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{{Short description|American baseball player (1934–2020)}}
{{about||the 1800s baseball player|Lou Johnson (pitcher)|other people named Lou Johnson|Lou Johnson (disambiguation)}}
{{about||the 1800s baseball player|Lou Johnson (pitcher)|other people named Lou Johnson|Lou Johnson (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
⚫
{{short description|American baseball player}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Lou Johnson
|name=Lou Johnson
| image =Lou Johnson Dodgers.jpg
|image=Lou Johnson Dodgers.jpg
| position = [[Outfielder]]
|position=[[Outfielder]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|9|22}}
|birth_date={{Birth date|1934|9|22}}
| birth_place = [[Lexington, Kentucky]]
|birth_place=[[Lexington, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|10|1|1934|9|22}}
|death_date={{death date and age|2020|10|1|1934|9|22}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
|death_place=[[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| bats =Right
|bats=Right
| throws = Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutleague = MLB
| debutdate =April 17
|debutdate=April 17
| debutyear =1960
|debutyear=1960
| debutteam =Chicago Cubs
|debutteam=Chicago Cubs
|finalleague = MLB
|finalleague = MLB
| finaldate =September 6
|finaldate=September 6
| finalyear =1969
|finalyear=1969
| finalteam =California Angels
|finalteam=California Angels
|statleague = MLB
|statleague = MLB
| stat1label = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value =.258
|stat1value=.258
| stat2label =[[Home run]]s
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
| stat2value =48
|stat2value=48
| stat3label =[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
| stat3value =232
|stat3value=232
| teams =
|teams=
*[[Chicago Cubs]] (1960)
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{baseball year|1960}})
*[[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los Angeles Angels]] (1961)
* [[Los Angeles Angels]] ({{baseball year|1961}})
*[[Milwaukee Braves]] (1962)
* [[Milwaukee Braves]] ({{baseball year|1962}})
*[[Los Angeles Dodgers]] (1965–1967)
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{baseball year|1965}}–{{baseball year|1967}})
*[[Chicago Cubs]] (1968)
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{baseball year|1968}})
*[[Cleveland Indians]] (1968)
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{baseball year|1968}})
*[[California Angels]] (1969)
* [[California Angels]] ({{baseball year|1969}})
| highlights =
|highlights=
*[[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1965}})
* [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1965}})
}}
}}
'''Louis Brown Johnson''' (September 22, 1934{{spnd}}October 1, 2020),<ref>https://www.mlb.com/news/sweet-lou-johnson-passes-away</ref> nicknamed '''Sweet Lou''', was an American [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]].<ref name=bbref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnslo01.shtml|title= Lou Johnson page at Baseball-Reference|accessdate=November 4, 2013}}</ref> 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 {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and {{convert|170|lb}}.
'''Louis Brown Johnson''' (September 22, 1934 – October 1, 2020), nicknamed "'''Sweet Lou'''", was an American [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]]. 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 {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and {{convert|170|lb}}.<ref name=bbref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnslo01.shtml|title= Lou Johnson Career Statistics |website=Baseball-Reference}}</ref>


