| Darrell Johnson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Johnson with theBoston Red Sox in 1974 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born:(1928-08-25)August 25, 1928 Horace, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| Died: May 3, 2004(2004-05-03) (aged 75) Fairfield, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 20, 1952, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 6, 1962, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .234 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 28 |
| Managerial record | 472–590 |
| Winning % | .444 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Darrell Dean Johnson (August 25, 1928 – May 3, 2004) was an American professionalcatcher,coach,manager andscout inMajor League Baseball (MLB). As a manager, he led the1975Boston Red Sox to theAmerican Leaguepennant, and was named "Manager of the Year" by bothThe Sporting News[1] and theAssociated Press.[2][3]
Johnson was born inHorace, Nebraska, and graduated fromHarvard, Nebraska, High School in 1944. He was signed by theSt. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent in 1949 and made his Major League debut with the Browns on April 20, 1952. A reserve catcher during his six-year Major League career (1952;1957–1958;1960–1962), Johnson also played for theChicago White Sox,New York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,Philadelphia Phillies,Cincinnati Reds andBaltimore Orioles, who released him on June 12, 1962, ending his playing career. He was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg) and threw and battedright-handed. In 134 MLBgames played, hebatted .234 lifetime, with his 75hits including sixdoubles, onetriple and twohome runs.
Johnson's playing career was interrupted by an eleven-month stint as an MLBcoach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960–1961. After playing in eight games, with threeplate appearances, for the1960 Cardinals, he was released as a player on August 5 and added to the coaching staff of managerSolly Hemus, then reappointed for1961. When the Redbirds fired Hemus on July 6, 1961, Johnson was released along with him. Three days later, he signed a player's contract with the last-place Philadelphia Phillies and caught 21 games for them in five weeks before being sold to the pennant-contending Cincinnati Reds on August 14.
The Reds were then2+1⁄2 games behind the first-placeLos Angeles Dodgers, but over the final six weeks of the season they overtook the Dodgers to win theNational League championship by four full contests. Johnson appeared in 20 games (including 17 as the club's starting catcher, with the Reds going 8–9).[4] In limited duty, he batted .315 with 17 hits, including his second and last big-league home run, hit off the Dodgers'Johnny Podres on August 16.[5] He appeared in the1961 World Series against his former team, the Yankees, and had twosingles in fourat bats (both of them offBaseball Hall of FamerWhitey Ford) as the Reds lost to the slugging Yanks ofRoger Maris andMickey Mantle, four games to one. He started Games 1 and 4, both of them Cincinnati defeats.[6]
The Reds released Johnson only a few days into the 1962 season, and he signed with the Orioles as a backup catcher before retiring as a player in June and serving out the year as Baltimore'sbullpen coach.
He then became aminor league manager in the Orioles system and won championships with theRochester Red Wings of theTriple-AInternational League in 1964 andElmira Pioneers of theDouble-AEastern League in 1966. His demotion was the result of an exchange requested by Red Wings presidentMorrie Silver, who was disappointed with a losing 1965 campaign and wanted the Pioneers'Earl Weaver, coming off a winning season, to manage his team instead.[7]
After a year spentscouting for the 1967 Yankees, Johnson was named pitching coach of theBoston Red Sox on October 31,1967, succeedingSal Maglie who had been released after theWorld Series.[8] When managerDick Williams was fired in September1969, Johnson was retained by the Red Sox as a scout in 1970,[9] then managed Boston'sLouisville Colonels International League affiliate in 1971–72. In 1973, he became the first manager of the Triple-APawtucket Red Sox, finishing 78–68 and winning his secondGovernors' Cup, emblematic of the International League's playoff championship, in his only PawSox season. That championship earned him a promotion to the parent club as Red Sox manager.
