| Lou Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1934-09-22)September 22, 1934 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| Died: October 1, 2020(2020-10-01) (aged 86) Los Angeles,California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 6, 1969, for the California Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Home runs | 48 |
| Runs batted in | 232 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Louis Brown Johnson (September 22, 1934 – October 1, 2020), nicknamed "Sweet Lou," was an AmericanMajor League Baseballoutfielder. Johnson's professional baseball career lasted for 17 seasons, and included 8 years in the majors: parts of 1960–1962 and 1965, and then the full seasons of 1966 through 1969. He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).[1]
Johnson did not establish himself as a big-league regular until he was almost 31 years old. He had trials with theChicago Cubs (34games played in 1960),Los Angeles Angels (only one appearance in 1961), andMilwaukee Braves (61 games in 1962). Only after he was summoned to theLos Angeles Dodgers fromTriple-ASpokane, when the Dodgers lost regular outfielderTommy Davis to a broken ankle on May 1, 1965, did Johnson earn a foothold in the major leagues.[2] He became the Dodgers' regularleft fielder during their1965 world championship season, started over 60 games in both left andright fields in 1966 (during which the Dodgers captured their second straightNational Leaguepennant), and started another 85 games in the Dodger outfield in 1967.[1]
He remained in the majors for two more years as a reserve player with to the Cubs,Cleveland Indians andCalifornia Angels. Later in life, he was employed by the Dodgers' Community Relations Department.[3]
Johnson was born on September 22, 1934, inLexington, Kentucky, to Sidney Bell and Shirley Johnson. He had three brothers and one sister.[4]
Johnson attendedDunbar High School in Lexington where he played bothbasketball and baseball.[4] He wanted to play basketball at theUniversity of Kentucky under coachAdolph Rupp. However, at the time, not only were members of theSoutheastern Conference (of which Kentucky is an affiliate) not recruiting black athletes, most of its universities were segregated.[5]
Johnson was signed by theNew York Yankees as an amateurfree agent in 1953. After moving around from team to team in theminor leagues for about eight years, he made his major league debut with theChicago Cubs in 1960.[1] The Cubs traded Johnson to theLos Angeles Angels forJim McAnany on April 1, 1961. In 1962, he played in 61 games for theMilwaukee Braves. However, after that, the Braves traded Johnson to theDetroit Tigers system, which sent him back to the minor leagues for the 1963 and '64 seasons. Then they traded him to theLos Angeles Dodgers for the pitcherLarry Sherry.[6]
Johnson made it back to the major leagues to stay for a stretch beginning in 1965 with the Dodgers when a broken ankle in early May sidelinedTommy Davis, their regular left fielder, for the remainder of the season.[7] Johnson filled in for Davis, playing in 130 games for the Dodgers that season, recording a .260batting average, 57runs scored, and 58runs batted in (RBIs).[1]
On September 9, 1965, Johnson also scored the only run for the Dodgers inSandy Koufax's perfect game against theChicago Cubs; hewalked in the 5th, went to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stole third base, and then scored on a throwingerror by Cubs' catcherChris Krug. Johnson also doubled in the 7th, for the only hit off Cubs pitcherBob Hendley, making Johnson the only player in MLB history to reach base for either team in a nine-inning game.[8]
The Dodgers made it to the1965 World Series versus theMinnesota Twins, and in this Series, Johnson had eight hits, including twohome runs, the second one being the game-winning one in the decisive seventh game.[9]
With Tommy Davis back in left field, andWillie Davis in center field, Johnson played mostly in right field in 1966. Frequently batting third in the order, right ahead of tough hitter Tommy Davis, Johnson set career highs by playing in 152 games, getting 526 at-bats, 143 hits, 17 home runs, scoring 71 runs, with 73 RBIs. Johnson's batting average that season was .272, and the Dodgers made it to the World Series once again.[1]
This was also Koufax's last year in baseball before retiring due to severe arthritis and constant pain in his pitching arm that had plagued him for over three seasons. In the1966 World Series against theBaltimore Orioles, the Dodgers' offense hit rock-bottom, with the team getting shut out three times, and only scoring two runs in the four games.[10] Johnson finished the series with four hits in 15 at-bats and flew out toPaul Blair for the final out of the Series.[1]
From this point on, Johnson's major league career rapidly wound down, as he broke his leg sliding into Joe Torre and played in just 104 games for the Dodgers in 1967, a combined 127 for theChicago Cubs and theCleveland Indians in 1968, and just 67 for the California Angels in 1969, with only a .203 batting average. He retired from baseball at the end of the 1969 season, at the age of 35.[1]
In his approximately eight-year-long Major League career, Johnson posted a .258 overallaverage with 48 home runs and 232RBI in 677games played. Defensively, he recorded a .981fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[1]
Johnson and his wife, Sarah, had three children: Lauren, Carlton, and Quinton. He died on October 1, 2020, after a period of ill-health.[11]
