Johnny Johnson (johnsjo03)

John Clifford Johnson
(Swede)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 182 lb.
• School Eastern Michigan University
• Debut April 19, 1944
• Final Game September 25, 1945
• Born September 29, 1914 in Belmore, OH USA
• Died June 26, 1991 in Iron Mountain, MI USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Left-hander Johnny Johnson was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers before the 1935 season. He had two decent seasons under his belt while pitching at Eastern Michigan University and started his professional baseball career in 1935 with the Charleroi Tigers of the class D Pennsylvania State Association.

Johnson spent ten seasons in the minors with five winning years and five losing. He got off to a good start his first year when he went 8-4 in 17 games for the Charleroi club but it would be 1938 with the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association before he rose over the .500 mark again with a 7-2 record for a .778 winning percentage in 37 outings. Johnny would go 8-5 in 1943 with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association and this gave him his first shot at the big leagues in the war year of 1944.

Johnson had been picked up as a free agent in March, 1940 by the New York Yankees and in 1944 pitched his first big league season in a Yankees uniform. Johnny went 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA, appearing in 22 games and on December 15, 1944 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Jake Wade. Johnson did considerbly better pitching with the 1945 White Sox, winning 3 and losing 0, appearing in 29 games with a 4.26 ERA.

But the war was over and the big boys were back and Johnny was sent back to minors where he finished out is professional career with the Rocky Mount Rocks of the class D Coastal Plain League in 1946 with a 7-6 record. This gave him a minor league career record of 68-74 in 270 games while pitching 1,249 innings. Johnson also had ended his major league career with a 3-2 record and a 4.20 ERA while appearing in 51 games. On February 19, 1947, he was released by the White Sox and called it a career.

After baseball Johnson returned to his home in Iron Mountain, MI, where he worked and lived until his death on June 26, 1991. John Clifford Johnson died at 76 years of age.

Related Sites

• BR Minors page