-10 left-hander who once shoved a New York cameraman out of his path upon his arrival as a free agent with the Yankees carried himself throughout his career as if he would have rather pitched with no one watching.

There won't be any tears shed when Johnson finally leaves the game. His induction to the Hall of Fame five years later won't draw large crowds to Cooperstown. He built a wall early in his career between outsiders and those close to him and stood fast on that wall.

But there will be the acknowledgement that when Randy Johnson pitched, he was must-see baseball, one of the greatest power pitchers ever to wear a uniform.

Even at 45, before the tiny crowd that braved bad weather Thursday, the Big Unit gave several thousand fans in attendance their money's worth. He pitched effectively - if not the mind-blowing Johnson of old - for six innings. He allowed just two hits, striking out two and walking two after 78 pitches for a 2-1 lead - leaving after hurting his shoulder while diving for an infield grounder, still making the play on the ball hit by pinch hitter Anderson Hernandez.

"My senior moment when I thought I was 25 and made that play," Johnson joked in the postgame news conference.

The two places Johnson always felt most comfortable were on the field and with his family. He was never comfortable with the fame that comes with being a unique physical specimen on the diamond at 6-foot-10 and the glory that comes with striking out 4,845 batters, second only to Nolan Ryan.

He wasn't particularly comfortable talking about his 300th win, either, though it was clear it was an emotional moment for him.

"I'm actually more nervous now than I was pitching," Johnson said. "I am kind of at a loss for words. I am just happy that my family and friends were able to come." "