Johnson did not establish himself as a big-league regular until he was almost 33 years of age. He had trials with the [[Chicago Cubs]] (34 [[games played]] in 1960), [[Los Angeles Angels]] (only one appearance in 1961), and [[Milwaukee Braves]] (61 games in 1962). Only after he was summoned to the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] from [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Spokane Indians|Spokane]], when the Dodgers lost regular outfielder [[Tommy Davis]] to a broken ankle on May 1, 1965, did Johnson earn a foothold in the major leagues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/remembering-65-tommy-davis-goes-down-sweet-lou-comes-up-7a900ec121c|title=Remembering '65: Tommy Davis goes down, 'Sweet Lou' comes up|last=Weisman|first=Jon|date=May 8, 2015|publisher=Dodger Insider|accessdate=August 27, 2018}}</ref> He became the Dodgers' regular [[left fielder]] during their [[1965 World Series|1965 world championship season]], started over 60 games in both left and [[right fielder|right]] fields in 1966 (during which the Dodgers captured their second straight [[National League]] [[pennant (sports)|pennant]]), and started another 85 games in the Dodger outfield in 1967. He remained in the majors for two more years as a reserve player, returning to the Cubs (1968) and Angels (1969) to bookend a stint with the [[Cleveland Indians]] (1968). He was employed by the Dodgers' Community Relations Department.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=la|title=Front Office Directory|website=MLB.com}}</ref>
Johnson did not establish himself as a big-league regular until he was almost 31 years of age. He had trials with the [[Chicago Cubs]] (34 [[games played]] in 1960), [[Los Angeles Angels]] (only one appearance in 1961), and [[Milwaukee Braves]] (61 games in 1962). Only after he was summoned to the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] from [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Spokane Indians|Spokane]], when the Dodgers lost regular outfielder [[Tommy Davis (outfielder)|Tommy Davis]] to a broken ankle on May 1, 1965, did Johnson earn a foothold in the major leagues.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/sweet-lou-johnson-passes-away |title='Sweet' Lou Johnson Passes Away |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref> He became the Dodgers' regular [[left fielder]] during their [[1965 World Series|1965 world championship season]], started over 60 games in both left and [[right fielder|right]] fields in 1966 (during which the Dodgers captured their second straight [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[pennant (sports)|pennant]]), and started another 85 games in the Dodger outfield in 1967.<ref name=bbref/>
He remained in the majors for two more years as a reserve player with to the Cubs, [[Cleveland Indians]] and [[Los Angeles Angels|California Angels]]. Later in life, he was employed by the Dodgers' Community Relations Department.<ref>{{cite web |title=Los Angeles Dodgers: Front Office Directory |website=[[Major League Baseball|MLB.com]] |url=http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=la }}</ref>


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Johnson was born on September 22, 1934 in [[Lexington, Kentucky]], to Sidney Bell and Shirley Johnson.<ref name="Maloney">{{Citation |author=Mark Maloney |publication-date=July 31, 1999 |title= Baseball Team Gets Thumbs Up From Local Star|publisher= [[Lexington Herald-Leader]] |page= D1|url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7424E2C911537&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref> He had three brothers and one sister.<ref name="Maloney"/> At [[Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Lexington, Kentucky)|Dunbar High School]] in Lexington,<ref name="Maloney"/> he played both [[basketball]] as well as baseball. Johnson desired to play basketball at the [[University of Kentucky]] under coach [[Adolph Rupp]]. However, at the time, not only were members of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (of which Kentucky is an affiliate) not recruiting black athletes, most of its universities were segregated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/rupp.html#evidencepro |title=Adolph Rupp: Fact and Fiction |publisher=Bigbluehistory.net |date= |accessdate=April 13, 2012}}</ref>
Johnson was born on September 22, 1934, in [[Lexington, Kentucky]], to Sidney Bell and Shirley Johnson. He had three brothers and one sister.<ref name="Maloney">{{cite web |author= Maloney, Mark |date=July 31, 1999 |title= Baseball Team Gets Thumbs Up From Local Star|work= [[Lexington Herald-Leader]] |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7424E2C911537&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref>
Johnson attended [[Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Lexington, Kentucky)|Dunbar High School]] in Lexington where played both [[basketball]] and baseball.<ref name="Maloney"/> He desired to play basketball at the [[University of Kentucky]] under coach [[Adolph Rupp]]. However, at the time, not only were members of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (of which Kentucky is an affiliate) not recruiting black athletes, most of its universities were segregated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Becky |title=Kentucky's Rupp Arena: A College Basketball Mecca With A Complicated Racial Past |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/08/31/906903109/kentuckys-rupp-arena-a-college-basketball-mecca-with-a-complicated-racial-past |work=[[NPR]] |date=August 31, 2020}}</ref>


