| Dan Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson during his tenure with the Yokohama BayStars in 2009. |
|
| New York Yankees | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: August 10, 1979 Coon Rapids, Minnesota |
|
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 27, 2005 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics (through 2012 season) |
|
| Batting average | .237 |
| Home runs | 56 |
| Runs batted in | 194 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Daniel Ryan Johnson (born August 10, 1979), nicknamed "The Great Pumpkin",[1][2] is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees. He has played in all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, but has never held a Major League starting job for an entire season. He is perhaps best known for hitting a dramatic two-out, two-strike home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the 9th inning of the last game of the 2011 season, also known as Wild Card Wednesday, tying a game that the Rays would eventually win, sending them to the playoffs.
Contents |
High school and college [edit]
He graduated from Blaine High School, in Blaine, Minnesota in 1997.[3] He then attended Butler University for his freshman year,[4] when he was named All-Conference in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. He transferred to a junior college, and finally ended up at the University of Nebraska,[4] where he helped the Cornhuskers make a College World Series appearance,[5] and earned All-American honors.
Professional baseball career [edit]
Oakland A's (2005–08) [edit]
Johnson played his rookie season with the A's in 2005, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.[6] He struggled early in 2006, batting .237 before being demoted to the A's Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, in July. He returned to the A's roster on August 31,[3] and finished the season with a .234 batting average, 9 home runs, and 37 RBIs.[6] It was later discovered that he suffered from double vision due to getting suntan lotion in his eyes, and he was able to clear up the problem for the 2007 season.[7]
Johnson was expected to be the A's starting first baseman in 2007,[8] but suffered a torn labrum in his hip late in spring training and missed the first three weeks of the season. He returned April 25[9] and proceeded to get a hit in 16 of his first 18 games. He was named American League co-Player of the Week with teammate Jack Cust for the week of May 7–13.[10] After the hot start, Johnson fell into a slump that lasted the rest of the season and plummeted his batting average to .236. His worst month was July, in which he batted just .156 (10-for-64 in 19 games) with two home runs and eight runs batted in. On April 9, 2008, Johnson was designated for assignment.
Tampa Bay Rays (2008) [edit]
On April 18, 2008, he was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays. However, five days later he was again designated for assignment. He was subsequently outrighted to Triple-A Durham three days later. On September 9, Johnson was called up by the Rays from Durham. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, and hit a home run against the Boston Red Sox, tying the game. The game was viewed as pivotal in the AL East Division race,[11] as the Rays would go on to win in extra innings, keeping the Red Sox from claiming the division lead that night. The Rays would not relinquish first place for the remainder of the season, and went on to win their first division title in franchise history en route to the World Series.
He batted .192 with a .276 on base percentage for the 2008 season.[12]
Yokohama Baystars (2009) [edit]
Johnson signed a one-year contract for $1.2 million with the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japanese Central League. He batted .215 in the 2009 season.[13]
Back to Tampa Bay (2010–2011) [edit]
On January 11, 2010, Johnson signed a 1-year $500,000 major league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. Johnson was called up from Durham to the Rays in August 2010. On August 28, he hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning against the Boston Red Sox.
He batted just below the Mendoza line for the 2010 season, with a .198 batting average. He had 23 RBIs, 22 hits in 111 at bats, 3 doubles, and 7 home runs.
On April 8, 2011, with the Rays trailing 7-6 against the Chicago White Sox and two men on, Johnson hit the first pitch from Matt Thornton off the top of the Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar fence for a three-run home run, which would later prove to be the game-winner as Tampa Bay beat Chicago 9-7.
On May 20, 2011, Johnson was designated for assignment,[14] and then recalled on September 14, 2011.
On September 28, 2011, with the Rays tied with the Boston Red Sox in the American League wild card race in the final game of the season, Johnson hit a pinch-hit home run with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game against the New York Yankees. It was the first hit for Johnson since April 27.[15] The Rays went on to win the game in extra innings, and coupled with a loss by the Red Sox, clinched the AL Wild Card.
Johnson was honored by MLB for his Game 162 home run with the GIBBY (Greatness in Baseball Yearly) 2011 Moment of the Year Award This Year in Baseball Awards. [16](Greatness in Baseball Yearly). Bill Chastain wrote, "Many baseball experts have called the final night of the 2011 season the best in baseball history." [17] The seat at Tropicana Field in the right field corner where the home run ball landed, is now colored white and known as the Dan Johnson seat.[18] Section 140, Seat 10, Row T.
Chicago White Sox (2012) [edit]
On February 1, 2012, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He also received an invitation to spring training. Playing for the Charlotte Knights, Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Johnson represented them in the AAA All-Star Game in Buffalo, N.Y., and finished second in the home-run derby. [19]
His contract was purchased by the Chicago White Sox on September 1, 2012. [20] As background to this move Chicago sports writers recalled Johnson's homerun in game 162 for the Tampa Bay Rays. A season ago, Johnson changed baseball's landscape wrote Chicago Tribune writer, Phil Rogers [21]
New York Yankees (2013) [edit]
On January 24, 2013, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He also received an invitation to spring training.[22]
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/2011-tampa-bay-rays-do-you-believe-in-miracles/
- ^ http://www.indyweek.com/triangleoffense/archives/2011/09/29/tampa-bay-rays-beat-odds-make-the-playoffs-and-dan-johnson-is-the-extra-2
- ^ a b Cook, Mike (September 12, 2006). "Notes: Johnson home at the Dome". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ a b Slusser, Susan (April 11, 2006). "A's Johnson has lots of pluck, puck". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ Klein, Gary (June 8, 2001). "Fullerton Prepares for Daunting Task". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ a b "Dan Johnson". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (April 23, 2007). "20/20 vision? You might just be batting average". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ Urban, Mychael (March 30, 2007). "Athletics Opening Day outlook". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ "A's Activate Johnson, Demote Melhuse". The Sports Network. Associated Press. April 25, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ "Oakland players share AL weekly honor". United Press International. May 14, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ Chastain, Bill (September 29, 2011). "Down seven, Rays walk off with AL Wild Card". MLB.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Dan Johnson Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- ^ "Dan Johnson returns from Japan to sign with Tampa Bay Rays". espn.go.com. January 12, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- ^ Rays Designate Dan Johnson For Assignment, MLBTradeRumors.com, May 20, 2011.
- ^ Pouliot, Matthew (28 September 2011). "Rays tie it in ninth on Dan Johnson homer". NBC Sports. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
- ^ MLB MOMENT OF THE YEAR http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2011/gibbys/#
- ^ Bill Chastain, "Rays' final-night heroics net two GIBBYs" RAYS Official Website. 12/16/11
- ^ "Facts and figures from the Rays' Opening Days". Tampa Tribune. April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ David Scott."Dan (bleeping) Johnson's wild ride." NewsObserver.Com. July 14, 2012. http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/13/2199148/dan-bleeping-johnsons-wild-ride.html
- ^ Daryl Van Schouwen"White Sox add Johnson, Hudson, 3 pitchers." September 1, 2012. http://blogs.suntimes.com/whitesox/2012/09/white-sox-bolster-roster-with-.html
- ^ Phil Rogers. "A season ago, Johnson changed baseball's landscape"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-09-02/sports/ct-spt-0902-rogers-white-sox-tigers-chicago--20120902_1_carlos-pena-tropicana-field-delmon-young
- ^ https://twitter.com/YankeesWFAN/status/294466369771143168
External links [edit]
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- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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