ATLANTA — Randy Johnson is aging to perfection.
Since turning 40 last September, he has tossed a one-hitter, a two-hitter and, now, the ultimate masterpiece — a perfect game.
Johnson became the 17th pitcher and oldest to accomplish the feat when he led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
Twenty-seven up. Twenty-seven down.
And the Big Unit made it look downright easy.
"It wouldn't shock me if he threw two or three no-hitters in one year," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He has the stuff to do it."
Johnson returned to Turner Field on Wednesday with a hefty charge on his hotel bill — he treated everyone on the team to drinks after the game — and plenty of phone messages to return.
He was certainly in demand. During batting practice, Johnson taped a segment for "The Late Show With David Letterman." The subject: Top 10 Cool Things About Pitching A Perfect Game. No. 6 on the list: Can walk up to guys who've thrown no-hitters and whisper, "Loser."
On a more serious note, Johnson hopes to be a role model for the younger pitchers on the Arizona staff.
"The more you learn now, it's going to make the game a little bit easier for you at a later age," he said. "Your workout ethic now will instill discipline in you and you'll have a routine. If you learn those things now, you'll only get better as you get older and more experienced."
Johnson certainly hasn't been hurt by time. The left-hander has maintained his overpowering repertoire of pitches into his 40s, while honing the finer points of his craft.
"As a power pitcher, you don't want to think you're losing your stuff," Johnson said. "You want to think that you're getting better."
He'll get no argument from the Braves, who struck out 13 times and came close to reaching base just a handful of times.
Steve Finley had a good view of Johnson's pitches while playing center field. He was amazed at the movement.
"Almost nothing went over the middle of the plate," Finley said. "He was hitting the corners all night, but the problem for the hitters was that most of those pitches came in there at 97, 98 and 99 mph."
Johnson has come back strong from knee surgery that limited him to 18 starts and a 6-8 record last season. In his first start as a 40-year-old, he faced just one over the minimum while one-hitting the Colorado Rockies.
The Big Unit kept right on rolling this year, giving up two hits in a 5-0 win at San Diego last month.
"Obviously, having knee surgery last year, there were some doubts in certain people's minds," Johnson said. "A lot of people would be inclined to say, 'He's not going to be the pitcher he was."'
His record (4-4) isn't all that impressive, but that's mainly due to a lack of run support by Arizona's feeble offense. In Johnson's last three starts, the Diamondbacks have managed just three runs.
The other numbers look more familiar. Like ERA (2.43). And strikeouts (an NL-leading 81). And hits allowed (just 34 in 63 innings).
"He's a guy who gets better with age," Atlanta's Chipper Jones said. "He has started to master the outer part of the plate."
Johnson has certainly come a long way since his first no-hitter. On June 2, 1990, while pitching for Seattle, he no-hit Detroit but walked six.
"That was far from perfect," Johnson recalled. "I was a very young pitcher who didn't have any idea where the ball was going."
With a fastball near 100 mph and a devastating slider, Johnson has always seemed capable of throwing a no-hitter on any given night. Over the past 14 years, he had four one-hitters and five two-hitters.
Johnson sure acted like his perfect game was no surprise. As catcher Robby Hammock charged toward the mound following the final out Johnson began to stick out his right hand, as if he expected to get the customary handshake following a win.
Hammock — a foot shorter than his 6-foot-10 teammate — charged right through the extended hand and hugged Johnson. Within seconds, everyone else in an Arizona uniform was mobbing the pitcher. The crowd at Turner Field chanted "Randy! Randy! Randy!"
"It's unbelievable," Hammock said. "He throws every pitch with the same conviction. That's why it's so much fun catching him."
It's certainly no fun trying to hit him, especially for an offensively challenged team such as the Braves. Their lineup took a major hit during the offseason when Gary Sheffield, Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla signed elsewhere. Now, Atlanta is having to get by without Marcus Giles (on the DL with a broken collarbone) and Rafael Furcal (unable to start because of a jammed finger).
The Braves thought they hit rock-bottom Sunday when Milwaukee's Ben Sheets put up 18 strikeouts — the most in the majors in three years.
They were wrong. Johnson made the Braves look even more helpless.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, we are at an all-time low," Jones said. "I know he's a Hall of Famer, but it doesn't take away the disappointment we have. From a personal standpoint, I was embarrassed."