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  Sunday, Sep. 10 4:05pm ET
Unit: One win would have topped 3,000
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

MIAMI (AP) -- Randy Johnson got his 300th strikeout of the season, then he got No. 3,000 for his career. He finished with a season-high 14 strikeouts in seven innings Sunday against the Florida Marlins.

What he really wanted was a win.

Career strikeout leaders
Pitcher Total
1. Nolan Ryan 5,714
2. Steve Carlton 4,136
3. Bert Blyleven 3,701
4. Tom Seaver 3,640
5. Don Sutton 3,574
6. Gaylord Perry 3,534
7. Walter Johnson 3,509
8. x-Roger Clemens 3,481
9. Phil Niekro 3,342
10. Ferguson Jenkins 3,192
11. Bob Gibson 3,117
12. x-Randy Johnson 3,006
13. Jim Bunning 2,855
14. Mickey Lolich 2,832
15. Cy Young 2,819
16. Frank Tanana 2,773
17. Warren Spahn 2,583
18. Bob Feller 2,581
19. Jerry Koosman 2,556
20. Tim Keefe 2,538
21. x-David Cone 2,529
22. Christy Mathewson 2,505
23. Don Drysdale 2,486
x-active

"Obviously winning for the team comes first, especially considering the situation that we're in," said Johnson, who became the 12th player to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau "So when you look at tonight, the outcome of what I did isn't as good since we lost."

Preston Wilson singled with two outs in the 12th inning, scoring Mark Kotsay from second base, as the Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 and spoiled Johnson's milestone outing.

The Diamondbacks fell 4½ games behind the New York Mets in the NL wild-card race. The Mets beat Philadelphia 3-0 Sunday.

"The loss is a setback," Johnson said. "We had some momentum going. Now we have to regroup and see if we can get another winning streak going."

Celebrating his 37th birthday, the tall and lanky left-hander struck out the side in the second, fourth and sixth innings before leaving with the score tied at 3. He gave up six hits and one earned run, settling for his fourth no-decision in his last nine starts.

"He had outstanding stuff. He gave us a chance to win the game," Arizona manager Buck Showalter said. "Our guys realize that we are lucky to have Randy and that we don't have to face him. This is a 37-year-old guy who throws 98 mph. He's a remarkable athlete and I feel lucky to have had him pass my way."

Randy Johnson
While Randy Johnson moved up on the career strikeout list, Arizona fell 4½ games behind the Mets in the wild-card standings.

The Marlins, despite striking out a team-record 21 times -- one short of the NL record -- snapped a five-game losing streak.

Kotsay beat out a drag bunt to start the 12th off Russ Springer (2-4). His headfirst slide just beat Greg Colbrunn's tag. Kotsay moved to second on Luis Castillo's sacrifice bunt.

Springer intentionally walked Floyd, setting up Wilson's game-winning hit that scored Kotsay from second base.

"It was a great jump by Kotsay, great turn at third base and a great slide," Marlins manager John Boles said. "That was a big one to win. I needed it. The whole team needed a base hit there."

Florida's recently maligned bullpen allowed just one hit in the final five innings. Braden Looper (5-1) got two outs in the 12th for the win.

But Johnson was the story of the game. His slider was the best the Marlins have seen, Boles said. And it was the main cause for the 14 Ks.

"He was as tough as he looked," Wilson said. "There was nothing we could do. He was snapping it off pretty good."

Mike Lowell became Johnson's 3,000th victim, striking out on four pitches to end the fourth inning.

Catcher Kelly Stinnett carried the ball into the dugout, while Johnson walked off the field to a standing ovation. He raised his black glove into the air, acknowledging the crowd's applause, as he reached the dugout steps.

"You hope to have a chance to catch a pitcher like that," Stinnett said. "To catch him on a night when he goes out and gets his 3,000th strikeout is an honor."

Johnson played with the Seattle Mariners from 1989-98, striking out 2,162 and compiling a record of 130-74 with a 3.42 ERA.

Johnson had 308 strikeouts for the Mariners in 1993, his only 300-strikeout season in Seattle. He was traded to the Houston Astros in 1998 and signed as a free agent with the Diamondbacks the following season.

The Marlins scored three runs -- one earned -- off Johnson in the fifth inning. With one out, Mark Smith and Mike Redmond hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners.

Chuck Smith then hit a one-hopper back to the mound, but Johnson's errant throw to second base was in the dirt and allowed Mark Smith to score. Dave Berg doubled with two outs, scoring Redmond and Smith.

"I made one mistake on the comebacker," Johnson said. "And that was the ballgame right there."

Arizona answered with three runs in the sixth off Smith, highlighted by Colbrunn's 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot.

Johnson's first strikeout of the game gave him 300 for the third consecutive season and the fourth time overall.

Nolan Ryan is the only other pitcher to strike out 300 in three straight seasons, doing it in 1972-74.

Johnson's four 300-strikeout seasons are second only to Ryan's six.

"We were all aware of the strikeouts," Showalter said. "I think everybody had the count going in the dugout."

Game notes
The three runs the Marlins scored off Johnson in the fifth inning were one more than they scored in their previous 24 innings. ... Wilson struck out three times, giving him 174 this season and leaving him 15 shy of Bobby Bonds' record set in 1970. ... Including Sunday's 1-hour, 7-minute delay, the Marlins have had eight rain delays at home this season, stopping play for 11 hours and 27 minutes.
 


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