UNC Baseball: Zac Gallen channels his inner Randy Johnson

Former UNC baseball standout Zac Gallen has joined Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in an exclusive club, but you won’t believe what that club is!

Randy Johnson had plenty of memorable moments during his Hall of Fame career. One of the most memorable came during a spring training game, when a Johnson fastball hit a passing dove, causing a big explosion on the field.

Johnson, who was a prominent member of the Arizona Diamondbacks starting rotation, somehow hit the dove as it flew past the field of play during a spring training game in 2001.

Now you may be saying, what does this have to do with the UNC baseball program?

Well, current Diamondback (and former UNC baseball standout) Zac Gallen channeled his inner Randy Johnson while playing catch.

While working on his pitches, Gallen threw a curveball to his catcher. As the ball broke towards his intended target, it connected with the bird, who was not able to survive the accident.

Not only is it ironic that this happened once again, but that Gallen pitches for the same organization that Johnson did when his accident happened.

Twenty-two years later, history repeated itself.

Now, Johnson went on to win the CY Young en route to an All-Star season. It’s also important to note that the Johnson-led Diamondbacks won the World Series that year.

Is Gallen going to continue in the footsteps of Johnson this season and beyond? If so, it’s safe to say that the Diamondbacks will be thrilled with the former UNC baseball star if he can even come close to the success “The Big Unit” had during his time in the desert.

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