North Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Walter Johnson
The Greatest Pitcher Who Ever Lived
Walter Johnson personified "gentlemanly conduct in the heat of battle," as his friend and chronicler Shirley Povich put it.
Rated the fourth best player in the history of the game by The Sporting News Walter Johnson was the game's greatest hurler. With his astonishing fastball, baseball's Big Train compiled a record of 417 wins against 279 losses in 21 seasons with the Washington Senators. He struck out 3,508 batters. Johnson lived in Bethesda near the high school that bears his name before moving to a farm in Germantown. After his baseball career, he served as an elected member of the Board of Commissioners of Montgomery County.
[Sidebar:]
In 1998, The Sporting News ranked the 100 best baseball players of the 20th century. From a major league roster of 15,000 players, TSN editors selected these as the twenty best.
1. Babe Ruth
2. Willie Mays
3. Ty Cobb
4. Walter Johnson
5. Hank Aaron
6. Lou Gehrig
7. Christy Mathewson
8. Ted Williams
9. Rogers Hornsby
10. Stan Musial
11. Joe DiMaggio
12. Grover Alexander
13. Honus Wagner
14. Cy Young
15. Jimmie Foxx
16. Johnny Bench
17. Mickey Mandle
18. Josh Gibson
19.Satchel Paige
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20. Roberto Clemente
Erected by Light Incorporated, designed by Liz Minor of Lizart.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. In addition, it is included in the Baseball Hall of Famers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1998.
Location. 39° 1.856′ N, 77° 8.997′ W. Marker is in North Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Westlake Drive, 0.4 miles north of Westlake Terrace, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10600 Westlake Dr, Bethesda MD 20817, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. John Ourisman (here, next to this marker); Original Povich Field Seat Plaques From 1999 (here, next to this marker); Joe Branzell (here, next to this marker); George Solomon (here, next to this marker); Alexander DiMisa (here, next to this marker); Bill and Mike Veeck (here, next to this marker); Tim Kurkjian (here, next to this marker); Miller & Long Grandstand (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Bethesda.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on May 31, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