== Early baseball career ==
== Early baseball career ==


Johnson was signed by the [[New York Yankees]] as an amateur [[free agent]] in 1953. After moving around from team to team in the [[minor league baseball|minor leagues]] for about a decade, he made his major league debut with the [[Chicago Cubs]] in 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/321001781/?terms=lou%20johnson%20cubs&match=1 |title=31 Mar 1960, 28 - Des Moines Tribune at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=March 31, 1960 |accessdate=October 2, 2020}}</ref> The Cubs traded Johnson to the [[Los Angeles Angels]] for [[Jim McAnany]] on April 1, 1961,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/256004666/?terms=lou%20johnson%20Jim%20McAnany&match=1 |title=19 Apr 1961, 14 - The Montgomery Advertiser at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=April 19, 1961 |accessdate=October 2, 2020}}</ref> and he played in 61 games for the [[1962 Milwaukee Braves season|1962 Milwaukee Braves]]. However, after that, the Braves traded Johnson to the [[Detroit Tigers]] system, which sent him back to the minor leagues for the 1963 and '64 seasons. They then traded him to the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] for the pitcher [[Larry Sherry]].<ref name=bbref/>
Johnson was signed by the [[New York Yankees]] as an amateur [[free agent]] in 1953. After moving around from team to team in the [[minor league baseball|minor leagues]] for about eight years, he made his major league debut with the [[Chicago Cubs]] in 1960.<ref name=bbref/> The Cubs traded Johnson to the [[Los Angeles Angels]] for [[Jim McAnany]] on April 1, 1961. In 1962, he played in 61 games for the [[History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee|Milwaukee Braves]]. However, after that, the Braves traded Johnson to the [[Detroit Tigers]] system, which sent him back to the minor leagues for the 1963 and '64 seasons. They then traded him to the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] for the pitcher [[Larry Sherry]].<ref name=trade>{{cite web |title=Lou Johnson Trades and Transactions |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=johnslo01 |publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]}}</ref>


== Los Angeles Dodgers ==
== Los Angeles Dodgers ==


Johnson made it to the major leagues to stay for a stretch beginning in 1965 with the Dodgers when a broken ankle in early May sidelined [[Tommy Davis]], their regular left fielder, for the remainder of the season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hFAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rxAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7247,4480835&dq=lou-johnson+baseball+tommy-davis&hl=en|title=Lou Johnson keeps Dodgers in pennant race|last=Murray|first=Jim|date=August 27, 1965|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Sentinel]]|page=7|accessdate=June 4, 2010}}</ref> Johnson filled in for Davis, playing in 130 games for the Dodgers that season, recording a .260 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 57 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], and 58 [[runs batted in]] (RBIs). In that season, Johnson also scored the only run for the Dodgers in [[Sandy Koufax's perfect game]] victory when he [[base on balls|walked]], went to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stole third base, and then scored on a throwing [[error]] by the [[Chicago Cubs]] [[catcher]], [[Chris Krug]]. The Dodgers made it to the [[1965 World Series]] versus the [[1965 Minnesota Twins season|Minnesota Twins]], and in this Series, Johnson had eight hits, including two [[home run]]s, the second one being the game-winning one in the decisive seventh game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/32418407/?terms=lou%20johnson%20dodgers&match=1 |title=15 Oct 1965, Page 8 - The Kokomo Morning Times at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 15, 1965 |accessdate=October 2, 2020}}</ref>
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 sidelined [[Tommy Davis (outfielder)|Tommy Davis]], their regular left fielder, for the remainder of the season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hFAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rxAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7247,4480835&dq=lou-johnson+baseball+tommy-davis&hl=en|title=Lou Johnson keeps Dodgers in pennant race|last=Murray|first=Jim|date=August 27, 1965|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Sentinel]]|access-date=June 4, 2010}}</ref> Johnson filled in for Davis, playing in 130 games for the Dodgers that season, recording a .260 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 57 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], and 58 [[runs batted in]] (RBIs).<ref name=bbref/>


On September 9, 1965, Johnson also scored the only run for the Dodgers in [[Sandy Koufax's perfect game]] against the [[Chicago Cubs]]; he [[base on balls|walked]] in the 5th, went to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stole third base, and then scored on a throwing [[error]] by Cubs' catcher [[Chris Krug]]. Johnson also doubled in the 7th, for the only hit off Cubs pitcher [[Bob Hendley]], making Johnson the only player in MLB history to reach base for either team in a nine-inning game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/september-9-1965-a-million-butterflies-and-one-perfect-game-for-sandy-koufax/ |title=September 9, 1965: 'A million butterflies' and one perfect game for Sandy Koufax |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] (SABR Games Project)}}</ref>
⚫
With Tommy Davis back in left field, and [[Willie Davis (baseball)|Willie Davis]] in center field, Johnson played mostly in right field in 1966. Frequently batting third in the order, right ahead of the dangerous 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.<ref name=bbref/>


