Don Johnson (second baseman)
| Don Johnson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Second baseman | |||
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Born: December 7, 1911 Chicago | |||
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Died: April 6, 2000 (aged 88) Laguna Beach, California | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 26, 1943, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 16, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| AVG | .273 | ||
| Hits | 528 | ||
| RBI | 175 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Donald Spore Johnson (December 7, 1911 – April 6, 2000), nicknamed "Pep", was a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Chicago Cubs from 1943 to 1948. A native of Chicago, he attended Oregon State University before beginning his professional baseball career.
Johnson's best seasons were during World War II. In 1944, a season in which he had a career-high 71 runs batted in, he was selected for the All-Star Game. In 1945, he was an important part of the last Cubs team to win a pennant, hitting a career-high .302 and scoring 94 runs, tenth in the league. He was also selected for the unofficial "All-Star Game" that was organized by the Associated Press after the official game was canceled.
To date, Johnson is the last Cub to come to bat in a World Series game. He grounded into a force out to end the 1945 World Series defeat to the Detroit Tigers.
Career totals for 511 games include 528 hits, 8 home runs, 175 runs batted in, 219 runs scored, a .273 batting average, and an on-base percentage of .315.
His father was former major league shortstop Ernie Johnson.
Trivia
- Johnson led the National League with 22 sacrifice hits in 1945.
- His nickname was "Pep."
See also
References
- "1944 All Star Game". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
- Baseball Reference
- Retrosheet