"Somewhat shy, somewhat aloof and armed with a Hall of Fame glare, Randy Johnson rarely has slapped backs. He never has led the league in hugs and postgame beers with the boys. But his greatness commands respect.

His 300th victory on the line, Johnson needed some help in the eighth inning Thursday at a soggy, mostly deserted Nationals Park. He got it from plate umpire Tim Timmons.

Timmons gave San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson a phantom strike call on a 3-2 pitch at the ankles with the bases loaded, stunning Adam Dunn and preserving a 2-1 lead. Hello, Cooperstown.

"That was a huge pitch [to Dunn]," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That got the win for Randy."

As Wilson finished off the Washington Nationals an inning later, firing fastballs worthy of a younger Johnson, the crowd of perhaps 5,000 chanted, "Randy, Randy, Randy." Johnson had become the 24th member in the 300-victory club, his six-inning, 78-pitch performance enough to be the winning pitcher in a 5-1 victory to start a doubleheader.

At 45, Johnson became the second oldest to win 300. He's the tallest in the team picture at 6 feet 10 inches and the first since Tom Seaver in 1985 to get there in the next start after his 299th victory.

That is not to suggest it was done easily, either over the course of 21 seasons or the 24 hours before Wilson put the latest victory in the books.

"It was difficult," Johnson said. 'It's difficult because you know what's at stake, you just want everything to go well. ... I told [friends and family] to read the back of their tickets, the fine print. It says that no win is guaranteed."

Johnson was scheduled to start Wednesday night but hard, steady rain pushed his assignment back after a 3-hour, 40-minute delay. There was more rain throughout Thursday but the teams took the field after only a 36-minute delay.

Johnson allowed only one unearned run in six innings before leaving after he bruised his left shoulder falling in the infield grass making a play on a Anderson Hernandez grounder.

Once able to make his fastballs disappear between his arm and the catcher's glove, Johnson didn't throw a pitch above 92 m.p.h. He struck out only two and got a modest total of seven swing-and-misses."