The Dodgers made it to the [[1965 World Series]] versus the [[1965 Minnesota Twins season|Minnesota Twins]], and in this Series, Johnson had eight hits, including two [[home run]]s, the second one being the game-winning one in the decisive seventh game.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Briere |first1=Tom |title=L.A. Wins, 2–0, Take Series |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-1965-world-series/66578834/ |work=[[Star Tribune|Minneapolis Tribune]] |date=October 15, 1965}}</ref>
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This was also Koufax's last year in baseball before retiring because of his damaged and getting-worse left arm. In this World Series, against the [[Baltimore Orioles]], the Dodgers' offence hit rock-bottom, with the team getting shut out three times, and only scoring two runs in the four games. Johnson finished the series with four hits in 15 at-bats. He also flew out to [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] for the final out of the Series.<ref name=bbref/>

⚫
With Tommy Davis back in left field, and [[Willie Davis (baseball)|Willie 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.<ref name=bbref/>

⚫
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 the [[1966 World Series]] against the [[Baltimore Orioles]], the Dodgers' offense hit rock-bottom, with the team getting shut out three times, and only scoring two runs in the four games.<ref>{{cite news |title=Orioles 'Sad Sack' Pitching Staff Completes Amazing Sweep |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=October 10, 1966 |page=8 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8t5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=7410%2C3710325 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019223909/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8t5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=7410%2C3710325}}</ref> Johnson finished the series with four hits in 15 at-bats and flew out to [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] for the final out of the Series.<ref name=bbref/>


== Later baseball years ==
== Later baseball years ==


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 the [[Chicago Cubs]] and the [[Cleveland Indians]] in 1968, and just 67 for the California Angels in 1969, with only a .203 batting average.<ref>{{cite web |title=LOU JOHNSON STATS |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=johnslo01 |website=Baseball Almanac |accessdate=October 4, 2020}}</ref> In 1970, at the age of 35, Johnson was out of professional baseball for good.
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 the [[Chicago Cubs]] and the [[Cleveland 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.<ref name=bbref/>


In his approximately eight-year-long Major League career, Johnson posted a .258 overall [[batting average (baseball)|average]] with 48 home runs and 232 [[run batted in|RBI]] in 677 [[games played]]. Defensively, he recorded a .981 [[fielding percentage]] playing at all three outfield positions.<ref name=bbref/>
In his approximately eight-year-long Major League career, Johnson posted a .258 overall [[batting average (baseball)|average]] with 48 home runs and 232 [[run batted in|RBI]] in 677 [[games played]]. Defensively, he recorded a .981 [[fielding percentage]] playing at all three outfield positions.<ref name=bbref/>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Johnson and his wife, Sarah, had three children. He died on October 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/sweet-lou-johnson-passes-away |title='Sweet' Lou Johnson Passes Away |publisher=Si.com |date= |accessdate=October 2, 2020}}</ref>
Johnson and his wife, Sarah, had three children: Lauren, Carlton, and Quinton. He died on October 1, 2020, after a period of ill-health.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lou Johnson, hit winning homer in '65 World Series, dies at age 86 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lou-johnson-hit-winning-homer-65-world-series-dies-age-n1241971 |work=[[NBC]] |agency=Associated Press |date=October 3, 2020}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=[[Michael Leahy (author)|Leahy, Michael]] |url=https://archive.org/details/lastinnocentscol0000leah |title=The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-06-236056-4 |ref=Leahy}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Baseballstats|mlb=116609|br=j/johnslo01|brm=johnso002lou}}
{{Baseballstats|mlb=116609|br=j/johnslo01|brm=johnso002lou|retro=J/Pjohnl104}}
*[https://baseballbiography.com/lou-johnson Lou Johnson] - [https://baseballbiography.com BaseballBiography.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051128152844/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/J/Johnson_Lou.stm Baseball Library]
*[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/J/Pjohnl104.htm Retrosheet]
*[http://www.purapelota.com/lvbp/mostrar.php?id=johnlou001 Venezuelan Professional Baseball League]


{{1965 Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{1965 Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Baseball|Kentucky}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 13:58, 23 September 2023

For the 1800s baseball player, see Lou Johnson (pitcher). For other people named Lou Johnson, see Lou Johnson (disambiguation).

