Tony DeMarco

Almost 24 years after the fact, Bruce Bochy still recalls it vividly.

“The kind of moment that gives you goose bumps,'' is how the Giants manager remembers Pete Rose's record-breaking 4,192nd hit.

The night of Sept. 11, 1985, found Bochy — a career backup catcher — with a unique view of the milestone event from behind the plate for the San Diego Padres. Bottom of the first inning at Riverfront Stadium, the late Eric Show on the mound for the visitors.

“It was a hanging slider, and (Rose) flared it into left-center,'' Bochy said. “(Regular catcher) Terry Kennedy was out with a bad back, so that's why I was catching. Usually, I only caught against left-handed pitchers. Being selfish, I was hoping I'd be (on the field) when (Rose) got it.''

So it should come as no surprise that Bochy anxiously awaited the moment Thursday when, from the Giants dugout, he would watch Randy Johnson earn career victory No. 300.

"Three hundred is quite a milestone — especially since we don't know if we'll see another one,'' Bochy said. "He may be the last. It's going to be a special moment. One of the things you never forget.''

Johnson — now 45 and not dominating hitters as he used to — didn't need to reach 300 victories to get into the Hall of Fame, of course. Not when you look at the rest of his resume:

Five Cy Young Awards, including four in a row (1999-2002); 4,831-and-counting strikeouts (second all-time); 2001 World Series co-MVP; 10 All-Star Game selections; 10 strikeout titles, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings (first all-time), 37 shutouts and one of only 17 perfect games (15 since 1900). And incidentally, the 298 wins put him sixth among left-handers, trailing Warren Spahn (363), Steve Carlton (329), Eddie Plank (326), Tom Glavine (305) and Lefty Grove (300).

"He has to go down as one of the greatest of all-time,'' Bochy said. "When you look as the wins, the strikeouts, everything — he's had an incredible career. Guys who have pitched a long time make you appreciate what they've done in this game. And at 45, it's remarkable for him to do what he's been doing.''

It's been a mixed bag for Johnson this season. The numbers are pedestrian at best. There have been two brilliant flashbacks — seven one-hit innings against Arizona on April 19, and seven four-hit innings with nine strikeouts against Colorado on May 1. But there also have been four clunkers, when he has allowed a combined 20 runs, 20 hits including seven home runs, and 14 walks in 17.2 innings.

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After the last of those — seven runs, eight hits allowed and no strikeouts in 5.2 innings at Coors Field on May 6, Johnson blamed bad location with his slider.

But despite the inconsistency, Johnson has earned the win that could make him the last of a dying breed. Can anyone else get to 300? It's unlikely, but not out of the question.

Mike Mussina stopped 30 victories shy — just when it looked like he may have a chance to get there after a 20-win 2008 season. Jamie Moyer has topped the 250-win mark, but at age 46, 300 looks unattainable. And Andy Pettitte (220 wins through Thursday) isn't going to get much closer, either.

That leaves the 31-and-under crowd. Through Thursday, Roy Halladay, 31, has 140 in his career. That means he will need to average right around 15 wins over the next 10 seasons, which will take him into his early 40s.

Johan Santana is two years younger at 29, and has 116 wins (and should have a few more, if not for a lack of run support from the Mets' offense). His task will be much the same as Halladay's — 15 or so wins per season — and he'll have to do it a bit longer. But with his stuff and athleticism, it's not as hard to project him pitching past 40.

CC Sabathia is at 122 wins at age 27. Fifteen wins times 12 years puts him there. But will he hold up that long — especially with the kind of usage pattern he endured last season?

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And Roy Oswalt (131 wins at age 30) already has said he won't pitch beyond his current contract, which expires in 2012. Nobody else even can be considered a longshot.