After the Diamondbacks jumped to a 12-0 lead after the third inning, did Arizona manager Bob Brenly even briefly consider removing starter Randy Johnson so that he would be available in relief for the inevitable Game 7?

Apparently not. Brenly said his criteria for Johnson's status in Game 6 was to pitch him until he felt the game was in hand.

		The key to pitching in relief in a big game the day after you started a big game is the way you are managed. A starter doesn't really have the ability to go up and go down in the bullpen. Once the starter/reliever's arm is warm, he needs to get into the game and have his inning, and he probably won't want to go back out for a second inning. The stiffness can be worked through for about an inning, but for someone who is used to starting, once his arm is hot, he's ready to pitch. It's really hard for a starter to start up, then shut down, then start up again. Another key for Randy Johnson will be an honest assessment of how good he thought his mechanics were in Game 6 -- how much wear and tear he put on his arm. The same will be true for Curt Schilling coming back on three days' rest for the second time in seven games. Johnson will go through all the things a fan can imagine -- a rush of adrenaline, the thought of no tomorrow, the fighter mentality that says, "This is Game 7 of the World Series, I don't care what it does to my body, I want to get out there and help my team win." He'll also have to deal with the reality of what his body can honestly do at the moment when he is needed most. It is my opinion that Johnson will be fine -- he'll be there to get key left-handers out or pitch a key inning if the Diamondbacks get a lead late in the game, instead of bringing in Byung-Hyun Kim. Either way, expect to see great pitching performances from Schilling, Roger Clemens and perhaps Johnson. I hope he gets a chance to get into the game.

"I felt with the lead we had and the way Randy was pitching, especially through the early part of the game when his pitch count was down, that seven innings was a reasonable effort," Brenly said. "That's the point I decided to take him out."

Johnson laughed at the suggestion of being taken out after three innings but did not rule out pitching in Game 7 if necessary.

"Nothing is out of the question," he said. "You know, I only threw 103 pitches and this is the World Series and it would be Game 7. I have four months to rest and this has been everybody's dream in the clubhouse. If I can help in any way, I'll be available."

A good reliever likely will be needed. With Game 7 starter Curt Schilling saying that his arm was sorer than normal after Game 4 and with him pitching on three days' rest for the second time this week, a key question is how many effective innings he can pitch in the final game. And with closer Byung-Hyun Kim suspect following his Game 4 and 5 performances, Arizona's bullpen is also questionable.

Brenly said he briefly considered using Kim for the last out in the ninth inning to get his feet wet again but decided it would be better to keep him fresh.

While many might have been tempted to remove Johnson early, there were very important factors to consider beyond the easy one of whether the bullpen could hold a 12-run lead. One, would Johnson be effective pitching the day after a start even if he was taken out early? Two, would pitching him in Game 7 risk an injury to the 38-year-old staff ace who earns $15 million a year?

Once Brenly made the decision to go with Johnson for several more innings, it made sense to stick with him as long as sensible in order to save wear and tear on his relievers. Johnson wound up pitching seven innings before leaving with a 15-2 lead.

Was saving Johnson so he might be available for a tough left-hander or two that ludicrous an idea, though? Remember, Brenly used Kim in Game 5 the day after he threw 62 pitches in Game 4. Johnson had thrown 43 pitches at the end of the third inning.

Pitching in relief one day after a postseason start isn't unprecedented, either. The day after pitching seven innings to win Game 3 in the 1988 NLCS, Orel Hershiser pitched to one batter in the 12th inning to record the final out and earn the save in Game 4. The sight of him warming up in the bullpen is one of the most stirring in recent postseason memory. Hershiser also came back to start and win three more games that October, so the relief outing didn't appear to take a toll on him.

Going back much further to a much, much different era, Grover Cleveland Alexander pitched a complete game victory in Game 6 of the 1926 World Series and pitched 2.1 innings of relief the next day to win Game 7.

Johnson pitched three innings in relief on one day rest in the 1995 playoffs, earning the victory in Game 5 of the Division Series between the Mariners and Yankees. While dramatic, it wasn't all that outlandish to use him in such a situation. Starters usually pitch a bullpen session two days after a start anyway.

When a bad back prevented him from starting in 1996, Johnson pitched six games in relief, although never on back-to-back days.