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 runs48
Runs batted in232
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Louis Brown Johnson (September 22, 1934 – October 1, 2020), nicknamed "Sweet Lou", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. 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 of age. He had trials with the Chicago Cubs (34 games played in 1960), Los Angeles Angels (only one appearance in 1961), and Milwaukee Braves (61 games in 1962). Only after he was summoned to the Los Angeles Dodgers from Triple-A Spokane, when the Dodgers lost regular outfielder Tommy Davis to a broken ankle on May 1, 1965, did Johnson earn a foothold in the major leagues.[2] He became the Dodgers' regular left fielder during their 1965 world championship season, started over 60 games in both left and right fields in 1966 (during which the Dodgers captured their second straight National League pennant), 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 and California Angels. Later in life, he was employed by the Dodgers' Community Relations Department.[3]

Early life[edit]

Johnson was born on September 22, 1934, in Lexington, Kentucky, to Sidney Bell and Shirley Johnson. He had three brothers and one sister.[4]

Johnson attended Dunbar High School in Lexington where played both basketball and baseball.[4] He desired to play basketball at the University of Kentucky under coach Adolph Rupp. However, at the time, not only were members of the Southeastern Conference (of which Kentucky is an affiliate) not recruiting black athletes, most of its universities were segregated.[5]

Early baseball career[edit]

Johnson was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1953. After moving around from team to team in the minor leagues for about eight years, he made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1960.[1] The Cubs traded Johnson to the Los Angeles Angels for Jim McAnany on April 1, 1961. In 1962, he played in 61 games for the Milwaukee Braves. However, after that, the Braves traded Johnson to the Detroit Tigers system, which sent him back to the minor leagues for the 1963 and '64 seasons. They then traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the pitcher Larry Sherry.[6]

Los Angeles Dodgers[edit]

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 sidelined Tommy 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 .260 batting average, 57 runs scored, and 58 runs batted in (RBIs).[1]

On September 9, 1965, Johnson also scored the only run for the Dodgers in Sandy Koufax's perfect game against the Chicago Cubs; he walked in the 5th, went to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stole third base, and then scored on a throwing error by Cubs' catcher Chris Krug. Johnson also doubled in the 7th, for the only hit off Cubs pitcher Bob 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 the 1965 World Series versus the Minnesota Twins, and in this Series, Johnson had eight hits, including two home runs, the second one being the game-winning one in the decisive seventh game.[9]

With Tommy Davis back in left field, and Willie 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 the 1966 World Series against the Baltimore 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 to Paul Blair for the final out of the Series.[1]

Later baseball years[edit]

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 the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland 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 overall average with 48 home runs and 232 RBI in 677 games played. Defensively, he recorded a .981 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[1]

Personal life[edit]

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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Lou Johnson Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.
  2. ^ "'Sweet' Lou Johnson Passes Away". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers: Front Office Directory". MLB.com.
  4. ^ a b Maloney, Mark (July 31, 1999). "Baseball Team Gets Thumbs Up From Local Star". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Becky (August 31, 2020). "Kentucky's Rupp Arena: A College Basketball Mecca With A Complicated Racial Past". NPR.
  6. ^ "Lou Johnson Trades and Transactions". Baseball Almanac.
  7. ^ Murray, Jim (August 27, 1965). "Lou Johnson keeps Dodgers in pennant race". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  8. ^ "September 9, 1965: 'A million butterflies' and one perfect game for Sandy Koufax". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR Games Project).
  9. ^ Briere, Tom (October 15, 1965). "L.A. Wins, 2–0, Take Series". Minneapolis Tribune.
  10. ^ "Orioles 'Sad Sack' Pitching Staff Completes Amazing Sweep". The Spokesman-Review. October 10, 1966. p. 8. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Lou Johnson, hit winning homer in '65 World Series, dies at age 86". NBC. Associated Press. October 3, 2020.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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