.jpg)
As a big-league manager, Johnson led three different teams over eight seasons. His career began when he succeededEddie Kasko following the conclusion of theRed Sox's 1973 campaign on September 30.[10] His biggest success came during his Red Sox posting when he compiled awin–loss record of 220–188 for a .539 winning percentage. He guided Boston to a 95–65 (.594) mark in1975 and a first-place finish in theAL East. The Sox then swept the three-time defending world championOakland Athletics in theplayoffs, 3–0, to win the American League pennant. But they lost to the Cincinnati "Big Red Machine" in the thrilling1975 World Series, four games to three. In an interview conducted byTim Russert onCNBC in 2003,Baseball Hall of FamecatcherCarlton Fisk named Johnson as the biggest influence in his professional life.[11] Johnson also had his detractors, such as Bill Lee, who stated that the team won "despite our manager", who did not communicate well with his players and even had his pitching coach stationed in the Red Sox bullpen rather than the dugout during the 1975 Series.[12]
In1976, Boston started poorly, losing 15 of its first 21 games, then rallied and finally climbed above the .500 mark on July 6 (38–37). As the incumbent pennant-winning manager, Johnson managed the1976 American League All-Star team (with his team losing 7–1 atVeterans Stadium on July 13). But by then the Red Sox were mired in another slump, and only five days later on July 19, Johnson was fired in favor of third-base coachDon Zimmer after the team had lost eight of its last 11 games. At the time of his dismissal, Boston was out of contention with a 41–45 record, in fifth place and 13 games behind the Yankees.[13] Johnson then briefly returned to scouting for the Red Sox.
Johnson was hired to become the first-ever manager of theexpansionSeattle Mariners on September 3, 1976.[14]Lou Gorman, Seattle's director of baseball operations, stated that Johnson would also assist in scouting players for the upcoming expansion draft. Johnson said that he was looking for players with "pride, aggressiveness, and the right mental attitude."[15] With theMariners at 39–65 and tied for last place in theAmerican League West, he was fired on 4 August1980 and replaced byMaury Wills.[16] His record in3+2⁄3 seasons in Seattle was 226–362 (.384).
Johnson then worked as third-base coach for theTexas Rangers, under Zimmer, starting in1981 before taking over as interim manager on July 30, 1982.[17] Six years earlier, the roles had been reversed when third-base coach Zimmer succeeded Johnson as manager in Boston on July 18, 1976. In his final managerial role, Johnson's Rangers went 26–40 (.394) in the1982 season's final two months. He finished with a 472–590 record for a .444 career percentage as a Major League manager.[18]
He then moved to theNew York Mets as minor league coordinator of instruction and a longtime scout. He also served as the Mets' bench coach on the staff ofDallas Green from May 20, 1993,[19] through the end ofthat season.[20]
Johnson died fromleukemia at the age of 75 in 2004 inFairfield, California.[21]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BOS | 1974 | 162 | 84 | 78 | .519 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BOS | 1975 | 160 | 95 | 65 | .594 | 1st in AL East | 6 | 4 | .600 | LostWorld Series (CIN) |
| BOS | 1976 | 86 | 41 | 45 | .477 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| BOS total | 408 | 220 | 188 | .539 | 6 | 4 | .600 | |||
| SEA | 1977 | 162 | 64 | 98 | .395 | 6th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| SEA | 1978 | 160 | 56 | 104 | .350 | 7th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| SEA | 1979 | 162 | 67 | 95 | .414 | 6th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| SEA | 1980 | 104 | 39 | 65 | .375 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| SEA total | 588 | 226 | 362 | .384 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| TEX | 1982 | 56 | 23 | 33 | .411 | 6th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| TEX total | 66 | 26 | 40 | .394 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total[18] | 1062 | 472 | 590 | .444 | 6 | 4 | .600 | |||
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Rochester Red Wingsmanager 1963–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Elmira Pioneersmanager 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxpitching coach 1968–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Louisville Colonelsmanager 1971–1972 | Succeeded by Franchise relocated |
| Preceded by AAA franchise established | Pawtucket Red Sox manager 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Texas Rangersthird-base coach 1981–1982 | Succeeded by |