- Oscar Johnson (baseball)
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Oscar Johnson 
Johnson at the 1924 Colored World Series.Outfielder / Catcher / Second baseman Born: 1896
Atchison, KansasDied: 1966
Cleveland, OhioBatted: Right Threw: Right Professional debut 1922 for the Kansas City Monarchs Last professional appearance 1933 for the Memphis Red Sox statistics Batting average .337 Teams Oscar "Heavy" Johnson (born 1896 in Atchison, Kansas - 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio) was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues. He played catcher and outfielder. Johnson was one of the Negro League's foremost power hitters in the 1920s, reportedly weighing 250 pounds, and known for hitting home runs.[1] Longtime MLB umpire Jocko Conlan once said that Johnson "could hit a ball out of any park."[2]
In his rookie season with the Kansas City Monarchs, Johnson batted .389, and posted a .345 average in the Cuban winter league. Johnson was credited with 18 home runs in 46 games in 1923, with a .413 batting average. Johnson was also the first member of the Monarchs to hit a home run at the new Kansas City Municipal Stadium.[3] Johnson was credited with more than 60 home runs against all opposition in 1924, and batted .296 in the 1924 Colored World Series, which was won by the Monarchs.[1] Johnson then moved to the Baltimore Black Sox, where he posted averages of .345 and .337 in his 2 seasons with the club. In 1927, with the Harrisburg Giants, Johnson hit .316, teaming with John Beckwith and Oscar Charleston. Johnson split the 1928 season with the Cleveland Tigers and the Memphis Red Sox, posting a .315 average overall.[1]
Former pitcher Bill "Plunk" Drake said that Johnson was once sleeping on the bench when he was awoken and told to pinch-hit; he grabbed a fungo bat and hit a home run.[4] Despite Johnson's weight, he was described as a "remarkably fast runner for his bulk." He was also described as temperamental and moody, one of the "nasty boys".[4] Johnson finished his career in 1933 with a .337 lifetime batting average.
References
- ^ a b c "Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: Oscar "Heavy" Johnson". coe.ksu.edu. http://coe.ksu.edu/nlbemuseum/history/players/johnsono.html. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- ^ Conlan, Jocko; Robert W. Creamer (1997). Jocko. U of Nebraska Press. p. 243. ISBN 0803263813. http://books.google.com/books?id=tgsK1uHWO28C&lpg=PP1&dq=jocko&pg=PA243#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Lester, Larry; Sammy J. Miller, Sammy Miller (2000). Black Baseball in Kansas City. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 073850842X. http://books.google.com/books?id=SYJeSYvOOdsC&lpg=PA26&dq=oscar%20heavy%20johnson&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ a b Lester, Larry (2006). Baseball's first colored world series: the 1924 meeting of the Hilldale Giants and Kansas City Monarchs. McFarland. p. 67. ISBN 0786426179. http://books.google.com/books?id=6r6ownl3ywQC&lpg=PA5&dq=Tepage&pg=PA67#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Categories:- Negro league baseball players
- 1896 births
- 1966 deaths
- Negro league baseball stubs
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