Exclusive: Randy Johnson Explains The Simple Mindset Behind His Longevity

Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson If you're a young pitcher looking for a baseball career to emulate, Randy Johnson's would have to rank at the top of the list. A slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer and four-time Cy Young Award winner, Johnson won 303 major league games and ranks second on the all-time strikeout list with 4,785. His career spanned 22 seasons, five presidential administrations, and he arguably had two Hall of Fame careers -- one in the American League, one in the National League.

Johnson's stuff was legendary, but his superpower was his longevity -- which was made all the more impressive by his 6-foot-10 stature. What was his secret to staying healthy for so many seasons? "All anybody can really say is, you gotta work hard," Johnson told Baseball Now as part of Budweiser’s 150th anniversary celebration ahead of Opening Day.

"Keep your mind right, and you know, you can't predict career-ending injuries. You can't predict (if) someone's going to have the desire to play longer when they could retire if they want, but they would choose to play longer. "There's no looking in a crystal ball to say what kind of career you're going to have or how long it's going to be.

You have to do the things every day that will hopefully ensure you get through that day. And then when you get through today, then it's, you know, hit the repeat button. Then you gotta do that again.